大象传媒

Bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu bh脿s poilis aig deireadh an naoidheamh linn deug ann an Obar Neithich ann an Srath Sp猫. Bha na h-oifigearan, Iain MacGilleNaoimh agus T貌mas King, air a dhol a dh鈥檌arraidh airgead, a bh鈥� air a chur mar ch脿in air Ailean MacCaluim airson a bhith ri poidseadh.

Chaidh iad a-steach don taigh far an robh MacCaluim a鈥� fuireach. Bha e dorch. 鈥橲 e an geamhradh a bh鈥� ann. Rinn c霉 Ailein dranndan air MacGilleNaoimh. Bhuail am poileas an c霉 le a shlait. Aig an dearbh mhionaid, chuala MacGilleNaoimh brag gunna. Dh鈥櫭╥gh MacGilleNaoimh air King, ach cha d鈥� fhuair e freagairt.

Chaidh MacGilleNaoimh don chidsin. Cha mh貌r nach do thuit e thairis air rudeigin air an l脿r. Las am poileas maids airson solas a dh猫anamh. D猫 chunnaic e ach corp a chompanaich air a鈥� bheul fodha, agus gunna thairis air a chasan.

Aig an dearbh mhionaid, th脿inig am post, Alasdair Grannd, don doras. Bha e air MacCaluim fhaicinn, a鈥� teicheadh s矛os an rathad. Bha e casruisgte. Thug an Granndach agus MacGilleNaoimh s霉il gheur air T貌mas King. Bha e gun teagamh marbh. Bha na poilis a-nise a鈥� coimhead airson 鈥榤urtair鈥�.

Theich MacCaluim bho bhaile-fearainn gu baile-fearainn ann an Srath Sp猫, ged a chaidh a ch霉 dhachaigh 脿s aonais. Fhuair e paidhir bhr貌gan agus theich e thar a鈥� mhonaidh. Chuir na poilis seasgad oifigear a-mach air a th貌ir. Bha iad a鈥� coimhead taobh Shrath Dheathain.

D脿 latha ron Nollaig, dh鈥檌nns tuathanach do na poilis gun robh MacCaluim anns a鈥� bhaile-fearainn aige aig Tom a鈥� Chrochaire. Bha e am falach ann an sabhal. An ath mhadainn th脿inig ceathrar phoileas agus chuir iad MacCaluim an gr猫im. Chaidh a thoirt don Aghaidh Mh貌ir agus an uair sin air an tr猫ana a dh鈥橧nbhir Nis. Bha sluagh m貌r a鈥� feitheamh aig St猫isean Inbhir Nis. Chunnaic iad fear sg矛th, salach air a cheangal ri poileas le 驳濒补蝉-濒脿尘丑. Bha 霉idh mh貌r aig muinntir na G脿idhealtachd anns a鈥� ch霉is.

Th貌isich a鈥� ch霉is-ch霉irte air a鈥� ch貌igeamh latha deug dhen Ghearran, ochd ceud deug, naochad 鈥檚 a naoi (1899) anns an taigh-ch霉irte ann an Inbhir Nis 鈥� anns a鈥� chaisteal, far a bheil e fhathast. Thuirt an luchd-d矛on gun robh MacCaluim air a bhith 脿s a rian nuair a loisg e air a鈥� Chonstabal King. Ach thuirt tri霉ir dhotairean nach robh sin f矛or agus gun robh smachd aige air fh猫in.

Ged a bha na poilis an d貌chas gum faighte ciontach e de mhurt, cha b鈥� e sin beachd an di霉raidh. Dh鈥檃ontaich an di霉raidh le m貌r-chuid gun robh MacCaluim ciontach de mharbhadh le coire, seach murt. Thuirt am britheamh, am Morair Trayner, gun robh an di霉raidh air a bhith gu math tr貌caireach. Ge-t脿, bha a leithid de mharbhadh fhathast na eucoir mh貌ir. Chuir e binn air MacCaluim de ch貌ig bliadhn鈥� deug anns a鈥� phr矛osan.

Chaidh T貌mas King a thiodhlacadh ann an Cladh Obar Neithich. Bha muinntir na G脿idhealtachd air an uabhasachadh le a bh脿s agus thog iad dusan m矛le not mar thaic do a bhean agus an ochdnar cloinne. Agus chaidh an naidheachd mun ch霉is cho fada ri Sealan Nuadh, far an do nochd i air pr矛omh dhuilleag nam p脿ipearan-naidheachd.

Obar Neithich: Abernethy; Srath Sp猫: Strathspey; Iain MacGilleNaoimh: John MacNiven; dranndan: growl; brag gunna: the report of a gun; 诲丑鈥櫭╥驳丑: shouted; baile-fearainn: farming settlement, fermtoun; paidhir bhr貌gan: a pair of shoes; Srath Dheathain: Strathdon; sabhal: barn; 肠霉颈蝉-肠丑霉颈谤迟别: court case; 濒耻肠丑诲-诲矛辞苍: defence (legal team); britheamh: judge; 迟谤貌肠补颈谤别补肠丑: merciful; binn: sentence.

ag innse dhuibh mu bh脿s poilis: telling you about the death of a policeman; a bh鈥� air a chur mar ch脿in air Ailean MacCaluim: that had been levied as a fine on Allan Macallum; airson a bhith ri poidseadh: for poaching; bhuail am poileas an c霉 le a shlait: the policeman hit the dog with his truncheon; aig an dearbh mhionaid: at the very same moment; cha mh貌r nach do thuit e thairis air rudeigin air an l脿r: he almost fell over something on the floor; las X maids: X lit a match; corp a chompanaich air a鈥� bheul fodha: his companion鈥檚 body face-down; a鈥� teicheadh s矛os an rathad: fleeing down the road; gun teagamh marbh: without doubt dead; chaidh a ch霉 dhachaigh 脿s aonais: his dog went home without him; seasgad oifigear a-mach air a th貌ir: sixty officers out in pursuit of him; don Aghaidh Mh貌ir agus an uair sin air an tr猫ana a dh鈥橧nbhir Nis: to Aviemore and then on the train to Inverness; bha sluagh m貌r a鈥� feitheamh: a large crowd was waiting; gun robh smachd aige air fh猫in: that he had control of himself; an d貌chas gum faighte ciontach e de mhurt: hoping he would be found guilty of murder; cha b鈥� e sin beachd an di霉raidh: that wasn鈥檛 the jury鈥檚 opinion; ciontach de mharbhadh le coire: guilty of culpable homicide; chaidh T貌mas King a thiodhlacadh: Thomas King was buried; air an uabhasachadh le a bh脿s: horrified by his death; cho fada ri Sealan Nuadh: as far as New Zealand.

air a cheangal ri poileas le 驳濒补蝉-濒脿尘丑: connected to a police officer with handcuffs. The Gaelic equivalent to the English handcuffs means 鈥榟ands-cuff鈥� or 鈥榣ock of hands鈥�. You will sometimes hear people say 驳濒补蝉-濒脿颈尘丑别 but that would actually only lock 鈥榦ne hand鈥� (lock of a hand) whereas handcuffs of course lock two hands! So the genitive plural of 濒脿尘丑 (which is also 濒脿尘丑) is employed in the compound. In Inverness English handcuffs were for centuries called glaslawes, a borrowing from Gaelic.

Bha e casruisgte: he was barefooted.

听

Tha 鈥淟itir do Luchd-ionnsachaidh鈥� air a maoineachadh le MG ALBA