The Nevada journal., 1852-11-12
"WHO MURDERED DOWNIE p

W IlO h y IL III RT>D DON 4Sl Ia
About the end of the eighteenth
century, whenever any student Of thc
Marischal College, Aberdeen, incur
red the displeasure of the humber cit
izens, he was assailed with the ques.
ton. "Who murdered Downie p Re
ply and rejeinder generally brought
on a collision between "town and
gown :" although the young gentlemen
were accused of what was chronology.
cally impossible. People have a right
to be angry at being stigmatised Us
murderer, when their accuSers have
probability on their side; /; but the ''ta>
king off" Of Downie occurred when
the aownsmen, so maligned, were in
swaddling clothes.
But there was a time when to be
branded as an accomplice in the
slaughter of Richard Downic made his
blood run to the cheek of many a
youth, and sent him home to his books,
thoughtful and snbdued Downie was
sacrist or ianitor at Marischal College.
One Of his duties consisted in securing
the gate by certain hour; previous
to which all the students had to as
semble in the common hall, where a
Latin prayer was delivered by the
principal. Whether in discharging
this duty Downie was more rigid than
his predecessor in office, or whether
he become stricter in the performance
of it at one time than another, cannot
now be asccrtained; but there can be
no doubt that he closed the gate with
austere punctnality, and thar those
who were not in the common hall with
in n minute of the prescribed time,
were shut out, and were afterwards
reprimanded and fined by the princi-
pal and professor. The students be-
came irritatcd at this strictness, and
took every petty means of annoying
the sacrist; he, in his turn, applied
the screw at other points oi academic
routine, aud fierce war soon began
to rage between the colleqiani and the
humble functionary. Downie took
care that all his proceedings be kept
within the strict letter OF the law; but
his opponents were not 50 careful, and
the decision of the rulers were uni
lormly against them, and in favor OF
Downie. Rcprimands and fines hav =
ing failed in producing due subordina-
ton, justification, suspension, and ev-
en- the extreme sentence Of expulsion
had to be put in force and in the end
law and order prevailed. But Sc
cret and deadly grulge continued to
be entertained against Downie. Va
rious schemes Of revenge were thought
of.
Downie was, in common with teach
ers and students, enjoying the leisure
of the short New Years vacation
the pleasure being no doubt greatly
enhanced by the annoyance to which
he had been subjected during the re-
cent bickering-when, as he was one
evening seated with his family in his
official residence, a messenger inform
ed him that n gentleman at neigh
boring hotel wished to speak with him.
Downie obeyed the summons, and was
usherel from one room into another,
till at length he found himself in a
large apartment hung with black, and
lighted by solitary candle. After
waiting for some time in this strange
place, about fifty figures, also dressed
in black, and with black masks on
their faces, presented themselves
They arranged themselves in the form
of court, and Downie, pale with ter
ror, was given to understand he was
about to be put on his trial.
a Judge took his seat on the bench ;
a clerk and a public prosecutor sat be-
low; a jury was empanneled in front,
and witnesses and spectators stood
around Downie at first set down the
affair a joke, but the proceedings were
conducted with such persistent gravi-
ty that in spite of himself, he began
to believe in the genuine mission Of
the awful tribunal. The clerk read
an indictment, charging HIM with con-
spring against the liberties Of the stu
dents; witnesses were examined in
due form, the public prosecutor ad-
dressed the jury, and the judge sum
med up.
Gentlemen said Downic, "the
joke has been carried far enough it
is getting late, and my wife and fami-
ly will be getting anxious about me-
II Ihave been too stric, with you in