DECLARATION OF James Millar 9 February 1816

At Glasgow the ninth day of February eighteen hundred and sixteen years in presence of William Muir esquire one of the magistrates of said city

Appeared James Millar present prisoner in the Tolbooth of Glasgow who being examined Declared that he is between sixteen and seventeen years of age, and works as a weaver with his father in Calton.

That on Friday morning last the second current about one o’clock the Declarant was taken prisoner in the house of James Menzies in old wynd, when drinking therein with William Campbell, John Smith, John Norval and Robert McKinlay now in custody. That they were all taken to the police office, and have been since in jail.

And being shown a blue great coat and pocket handkerchief attached together by a sealed label, and also two half blankets each having a sealed label thereat; Declared, that on an evening about six or seven o’clock, and about three weeks ago or thereby, as the Declarant thinks, John Smith sold two half blankets and three or four pieces of bed curtains to Patrick Quigly and his wife for seven shillings as he told the Declarant.

That on the same occasion Smith sold to a man of the name of Taylor in Calton a great coat, but the Declarant does not recollect how much was got for it. Declares that the said articles so disposed of by Smith had been just before stolen from a house in a narrow street at the west end of the town by the Declarant when the said John Smith, William Campbell, and a lad named Bob Duncan were along with him, and they stood in the close while the Declarant was taking the articles. That the first thing the Declarant took was the great coat, which was hanging on a nail in the lobby of the house, and when he came back to the close, he gave the coat to Smith and went up again to the house, when he entered a room which was just beside the outer door and stole some curtains, or blankets off a chain. That when he delivered this second parcel to his companions, he paid a third visit to the said house and took another parcel from the said chain, and the Declarant getting clear off with this also, he and his said associates proceeded directly to Quigly’s house.

That the Declarant cannot be certain whether the curtains or the two half blankets were stolen first after the great coat. That Smith offered the articles to Quigly as he said, but as Quigly would give no more than fifteen shillings for them, Campbell brought them away, and carried them to Calton accompanied by the Declarant, Smith and Bob Duncan. That it was on this occasion that Smith sold the big coat to the person named Taylor, and they thereon returned to Glasgow with the curtains and blankets.

That Smith went into Quigly’s and sold the blankets and curtains to him while the Declarant, Campbell and Duncan remained in the street. That seven shillings, the sum which Smith reported he had received from Quigly for these articles were then with the money got for the big coat, divided equally among the Declarant, Campbell, Duncan and Smith himself. That the said big coat was either of a blue or black colour, and the blue great coat now on the Court table is like it. That he cannot say whether the two half blankets labelled and on the Court table are the same which were stolen and afterwards sold to Quigly as before mentioned.

That the Magistrate now subscribes docquets written on these labels in reference hereto. And this Declaration written on these six pages being read over to the Declarant in presence of the Magistrate aforesaid he adheres to the same as containing the truth and freely emitted but Declares he cannot write. In testimony whereof the said Magistrate subscribes each page here of place and date first written. Before these witnesses Andrew Simson Clerk to Mr Richard Henderson one of the the Town Clerks of Glasgow, and John Stewart writer in Glasgow.

(signed) William Muir, witnesses: And. Simson, John Stewart

In addition William Muir has signed at the foot of every page of the written statement.