rted from being hewers of wood and drawers of water to
what they esteemed the less laborious, and therefore more honourable,
posts of butlers and bakers, and body servants of all descriptions."
These cheering prospects, of course, depended upon the immediate faith
which was displayed, and the amount of assistance which was at once
forthcoming. Therefore, each hopeful believer exerted himself to the
utmost, and "poor peasants and farmers, cottagers and their masters,
threw their stakes into the claimant's lucky-bag, from which they were
afterwards to draw 'all prizes and no blanks.'" Men of loftier
position, also, were not averse to speculate upon the chances of this
newly-discovered heir. Poor John Montgomerie gave him every penny he
had saved, and every penny he could borrow, and after mortgaging his
little property, was obliged to flee to America from his duns, where,
it is said, he died. His son Peter, who succeeded to Ladeside, also
listened to the seductive voice of the claimant, until ruin came upon
him, and he was compelled to compound with his creditors.

In due time the pretender to the Crawford peerage instituted judicial
proceedings. His advocates brought forward some very feasible parole
evidence; but they mainly rested their case upon the documents which
had been discovered in the old cabinet at Kilbirnie. These letters,
when they were originally discovered, had been written on the first
and third pages; but in the interim the second pages had been filled
up in an exact imitation of the old hand with matter skilfully
contrived to support the pretensions of the new-comer. In these
interpolations the dead Crawfurd was made to describe his position and
circumstances in Ireland, his marriage, the births of his children,
and his necessities, in a manner which could leave no doubt as to the
rightful claims of the pretender. Unfortunately for his cause, he
refused to pay his accomplices the exorbitant price which they
demanded, and they, without hesitation, made offers to Lady Mary, into
the hands of whose agents they confided the forged and vitiated
letters. The result was that a charge of forgery was brought against
the claimant, and he and his chief abettor, James Bradley, were both
brought to trial before the High Court of Justiciary, in February
1812, and were sentenced to fourteen years' transportation. This
result was obtained by the acceptance of the evidence of Fanning, one
of the forgers, as king's evide