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The Porteous Riots

Edinburgh can take great pride in an episode of its history where a murderous captain of the city guard was brought to justice by a righteous crowd — and nobody snitched to Westminster in the aftermath, writes MAT COWARD

 

The Porteous Mob, by James Drummond

SMUGGLING was widely seen as a victimless crime in 18th century Scotland, so when Andrew Wilson and George Robertson were tried in Edinburgh and sentenced to death, they enjoyed a good deal of public sympathy.

For one thing, the sentence was harsh for an escapade in which no-one had been killed. For another, Wilson had gained popular status for helping his pal escape during a church service.

There had been a previous escape attempt — a traditional sawing-through-the-bars job — but on that occasion Wilson, who was not a skinny man, managed to get wedged in the window, which prevented either of them getting out.

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