Broadside concerning the trial of Robert Murray

Transcription

A Full and Particular Account of the Trial of RO-
BERT MURRAY, who was tried yesterday, the
28th Feburary, 1825, before the High Conrt of
Justiciary, for the Robbery of the Stirling Mail, on
the evening of the 18th December last, at Kirklis-
ton when Cash to the amount of upwards of £7000
Sterling was abstracted !

ON Monday the 28th February, 1825, ROBERT MURRAY,
sometime in the Naval Service of the Honourable East India
Company, was put to the bar, accused of being art and part con-
cerned in the robbery of the Stirling Mail, on the evening of the
18th December last, at or near the house of Mathew Linn, post-
master, Kirkliston, on the road leading from Linlithgow to Edin-
burgh, and with stealing therefrom three parcels of banker's or
bank notes,?one of these having been sent from the branch of the
Bank of Scotland, Stirling, to the office in Edinburgh, and contain-
ed notes to the value of £2434. 17s.?-2d, a parcel from Crieff to
the Commercial Banking Company, amounting to £2360,?-and,
3d, a parcel to the Leith Banking Company, from Callander,
amounting to £ 2254. 10s. The prisoner plead Not Guilty.

A jury being sworn, the several bank agents stated their having
made up the parcels of notes, which were delivered to the Guard
of the Mail Coach, at Stirling, William Hume was then called, who
deponed, that he was Guard of the Stirling Mail on the 18th De-
cember last, was about eight years in that situation ; was in the
practice of conveying notes from Stirling to Edinburgh, which was
a private transaction between the banks and him. After stating
that he got three different parcels containing notes to be delivered in
Edinburgh, which were put first into a sack, and placed in the Mail
box, on the road, two miles on this side of Falkirk, he then goes on
to say, that he unlocked the box at Winchburgh, without stopping
and put the Linlithgow bag, whieh he had previously kept in the
sword case, into the Mail sack. He then felt with his feet that the.
money parcels were still safe. He did not then lock the Mail box,
that was a neglect on his part. No person ever left the front of the
eoach to come to the back part till it reached Kirkliston. An out-
side passenger was taken up at Linlithgow, who sat along side the
coachman. The coach stopped at Kirkliston, opposite the door of
Matthew Linn. the postmaster ; it was very dark when the coach
arrived there, at 40 minutes after 6 o'clock ; witness dismounted,
and went into the Post Office for the bag, leaving the Mail box un-
locked ; he had no occasion to open the box there, not did he do so
till he reached Corstorphine.....He was not more than one and a
half minute in the house at Kirkliston, but he afterwards assisted
in putting, the leading horses to the coach.    The total amount of
the whole stop, did not exceed four or five minutes including the
time he was in the house.

The Mail Box continued unlocked till he arrived at Constorphine,
where he got a bag to take to Edinburgh. He then opened the
box to put in this bag?and he discovered that the money parcels
were gone, having been taken out at Kirkliston. He never men-
tioned the loss to any one till he arrived at the Post Office ; there
he met the persons from the banks. Two inside passengers and
one outside outside were set down at Frederick Street; one of the
insides was the passenger who was out of the coach at Kirkliston?
and the outside one, was he who was taken up at Linlithgow. He
let them go at once, although he was aware of the robbery?from
being in a state of alarm and confusion, he did not well know
what he was doing. Did not, however, suspect any of these pas-
sengers, for one had no luggage whatever, and the other only a
small bag which lay on the fore boot, not near so large as tho par-
cels. When the coach arrived at the Post Office he found the usual
persons waiting to receive the money for the banks, and told them
that it was all gone. He then gave information as to when he
thought the robbery had been effected ; and returned to Kirkliston,
with some of the bank people where they received some intelligence.
He was quite certain that he felt the money parcels in the coach at
Winchburgh, and that he did not miss them till he arrived at Cor-
storphine. He had no participation directly or indirectly in the
theft, nor did he know by whom tho robbery was effected.

A great many other witnesses were then examined, and the pri-
soner's declaration read, in which he stated, that he was 39 years
of age, was born in London, and lived on the interest of his money.
After which the Jury were addressed by the Counsel for and against
the prosecution, as well as by the Lord Justice Clerk, when they,
without leaving their box, returned a viua voce verdict, finding the
Libel Not Proven, on which he was dismissed from the bar, He
was again taken on a new warrant, in the Parliament Square.

Printed for Robert M'Millan PRICE ONE PENNY.

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