Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-05-22

THE STOLEN PRESIDENT.


The custom Of stealing away town.bailies and
councillors, SO as to bauk the election OF parti
cuiar member Of Parliament, and which is of no
very rare occurrence in Scotland, meets with no
parallel in the early periods Of our history in the
state or on the bench. An incident of this ma.
ture illustrative Of the former unsettled state Of
that country may here be related for the amuse-
ment of our readers:
10 the reign Of Charles I, when the moss
troopipg practices were not entirely discontinued,
the tow Of GIlnockie, in the parish of Cannoby,
was occupied by William, or Willie Armstrong,
a iineai descendant Of the famous John Armstrong
of Gllnockie. executed by James v. The here
ditary love Of plumber had descended to this per.
sou witir the family mansion; aud, upon some
marauding party. be was seized aud Imprisoned
in the tol6ootl, Of Jedburgh. The Earl Of Ira
QUAR-, Lord High Treasurer. happening to visit
Jedburgh, and knowing this border moss. troopsr,
imputed the cause Of his confinement. Willie
reeiied,h he was Imprisoned for stealing two fethers
thalters;) but upon being more closely interrogat-
ed, acknowledged there were two delicate cats at
sed the Earl. who exerteI his interest aud sue
ceeded in releasing Willie from bondage. Sumo
time afterward, a law suit Of Importance to Lord
Traauair was to be decided in the Court of SEES.
Sums, and there was every reason to believe that
the judgment would turn upon the voice of the
presiding Judge, who has casting vote in case Of
an equal division among his brethren.
The opinion Of the President was un!ayorable
to Lord Traquair; and the point was. therefore,
to keep him out Of The way when the question
should be tried In this dilemma. the Earl had
recourse to Willie Armstrong, who ri once offer
ed his service 10 kidnap the President. upun
due scrutiny. he fuuad it was the judges prac
tice frequent, to take the al on horseback on
the sands Of LeIth without an attendant. In one
of these excursions, Willie vino had long watched
his opportunity, venture, 10 accost the President,
and engage him in conversation. Ills address
and language were so amusing that he deceived
the President into an unfreluentcd ADD fuzzy
common, called the PIgsate Wins. where, rid
ing suddenly up To him, he pulled him from his
horse, mufiied him in large cloak which he had
provided, and rode Oft with the luck!css Judge
trussed up behind him. Will crossed the coun-
try with great expedition. by paths only KIN own
to persons Of his,.escription. and deposited his
weary and terrifie, burden in an old castle in
Annandae, called the tower Of Graham. The
judges horse being found, it was concluded he
had thrown his rider into the sea; his friends went
into mourning, and a successor was appointed to
his Office. Meanwhile, The poor President spent
a heavy time in the vault OF the castle. lie was
Imprisoned, and solitary; received his food
through an aperture in the wall, and never hear
ing the sound Of human voice, save when a
shepherd called his dog by the name OF Bdtiy,
and when female domestic called upon Maudge
the cat These, ne concluded, were invoca,ions
If spirits. fOr he held himself to be in the dun
geon of a soscercr. At length, after three
months had elapsed, the lawsuit was decided IN
favour of Lnrd rraqunr, and Will was directed
to set the President n, liberty.
Accordingly he entered the vault at dead Of
night, seized the President, muffled him once
more in the cloak. without speaking a single
word, aud using the same mode Of Transports.
ton, conveyed him to Leitb sands, aud set down
the astonishel Judge on the very spot where he
had taken him up The Joy Of his friends. and
the less agreeable surprise OF his successnr, may
be easily conceived, when he appeared in court
TO reclaim his office and honours. All embraced
his own PERSUASION, that he had been spirited
away BY witchcrait; nor could he himself be con-
vincsI Of the contrary, until many years alter
wards, happening TO travel in Annandale, his
ears were saluted once more With the sounds OF
lKaudge and Baify. the only notes which had
solaced his long confinement This led to
discovery of the whole story; but in these d'sor-
derby times, it was only laughed at as fair ruse
de gusrre. Wild and strange as this tradition
may seem, there is little doubt Of its foundation
in fact The judge upon whose person this ex'
traordinary sratasem was practised. was Sir Al
exander Gibson, Lord Durie, collector Of the re-
ports well known IN Scotland under the title
of D,rie'S decisions. He was advanced to the
station OF an ordinary Lord Of Sessions. 10th
july 1921, and died at his own house Of Durie.
July I646.