East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1859-11-17
Who Murdered Richard Downie2

About the end Of the eighteenth cen
Marischal College, Aberdeen, Scotland
incurred the displcasure of the humber
citizens, he was assailed with the question
"Nho murdered Downie?p Reply and
rejoinder generally brought on collision
between "Iown and Gown" although
the young gentlemen were accused ol
what was chronologically impossible
People have right to be angry at being
stigmatizcd as murdcrcrs, when THEN
accuscrs have probability on their side;
but the "taking off Of Downie occurred
when the gownsmcn, so malignant, were
in swaddlng clothes
But there was time when TO be
branded as an accompliec in the siaugh-
ter of Richard Downic, made his blood
run to the cheek of many youth, and
sent him home to his books, thoughtful
and subducd.
Dowfie was sacrst or janitor at
Marischal College. One of his duties
consisted in securing the gate by Il GER
tain hour, previous To which all the stu
dents had to assemble in the common
ball, where a Latin PRAYER was delivered
by the principal. Whether in discharg-
ing this function, Downie was more rigid
than his predecessor in Office, or whether
he became stricter III the performance OF
it at one time than another, cannot now
be ascertaincd; but there can be no doubt
he closed the gate with auSterc punct,I-
alitv, and that those who were not in the
common hall within a minute of the pre-
scribed time, were shut out, and were
afterwards reprimandcd and fined by the
principal and professors. The students
became irritated at this stlictucss, and
took every petty means OF annoying the
sacrist; he, in his turn, applied the screw
at other points of academic routine, and
a fierce war soon began to rage between
the collcgians aud the humble function.
0ry.
Downie took care that in all his pro-
ccedings he kept within the strict letter
Of the law; but his opponents were not
50 careful, and the decisions of the rulers
were uniformly against them and in IA
vor of Downe. Rcprimands and fines
having failed in producing due subordi.
nation, restriction, suspension, and even
the extreme sentence of expulsion had
to be put in force; and in the end, law
and order prevailed. But a secret and
deadly grudge continued to be entertain.
cd against Downie. Various schemes oi
revenge were thought of.
Downic was, in common with the
teachers and the taught, enjoying the
leisure of the short New Years vacation;
and pleasure being, no doubt, greatly en-
hanced by the annoyances to which he
had been subjected during the recent
chickering's, when, as he was one evening
seated with his family in his official resi-.
denoe at the gate, a messenger informed
him that gentleman Mt ncighborina
hotel wished to speak with him.
Downic obeyed the summons, and was
ushered from one room to another, till
at length he found himself in a large
apartment hung with black and lighted
with n solitary candle. After waiting
for some time in this strange place, about
fifty figures, also dressed in black, and
black masks, presented Themselves
They arranged themselves in the form oi
court; and Downe was given to under.
stand that he was about to be put on
trial.
a Judge took his scat upon the bench;
a jury was ,mpanelled, and witnesses and
spectators stood around Downie at frs,
set down the whole affair as joke, but
the proceedings were conducted with
such persistent gravity, that, in spite o.
himself he began to believe in The
genuine mission of the awful tribunal
The clerk read an Indictment, charging
him with conspiring against the liberties
of the students witnesses were examined
in 'ue form; the public prosecutor ad
dressed the jury; and the judge summed
up. "
! Gentlemen" said Downie, "thc joke