River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1877-01-11
A Romantic Incident.

In work of Typographical interest,
Astounding in beautifully printed wood
engravings, styled ''Rambles in Gallo.
way" by Macolm McLachlan Harper,
lately published, occurs. short ac-
count of the picturesque Orchardton
Round Tower-the only tower of this
kind in the southwest of Scotland. 1t
stands in a woody piece of country
near Castle Douglas. The writer says
that the tower, which is evidently the
relic of feudal keep, is "chiefiy in
teresting as being associated with a
very romantic incident in the life of a
former proprietor of the estate of Or
CHARLTON, whose history formed the
groundwork of Sir Walter Scott's
novel of "'Guy Mannering." The ac-
count here given of it is from Family
Recollections, by Miss Goldie, and is
perfectly reliable. sit is there re.
lated ''--that is to say in the work of
Miss Goldie--"that soon after the bat
tie of Culloden a number of prisoners
were one day brought in by party of
military before MIR. Goldie, then Con-
missary of Dumfries, who had, alas /!
no alternative but to order military
execution to be done Upon them, after
it was proved that they had formed
part of the rebel army. They had con-
trived to hide themselves, and get to
the Galloway coast, nearest to the Isle
of Man, where they were skulking in
hopes of some smuggleT or foreign YES.
sci enabling them to escape. As they
were just about to be led out to exccu-
ton, Mr.. Goldie observed one young
man, of superior and interesting APP
peafance, attempting to tear written
paper, when he Immediately called
out to an officer who guarded him:
Seize that paper ; which was imme-
diately done.
Upon reading it, Mr.. Goldie said
ssWhy, young man, you were attempt
ing to destroy yourself. This paper is
your commission from the King of
France as an officer in his army and
fioH detain you as a prisoner of war,
instead of sending you off to be shot
as rebel The young nan was ac-
cordingly put in place of confinement,
and not very severe one, considering
what prisons then were, as he after
wards related that his chief Occupa-
tion consisted in counting the large
square stones with which his apart
ment was tagged, in every possible
direction, and thus trying what their
number could be raised to. But he
did not continue long thus employed.
A rumor speedily arose in the town
that this was the l0ng-lost heir of the
House of OrChardton, an old Roman
Catholic family. An old female do
nestle, hearing the surmises, made
her way to his place of confinement,
where a little conversation left no
doubt that he was indeed the only son
of the late Sir Robert Maxwell, who
had sent him at an early age to the
College of Douay, the usual place of
education at that time for young men
of family or fortune of the Catholic
religion. Sir Robert himself being SUI
perannuated, his brother, who then
took the management of his son and
estate, wrote desiring that he should
be educated for the priesthood.
The yonng man, not relishing this
destiny made his escape from college,
and enlisted in the army of Louis Nv,
and was one of that part of it which
was sent to Scotland to assist in the
enterprise of Prince Charles Edward.
Young Maxwell had thus actually been !
taken wandering as an Outcast, and in |
danger of FORGETTING his life, on the
confines of his own estate, unconscious /
of his rights, while his uncle was
equally unconscious of the danger to /
his unjust possession which lurked so
near him. The whole OF the facts /
were, however, so recent, and could be /
so easily proved, that Mr.. Goldie i'm /
mediately proceeded to take all the /
steps for the security of the /
the young Sir Robert, and also to put 1
him in possession of his estate, when
the death of the uncle, removing the i
obstiele, the usual legal
formalities, after proving the identity
of the heir, put him in possession OF
his fathers estate and title. Sir Rob-
ert soon married Miss McClellen, a
niece or near re lative of the last Lord
Kirkcudbright, and took up his resi-
dence at OrcharGton, where he cOntin-
ued, while he lived, the ornament and
delight of the country, uniting all the
renflemanly dignity of the old school
with the bland and graceful gayety of
foreign manners. The intimacy which
arose between Sir Robert and Mr.. Col
die and his family through this roman
tic beginning was long continued on
yerv affectionate terms. Sir Robert,
being a partner in the Ayr Douglas and
Heron Bank, lost a large portion of his
estate when that bank stopped pay
nent. He died suddenly in September,
1855, while on the road to visit the
Earl of Selkerk.
Tt took Sir Isaac Newton less than
-hree wears to thoroughly digest the