Page:Life of David Haggart, who was executed at Edinburgh, 18th July, 1821, for the murder of the Dumfries jailor (2).pdf/11

 His trial did not go on, and he was sent back to jail.—Here he got acquaint with a lad, John Dunbar, who was under sentence of transportation. He also got acquaint with some people belonging to the town, who seemed willing to do him a favour, so Haggart made the plans of four keys, and a person was to get them made for him, there being 4 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 clear 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,