Page:Life and adventures of David Haggart.pdf/8

 cut the chains off his legs, penetrated through two thick walls with his handcuffs, liberated Forrest, and got to the outside about five o'clock next morning. When on the outer stair, he saw a man coming up Queen-street, and he prepared to give battle; but the man only said, "Run, Haggart, run, I won't touch ye." Haggart took hold of Forrest's hand, and ran even on to Dalkeith, without stopping. He staid there all night, and stole twelvotwelve [sic] yards of blue cloth, started at two o'clock next morning for Kelso, robbed a farmer of £4 and set off for Dumfries. They were joined by two other pickpockets, one of whom, was hanged shortly after at Glasgow.

In Dumfries he picked several pockets, and entered several dwelling-houses, here he fell in with his old friend Barney M'Guire, never having seen him since they parted at Kelso in 1818. They were intending to leave Dumfries that night, but Barney was taken up. Haggart started for Carlisle next morning, but was overtaken and carried back to Dumfries. Captain Ross arrived in a few days and carried him back to Leith jail.

Barney was transported for fourteen years. Haggart was tried at Edinburgh on the 12th of July, but got off; he was then sent to Dumfries, to stand trial at the circuit there for housebreaking: his trial did not go on, and he was sent back to jail.--HeroHere [sic] hohe [sic] got acquainted with a lad, John Dunbar, who was under sentence of transportation. He also got acquainted with some people belonging to thothe [sic] town, who seemed willing to do him a favour: so Haggart made the plan of four keys, and a person was to get them made for him, there being four doors betwixt his cell and the street. Having thus, as hohe [sic] thought, secured his liberty, he was too easily