J. F. Campbell Collection > Minstrelsy of the Scottish border > Volume 1

THE SCOTTISH BORDER. 117
cows in one night, raised the country of Tiviotdale, and
traced the robbers into Liddesdale, as far as the house
of this Armstrong, commonly called JVillie of Westbnrn-
fial, from the place of his residence, on the banks of the
Hermitage water. Fortunately for the pursuers, he was
then asleep ; so that he was secured, along with nine of
his friends, without much resistance. He was brought
to trial at Selkirk ; and, although no precise evidence
was adduced to convict him of the special fact (the cattle
never having been recovered,) yet the jury brought him
in gidlly on his general chai'acter, or, as it is called in our
law, on habit and repute. When sentence was pro-
nounced, Willie arose; and, seizing the oaken chair in
which he was placed, broke it into pieces by main
strength, and offered to his companions, who were in-
volved in the same doom, that, if they would stand be-
hind him, he would fight his way out of Selkirk with
these weapons. But they held his hands, and besought
him to let them dielike Christians. They were according-
ly executed in form of law. This incident is said to have
happened at the last Circuit Court held at Selkirk. The
people of Liddesdale, who (perhaps not erroneously) still
consider the sentence as iniquitous, remarked, that ,
the prosecutor, never throve afterwards, but came to
beggary and ruin, with his whole family.
Johnie Armstrong, of Gilnockie, the hero of the fol-
lowing ballad, is a noted personage, both in history and
tradition, lie was, it would seem from the ballad, a
brother of the Laird of Mangertoun, chief of the name.