大象传媒

Bha an Sairdseant Artair Davies air a mhurt ann am Br脿igh Mh脿rr. Bha sin ann an seachd ceud deug, ceathrad 鈥檚 a naoi (1749). Nochd a thaibhse do ch矛obair, Alasdair Mac a鈥� Phearsain. Bha sin naoi m矛osan 脿s d猫idh a bh脿is.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Lorg Alasdair an corp. Ach cha do thiodhlaic e an corp. Bhruidhinn e ris an uachdaran. Thug an t-uachdaran comhairle dha gun a bhith ag innse dad don arm. Dh鈥檌arr e air Alasdair an corp a thiodhlacadh anns a鈥� mhonadh.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Cha do thill Alasdair don chorp. Ach thill an taibhse don bhothan. Dh鈥檌arr an taibhse air Alasdair an corp a thiodhlacadh. Dh鈥檉haighnich Alasdair c貌 mhuirt e. Thug an taibhse d脿 ainm seachad 鈥� Donnchadh Mac a鈥� Chl猫irich agus Alasdair D貌mhnallach. An ath latha chaidh Alasdair agus caraid aige don chorp. Thiodhlaic iad e.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ach chan fhaca iad an gunna no an ad aig an t-saighdear. Tro th矛de, bha na rudan sin air an lorg. Chaidh Donnchadh Mac a鈥� Chl猫irich agus Alasdair D貌mhnallach a chur an gr猫im. Bha sin as t-Sultain seachd ceud deug, leth-cheud 鈥檚 a tr矛 (1753), ceithir bliadhna 脿s d猫idh a鈥� mhuirt. Bha casaidean air an dithis gun do mhuirt iad an S脿irdseant Davies.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bha fios aig muinntir an 脿ite gum b鈥� iad na murtairean. Bha eadhon an luchd-lagha aca fh猫in a鈥� smaoineachadh gun robh iad ciontach. Ach gu h-annasach, rinn an di霉raidh an co-dh霉nadh gun robh iad neo-chiontach. Ciamar a rinn iad sin? Uill, bha e co-cheangailte ris a鈥� Gh脿idhlig.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Dh鈥檌nnis Alasdair Mac a鈥� Phearsain, an c矛obair, don ch霉irt d猫 thuirt an taibhse. Thuirt an taibhse gum b鈥� iad Mac a鈥� Chl猫irich agus D貌mhnallach na murtairean. Agus d猫 an c脿nan a bha an taibhse a鈥� bruidhinn? A鈥� Gh脿idhlig, thuirt an c矛obair. Ach an robh G脿idhlig aig an t-Sairdseant Davies nuair a bha e be貌? Cha robh, thuirt an c矛obair. Mar sin, cha do chreid an di霉raidh an fhianais aig a鈥� ch矛obair.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ach an robh an c矛obair fh猫in neo-chiontach? An do 鈥渃hruthaich鈥� e fh猫in an taibhse? Chan eil fios againn. Ach bha e annasach fianais a chluinntinn bho thaibhse ann an c霉irt-lagha ann an Alba!

Sergeant Arthur Davies was murdered in Braemar. That was in seventeen hundred and forty nine (1749). His ghost appeared to a shepherd, Alasdair MacPherson. That was nine months after his death.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽Alasdair found the body. But he didn鈥檛 bury the body. He spoke to the landlord. The landlord gave him advice not to say [be telling] anything to the army. He asked Alasdair to bury the body on the hill.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽Alasdair didn鈥檛 return to the body. But the ghost returned to the bothy. The ghost asked Alasdair to bury the body. Alasdair asked who murdered him. The ghost gave two names 鈥� Duncan Clark and Alasdair MacDonald. The next day Alasdair and a friend of his went to the body. They buried it.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽But they didn鈥檛 see the soldier鈥檚 gun or hat. In time, those things were found. Duncan Clark and Alasdair MacDonald were arrested. That was in September seventeen hundred and fifty three (1753), four years after the murder. The pair were accused of murdering Sergeant Davies.

聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽聽The local people knew they were the murderers. Even their own lawyers thought they were guilty. But, strangely, the jury made the decision that they were not guilty. How did they do that? Well, it was connected to the Gaelic language.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽Alasdair MacPherson, the shepherd, told the court what the ghost [had] said. The ghost said that Sinclair and MacDonald were the murderers. And what language was the ghost speaking? Gaelic, said the shepherd. But did Sergeant Davies speak Gaelic when he was alive? No, said the shepherd. Thus, the jury did not believe the shepherd鈥檚 evidence.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽聽But was the shepherd himself innocent? Did he 鈥渃reate鈥� the ghost himself? We don鈥檛 know. But it was strange hearing evidence from a ghost in a court of law in Scotland!