Henry Paterson, James Laing Adams, and Robert Archibald, were placed at the bar, charged with theft by means of housebreaking, in so far as on the 2d and 3d August last, they broke into the shop of Mr Nicoll, watchmaker, Princes Street, and stole therefrom , and other articles. John Curtis, Matthew Curtis, and Ann Ainslie or Brown, were also charged with reset of the stolen articles. The prisoners John and Matthew Curtis pled guilty of the reset.

Evidence at great length was led by the Solicitor General. Several previous convictions were proved against the prisoners charged with the major charge, and M’Levie, criminal officer, deponed that he had known the prisoner Paterson as habit and repute for four years, Adams for three years, and Archibald for eighteen months.

After the prisoners’ declarations had been read, the Solicitor-General addressed the jury in support of the charge. He stated that the Crown was disposed to abandon the charge of reset against the pannel Ann Brown as there was not sufficient evidence to show that she had any criminal intention to reset the stolen goods but only from a wish to oblige her relative Curtis, and that she had urged him to take them away as she suspected they were stolen.

The Counsel having addressed the jury in behalf of the three principal prisoners, the Lord Justice Clerk summed up at some length. The jury then retired and shortly afterwards returned into court with a verdict finding the prisoners Paterson and Adams guilty as libelled, and the prisoner Archibald guilty of reset as libelled, and John and Matthew Curtis guilty of reset in terms of their own confession.

The Lord Justice Clerk then sentenced the prisoners Paterson and Adams to be transported for 21 years, and the other three convicted of reset, to transportation for 14 years. Mrs Brown was discharged.

1851