On Monday, the 10th of March, Mr. Williamson began his search at Mr.
Brodie’s dwelling-house, out-houses, &c. He searched several of Brodie’s
haunts in Edinburgh and Leith. He searched all the inclosed tombs in the
Greyfriars Churchyard. The reason for this was that, some years ago,
Brodie assisted one Hay, accused of a capital crime in making his escape
from the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, and concealed him eight or ten days in
one of these tombs till the hue and cry was over. Hay by this means got
off, and has never since been heard of. When it was known, on Wednesday,
that Brodie had gone off to London on the morning of Sunday, the 9th,
Mr. Williamson was despatched after him. At Dunbar he learned that
Brodie had passed there about four o’clock in the afternoon of Sunday,
and traced him to Newcastle, where he took the “Flying Mercury” light
coach for York and London. From the coachman he learned that a man
answering Brodie’s description had been set down at the end of Old
Street, Moorfields, and did not proceed to the Bull and Mouth Inn, where
the coach stops. Some persons of Brodie’s acquaintance were examined,
and from the declarations of some of them there was reason to believe
that Brodie had gone to the Continent. Mr. Williamson went to Margate,
Deal, and Dover, but got no intelligence of him.
On Mr. Williamson’s return to London, he learned from Sir Sampson
Wright’s people that Brodie had been seen about Bedfordbury. Mr.
Williamson repaired to the billiard tables, hazard tables, cock-pits,
tennis courts, &c., &c. As no house could be searched without making
oath to his being there, Mr. Williamson left the management to Sir
Sampson’s people, and returned, after eighteen days’ search in London,
to Edinburgh.--_Creech._]
NOTE 7, page 111.
On the journey from London to Edinburgh, Mr. Brodie was in good spirits,
and told many things that had happened to him in Holland. He met with a
Scots woman at Amsterdam, who asked him if he had been long from
Scotland. She said that there was one Brodie, a citizen of Edinburgh,
accused of robbing the Excise Office, and a great reward was offered for
apprehending him. She little knew who she was speaking to, said Mr.
Brodie. At Amsterdam, he fell in with the man who had committed a
forgery on the Bank of Scotland. He (Brodie) said he was a very
ingenious fellow. If he had not been apprehended he would have been
master of the process in a week.
Mr. Brodie further told Mr. Williamson that the guide who had
accompanied him and Mr. Groves from Amsterdam to Helvoetsluys had a fine
repeating gold watch, which he (Mr. Brodie) said he could easily have
possessed himself of at the time the man was taking leave of him, as he
was then in liquor, and said he had often since regretted that he had
allowed the fellow to go back with it.--_Creech_.]
NOTE 8, page 118.
Grahame Campbell said they all came back to Smith’s.--_Creech_.]
NOTE 9, page 119.
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