The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — 1826-06-30 (London, England)

HIGH COURT OF JUSTICIARY, EDINBURGH.  On Monday. James Craw, gamekeeper to the Earl of Home, was but the bar, accused of wilful murder, having• on the Ist of February last, loaded a spring-gun with powder and shot, which he placed in the !fusel plantations, and attached a wire or string to the trigger, whereby Juhn Guthrie, son of the late Jas. Guthrie, carrier in Coldstream, who having trespassed in the said plantation in quest of game, came in contact with the said string, which caused the gun to be discharged, and the contents lodwil in the knee of the said John Guthrie, who died in consequence of the wound, on the 7"..'ihh March last.  The prisoner pleaded Not Guilty. Coc snun sr said, that upon the main facts of this cave, that a spring-gun had been set within the Hem 1 plantation, and that a man had come by his death in consequence of trespassing, both parties were agreed. But there was still a grave and hitherto untried question in this country involved, whether it was illegal to set spring-guns without notice, and being illegal, whether it justified so serious a charge as that preferred against the panel. It was his opinion, and that of his learned friend (Mr. Jeffrey) who appeared with him, that no verbal argument could supersede that mare grase mode of disposing of new questions, which was usu_l in that Court.  The LORD ADVOCATE admitted that it wag of great import. ance to hare a solemn decision of the Court on this question. He wa. rot quite prepared to go into any lengthened verbal discussion, and should therefoie agree to written pleading., provided that they were seen and interchanged by an early day. The Court then ordered informations to be lodged before the first and second box day.--and the diet was continued against Craw till the 14th of November.  Peter Mo./jilt, junior, was next put to the liar, oa a charge with the wilful murder of his father, Peter Itlotliit, late carter in Kilryth, having, on the 2d day of April, 1822, assaulted and attacked the said Peter Moffat with a knite, or other lethal instrument, and inflicted several wounds in the belly of his father, whereof he died in four days thereafter. Mrs. Adam was the first witness called. She deposed—l live at the Cross of Kilsyth. I remember old Peter Moffat, the father of the prisoner. He got his death four years past, the 2d of April. He was in my house between nine and ten o'clock that night. There was no person in it at the time but my own family and a daughter of 3loffatt's, who was my servant. The prisoner was also in the house. Both the father and the son were the worse of liquor. The prisoner was asleep on the ground. The father kicked him, took hold of the hair of his head, and knocked it against the ground, on purpose to waken him. Old Moffat seemed angry with me for allowing his son to lay on the ground, saying, "He is as deserving of a bed as the best of you."— The father continued to strike his son's head against the ground till he awoke, and said, " It's all my own fault." The father then struggled with the son, until the panne] was placed upon the chair. 'I he father again " dadded" his head against the mantlepiece, but the strokes, as I think, were not violent, being merely to awaken, but not to injure him. The father continued this usage for some time, when the son said, " D--ii it, if you were not my father, I would not thole that." He then rose and seized his father by the throat. I ran ont to get assistance, but before I got to the door 1 think the son had couped" his father to the ground. On my calling, Mrs. (Allies, Jean Nicol, and James Johnston, came in, and pulled the father and son asunder. Ohl of