TRIAL OF THE BRAES CROFTERS. 49 



Portree aforesaid, having been as a sheriff-officer of the County of Inver- 

 ness, on or about the 7th day of April, 1882, instructed by Alexander 

 Macdonald, solicitor in Portree aforesaid, as agent for the Right 

 Honourable Ronald Archibald Macdonald, Lord Macdonald, of 

 Armadale Castle, Skye, to go to Balmeanach, Penachorain, and Geden- 

 tailor, three of the townships in the district of Braes, in the parish of 

 Portree aforesaid, to serve actions of removing, which, with the warrants 

 thereon, he delivered to the said Angus Martin for that purpose, raised 

 in the Sheriff Court of Inverness, Elgin, and Nairn at Portree, at the 

 instance of the said Right Honourable Ronald Archibald Macdonald, 

 Lord Macdonald, upon the tenants in the said townships . . . and also 

 to serve small debt summonses for debt . . . and the said Angus Martin 

 having upon the said 7th day of April, 1882, or about that time, pro- 

 ceeded towards, or in the direction of the said three townships of Bal- 

 meanach, Penachorain, and Gedentailor, in order to serve the said 

 actions and small debt summonses, accompanied by Ewen Robertson, 

 now or lately residing at Lisigary aforesaid, as his concurrent and 

 assistant, and by Norman Beaton, ground-officer on the estates of the 

 said Lord Macdonald, and now or lately residing at Shullisheddar, in the 

 parish of Portree aforesaid, the said Alex. Finlayson, Donald Nicolson, 

 James Nicolson, Malcolm Finlayson, and Peter Macdonald, did all 

 and each, or one or more of them, assisted by a crowd of people to the 

 number of 150 or thereby, whose names are to the complainer un- 

 known, actors or actor, or art and part, at or near Gedentailor aforesaid 

 [and at a part thereof three hundred yards or thereby on the south of 

 the schoolhouse, known by the name of MacDermid's Institution, on 

 the lands of Olach in the parish of Portree aforesaid, and now or lately 

 occupied by Kenneth MacLean, teacher there], wickedly and felonious- 

 ly attack and assault the said Angus Martin, well knowing him to be an 

 officer of the law, and in the execution of his duty as such, and that he held 

 the said actions and small debt summonses and warrants for service, and the 

 said Ewen Robertson, well knowing him to be the assistant and concur- 

 rent and witness of the said Angus Martin and the said Norman 

 Beaton, and did knock them, or one or more of them to the ground, and 

 did by force at or near Gedentailor aforesaid, forcibly seize hold of, and 

 destroy the service copies of the actions and ^small debt summonses 

 before mentioned, and did also upon the lands of Upper Olach, being 

 another township in the said district of Braes, and in the parish of Por- 

 tree aforesaid [and at a part of said lands occupied by Donald Mac- 

 pherson, crofter, there, forty yards or thereby on the south of the said 

 schoolhouse], forcibly seize hold of and burn, or cause, or procure to be 



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