“Elie Anderson’s murdered David’s Nanny; sae haste ye, rise, and yoke your cart, that we may tak her to the towbuith.”
Up jumped Saunders Wilson, and up jumped his wife and his weans, and in a few minutes the story was spread like wildfire. Many a man had lain down so weary with the long search they had made, that nothing they thought would have tempted them to rise again; but now they and their families sprung from their beds, and hurried, many of them only half-dressed, to John Maxwell’s, scarcely believing that the story could be true. Amongst the first came Geordie Turnbull, who proposed that a number of them should set off immediately, without waiting till Saunders Wilson was ready, as Elie Anderson might abscond in the meantime; and away he went, followed by about a dozen of the most active. They soon reached her habitation, where they found the door open and a light burning.
“Ay, ay,” said Geordie, “she’s aff, nae doubt, but we’ll get her yet. Na, faith,” cried he, entering, “she’s here still; but, gudesake, what a sight’s this!” continued he, gazing on the slaughtered child. The others now entered, and seemed filled with horror at what they saw.
“Haste ye,” cried Geordie, “and fling a sheet or something ower her, that we mayna lose our wits a’thegither. And now, ye wretch,” turning to Elie Anderson, “your life shall answer for this infernal deed. Here,” continued he, “bring ropes and tie her, and whenever Saunders comes up, we’ll off wi’ her to the towbuith.”
Ropes were soon got, and she was tied roughly enough, and then thrown carelessly into the cart; but notwithstanding the pain occasioned by her thigh-bone being broken by the force with which David Williams dashed her to the ground, she answered not one word to all their threats and reproaches, till the cart coming on some very uneven ground, occasioned her such exquisite pain, that, losing all command over herself, she broke out into such a torrent of abuse against those who surrounded her, that Geordie Turnbull would have killed her on the spot, had they not prevented him by main force.
Shortly afterwards they arrived at the prison; and having delivered her to the jailor, with many strict charges to keep her safe, they immediately returned to assist in the search for the bodies of the other children, who, they had no doubt, would be found in or about her house.
When they arrived there, they found an immense crowd assembled, for the story had spread everywhere; and all who had lost children, accompanied by their friends and neighbours and acquaintances, had repaired to the spot, and had already commenced digging and searching all round. After working in this way for a long while, without any discovery being made, it was at length proposed to give up the search and return home, when Robin Galt, who was a mason, and who had been repeatedly pacing the ground from the kitchen to the pig-sty, and from the pig-sty to the kitchen, said, “Frien’s, I’ve been considering, and I canna help thinking that there maun be a space no discovered atween the sty and the kitchen, an’ I’m unco fond to hae that ascertained.”
“We’ll sune settle that,” says Geordie Turnbull. “Whereabouts should it be?”
“Just there, I think,” says Robin.
Geordie immediately drove a stone or two out, so that he could get his hand in.