LAST EXECUTION AT BLAIR. 155 



One day after shooting together, they resolved to sleep 

 at this bothy. They had only a gilly, or servant, with them 

 belonging to Macintosh. The two foresters slept in one bed, 

 and the gilly in another. Whilst Macintosh slept, Stewart 

 stabbed him with his skiandubh ; and, going to the gilly's 

 bed, stabbed him also, and put him on Macintosh, that it 

 might be supposed one had killed the other. He left them 

 both for dead, and made the best of his way home. 



Soon after his departure, the gilly began to recover a 

 little from the wound he had received, and contrived to 

 crawl on his hands and knees to Dalnachie, which he reached 

 next morning, and gave information of the murder of his 

 master. When Stewart heard that the gilly had escaped 

 with life, and that the murder was discovered, he fled to 

 Lord Reay's country in Sutherland, which had the privilege 

 in those days of protecting criminals from justice. 



In the meantime the Earl of Atholl, being informed of 

 what had had taken place, was determined to bring Stewart 

 to justice, and sent a man named Macadie, who knew 

 Stewart well, dressed as a beggar, to discover if he was 

 still in Sutherland. He soon returned with intelligence of 

 Stewart's being there, and the Earl sent a strong party 

 with Macadie (still disguised as a beggar) with instructions 

 to bring back the murderer dead or alive. 



On the arrival of the party at Lord Reay's country, hear- 

 ing that Stewart was to attend a wedding on a certain day, 

 they agreed to surround the house where the ceremony was 

 to take place, pretty late at night. Macadie was to enter 

 and drink Stewart's health ; and this was to be the sig- 

 nal that the person they sought for was within. This 

 being settled, Macadie entered, and drank Stewart's health, 

 who, finding he was discovered, bolted out of the house, 

 and was immediately surrounded and secured by the party 

 stationed without, who took him to Logierait, where he was 

 confined some time, and finally condemned to be hung and 

 gibbeted. The sentence was carried into execution at Blair ; 

 and this man was the last person who was hung there. 



The motive for this foul act did not transpire ; but it 

 was supposed that it was perpetrated for the sake of in- 

 volving the murderer with the sort of horrid consequence 



