Broadside listing persons tried at the Circuit Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh

Transcription

A Complete LIST of the Names, Crimes, and Punish-
ments, of all the Criminals Tried at Edinburgh,
before the High Court of Justiciary, this week,
ending 18th March, 1826.

MONDAY....Mary Hogg, or Murray, Theft, aggravated by
being habit and repute a common thief, pleaded guilty,....
seven years transportation. John Hunter, Theft, aggravated as
above,.... banishment for life. James Jones, aged 15, Richard Bar-
ton, 24, and Robert Jeffrey, 15, Theft, aggravated as before,guilty,
transportation for life.                                                                     

TUESDAY....Walter Ewing Taylor, pled guilty,....transportation
for life. James Hunter Blair, and John Howison, Assault, the
former pled guilty,,...six months imprisonment, and security for
five years to keep the peace, under £30 sterling,....and the letter
dismissed, no proof being adduced. John Wilson, aged 14, Theft,
and habit and repute a thief, guilty,....14 years transportation.

WEDNESDAY....Robert Murray, late mate of the ship Malvina,
of Grange mouth, accused of the Murder of James Rae, cabn-boy
on board of that skip. His defences were read, in which he de-
nied the jurisdiction of the court to try his case, and also of having
wantonly inflicted any punishment to lead to the death of the boy
Rae. The diet was continued against him till Monday first, to de-
cide this point. Alexander Donaldson, about 12 years old, Theft,
and habit and repute a thief, guilty,....seven years transportation.
Alexander Shaw, about 17, Theft, and habit and repute a thief,
transportation for life.

THURSDAY....James Webster Brown, Falsehood, Fraud, &c.
and James M'Knight, Forgery, failing to appear, were, outlawed,
James Innes, aged 18, Adam Innes, 20, and Janet Shepherd, or
Paterson, or Innes, Housebreaking and Theft, aggravated with
being previously convicted of theft. The diet was deserted against
the woman, and was dismissed from the bar. The lads were una-
nimously found guilty, and sentenced to seven years transportation,
on account of no aggravated circumstances attending their case.
Charles Quin, and Mary Boyd, Housebreaking and Theft, remitted
to the Sheriff.

FRIDAY... David Campbell, Forgery, guilty, by his own confes-
sion, ...fourteen years transportation.    Christian Dickson, alias Ann
Hay, and Elizabeth Fraser, or Marlow, alias Elizabeth Johnston,
Theft, aggravated by being habit and repute common thieves, guilty,
Dickson being 27, and Fraser 12 times convicted of theft in the
Police Court,....transportation for life.    John Haggart, a brother of
the late notorious David Haggart, and John Smith, accused of steal-
ing from a basket placed on the footpath of the easter road to Leith,
near the house of William Veitch, farmer there, a black silk gown,
belonging to Alison Veitch, his daughter, and of being habit and
repute thieves.    Mr James Brown addressed the jury on behalf of
Haggart, and began by beseeching them not to suffer any associa-
tion which the name of Haggart might be calculated to call forth,
to weigh against his client; a name which had been rendered more
notorious by a publication, in his mind, is infamous as any which
had ever issued from the public press of this country.    He then
pointed out to the jury that the aggravation of being habit and re-
pute a thief, did not of itself constitute a crime, and, therefore, if
the specific crime of theft charged in the ndictment was not proved,
the fact, which he admitted, of the aggravation must go for nothing.
In his mind the evidence adduced to bring home the crime to his
client was lame and inconclusive, and amounted to no more but
that he was seen on the Easter Road, near the spot where a gown
was taken from a basket, and that he Was afterwards seen to go into
a gate where that gown was afterwards found.    The evidence, he
contended, was altogether presumptive, and that the presumption
was more in favour of his client's innocence than his guilt.    He
went minutely into the evidence in support of his view of the case,
and confidently asked from the jury a verdict of not proven.    The
charge against Smith was given up, and Haggart was, by a plura-
lity of voices, found guilty :?Smith was dismissed from the bar,
and Haggart banished for life.

Edinburgh,....Printed for the Booksellers,?Price One Penny.

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