suspected him guilty. His father was not in Scotland, for I think it
was said to me that this young man was second son to a John,
Duke of Melfort, who lived abroad with the royal family of the
Stuarts; but this young gentleman lived with the relations of his
mother, one of whom, an uncle, was a Lord of Session: these,
having thoroughly effected his concealment, went away, and
listened to the evidence; and the examination of every new
witness convinced them that their noble young relative was the
slayer of his friend.

All the young gentlemen of the party were examined, save
Drummond, who, when sent for, could not be found, which
circumstance sorely confirmed the suspicions against him in the
minds of judges and jurors, friends and enemies; and there is little
doubt that the care of his relations in concealing him injured his
character and his cause. The young gentlemen of whom the party
was composed varied considerably with respect to the quarrel
between him and the deceased. Some of them had neither heard
nor noted it; others had, but not one of them could tell how it
began. Some of them had heard the threat uttered by Drummond
on leaving the house, and one only had noted him lay his hand on
his sword. Not one of them could swear that it was Drummond
who came to the door and desired to speak with the deceased, but
the general impression on the minds of them all was to that effect;
and one of the women swore that she heard the voice distinctly at
the door, and every word that voice pronounced, and at the same
time heard the deceased say that it was Drummond's.

On the other hand, there were some evidences on Drummond's
part, which Lord Craigie, his uncle, had taken care to collect. He