Strathspey Fencibles at Dumfries in 1795. 101 



took " the old man " prisoner. The two sons, however, 

 had disguised themsehes in women's clothes and escaped. 

 Artliur, after a long- pursuit, was taken the next day, but 

 Henry, though a \ igorous search was made and a reward of 

 five guineas offered for his discovery, got clear away. 

 Detail is very precious in these matters, defining our vision, 

 so we gratefully learn that Henry was, according to the 

 "Escaped from Justice" advertisement, "aged about 

 twenty-two, five feet nine t)r ten inches liigh, a stout well- 

 made man, with dark hair hanging loose, dark complexion, 

 and a little pitted with the smallpox," and he wore " a blue 

 jacket, striped \est, and white trousers, a small rouiul ha.t, 

 and tied shoes." After the O'Neils' departure the mob 

 broke into their house and " demolished and burnt it." The 

 " Gentlemen at their last County meeting " anti the Magis- 

 trates of Dumfries each voted 15 guineas to the wounded 

 soldiers, and Sir James Grant gave 10 guineas to the In- 

 firmary " in testimony of the sense he entertained of the 

 usefulness of the Infirmary to the sick and hurt men of his 

 regiment. " 



Tlie O'Xeils were brought before the Circuit Court in 

 September, and Henry was outlawed for not appearing. 

 Owing to the absence of material witnesses the diet was 

 deserted pro loco ei tempore^ and the prisoners were remo\ed 

 to Edinburgh for trial. \\'e must quote Kay's " contempor- 

 ary chronicle "'' for the remainder of our narrative : " John 

 O'Neill . . . was a Roman Catholic, and at this time a 

 number of genteel Catholic families being resident in Dum- 

 fries, they resolved to be at the expense of defending O'Neill 

 cm the ground that he was justified in resisting any attempt 

 to enter his own house. With this view they prevailed on 

 the late Mrs Riddell of Woodley Park to go to Edinburgh 

 and procure counsel. . . . She found no diHicult)- in oiitain- 

 ing the services of Henry Erskine, without fee or reward ; 

 but notwithstanding, O'Neill was found guilty, and con- 

 demned to be hanged. The good offices of Mrs Riddell, how- 

 ever, did not terminate here. She applied to Charles Fox ; 



7 Edinburgh Portraits, i., 278. 



