| His Majesty's Advocate v. Lilburn and Buchanan |
1771
|
Trial, homicide, pannels |
On September 29, 1770, Lilburn and Buchanan passed by the bridge of Boquhan when a mastiff or bull dog attacked them. They threw rocks at the dog. Sejeant Robertson came to the bridge to get the dog and Joseph Martine came to assist him. Lilburn and Buchanan struck Joseph Martine, who died the next day. They were arraigned for trial, and admitted attacking Martine, but the Court ruled that the two men could not be guilty of homicide because twelve hours passed between the attack and Martine's death. Had help been gotten, Martine might have lived. |
| His Majesty's Advocate v. Murdison |
Jan 1773
|
Theft, Trial, Verdict |
Alexander Murdison was subject to a criminal indictment alleging that he and his herder, John Miller, stole certain sheep “or [were guilty] of receiving and having in their custody the aforesaid parcels of sheep.” Murdison was convicted, and subsequently challenged the verdict on three grounds. First, according to Murdison, the verdict did not specify whether the defendants were guilty of theft or of receiving stolen property. Second, no verdict was given on several of the specific charges in the indictment. Finally, the verdict was signed on a Sunday. |
