Page:Life of David Haggart, who was executed at Edinburgh, 18th July, 1821, for the murder of the Dumfries jailor (1).pdf/9

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was to get them made for him, there being four doors betwixt his cell and the street, Having thus, as he thought, secured his liberty he was too easily led into another scheme with Dunbar. Haggart thought himself certain of his own liberty, but he thought it would be a grand thing to clean the jail of all the prisoners. Laurie, another prisoner, proposed getting a stone and tying it in a napkin, and some morning to knock down Hunter, the head jailor, and take the keys from him. Haggart was not fond of using the stone, as he did not want to hurt the jailor; and he proposed, when Thomas Morrin came up to the man under sentence of death, to gag him into a closet at the head of the stair, and take the keys from him; Dunbar, and some others, got the stone and put it into a bag.

On Tuesday the 10th of October, about twelve o’clock, they noticed Hunter, the head turnkey leave the jail to attend the Races, and shortly after, Morrin came up with two ministers, whom he locked in the cell with M‘Grory, who was under sentence of death.—Shortly after, Haggart placed himself in the closet at the head of the stair, where he had previously put the stone and bag. Dunbar then called up Morrin to let out the ministers. He came