r, Duncan
Terig alias Clerk, one of which had a knob upon it, as Serjeant
Davies's ring also had, but does not remember the shape of either of
these knobs: Depones, That he asked her whether it was gold, and she
said it was: Depones, That he saw this ring upon Elizabeth Downie's
finger before she was married to the prisoner; but it was then reported
in the country that he was in suit of her for marriage, and has at
several times, before and since Serjeant Davies was amissing, seen
other yellow rings upon her fingers, but never saw the ring with the
knob upon her finger till after the Serjeant was amissing, nor never
saw it on her finger after she was married; and being asked whether it
did not strike him, when he saw the ring with the knob on it upon
Elizabeth Downie's hand, that it was Serjeant Davies's ring, Depones,
that it did not; and further depones, that he has known Elizabeth
Downie change her rings every other year: Depones, That after she was
married, the deponent asked her if she had a gold ring, and she
answered she never had one but one which was her mother's, which made
the deponent suppose that the said ring with the knob had been her
mother's; and depones, that the panel, her husband, was in prison when
he asked her this question: Depones, That at first there was a report
in the country that Serjeant Davies had deserted, then it was supposed
that he had been killed by the thieves, but last of all, the report
was, that he had been killed by the prisoners, and that has continued
to be the report of the country for these three years: And being asked
what he took to be the grounds of that report, Depones, that he took it
to be, that Macdonald, as Lord Bracco's forrester, had a warrant for
carrying guns for killing of deer, and he carried Clerk alongst with
him, and none other of the country had any warrant to carry arms; but
he heard that some of the people in the country suspected that the ring
with the knob that he had seen on Elizabeth Downie's finger was
Serjeant Davies's ring; and being interrogate as to the character of
the two panels, depones, that he has heard Clerk habite and repute a
sheep-stealer, but that he never heard any thing of Macdonald, but that
he once broke the chest of one Corbie, and took some money out of it:
Depones, That he never heard Clerk get the character of a good
deer-stalker, though he could shoot wild fowl: Depones, That Alexander
Macpherson, before mentioned, once served the