aid pocket-book,
from Bailie Robert Brown in Anstruther-Easter. _Causa scientiae patet. _And
this is truth, as he shall answer to God. (Signed) James Stark; Andrew
Fletcher.

Alexander Clerk, supervisor of excise at Cupar-Fife, being solemnly sworn,
and depones time and place libelled, the deponent was lodged in the room
next to Collector Stark, and went to bed about ten, and was wakened about
twelve by persons rapping either at his door or that of the collector's;
and heard a cry of "Murder the dogs and burn the house!" upon which the
deponent swore that the first man that came in he would put a pair of balls
in him. The deponent then put on some of his clothes and got out at a
window at the backside of the house,[D] and walked to Anstruther, about a
mile, and awakened the serjeant who commanded a small party of soldiers
there, and with the serjeant and two of the soldiers set out for
Pittenweem, and left orders for the rest of the party to follow as soon as
possible. As they passed the entry to Sir John Anstruther's house in
Easter-Anstruther,[E] they met with some men who having challenged the
deponent, "Who comes there?" the deponent desired them to give an account
of themselves, and upon their running off, the deponent ordered the
soldiers to seize them, upon which the serjeant with his halbert hooked one
of them, the rest escaping, which afterwards proved to be William Hall, one
of the panels, and whom the deponent carried along with him to the excise
office at Pittenweem, and having brought him into the house of Mrs Fowler,
Jean Finlay, servant to Mrs Fowler, upon seeing the said Hall, said, "This
is the villain that broke my head a little while ago;" and Thomas Durkie,
another servant in the house, said, "This is one of the persons who robbed
the collector the night;" and the soldiers who brought Hall produced a bag
of linen and a bible which they said they had taken up as Hall had dropped
them by the way; and William Geddes, clerk to the collector, did then say,
"This is the collector's bible, and there are his linens," whereupon Hall
confessed that he had been guilty of robbing the collector; and the
deponent thereupon telling Hall that he was now _in for it_, and that the
best way for him was to discover the rest, which, if he would do, the
deponent would do his endeavours to get him made an evidence, and having
then asked if he promised to get him a pardon? depones that he understood
it so, but does not remem