teous insisted on inflicting needless torture upon the
unhappy Wilson by forcing upon his wrists a pair of handcuffs that were
much too small for the purpose. When Wilson remonstrated, and urged
that the pain distracted his thoughts from those spiritual reflections
which were now so peremptory, Porteous is said to have replied with
wanton ruffianism that such reflections would matter very {61} little,
since Wilson would so soon be dead. The prisoner is reported to have
answered with a kind of prophetic dignity that his tormentor did not
know how soon he might in his turn have to ask for himself the mercy
which he now refused to a fellow-being. With these words, almost the
latest on his lips, the smuggler went to his death and met it with a
decent courage.

While the execution took place no signs were shown on the part of the
great crowd that had assembled of any desire to rescue the prisoner.
But the sentence had hardly been carried out when the temper of the mob
appeared to change. Stones were thrown, angry cries were raised, and
the mob, as if animated by a common purpose, began to press around the
scaffold. One man leaped upon the gibbet and cut the rope by which the
body was suspended; others gathered round as if to carry off the body.
Then it is asserted that Porteous completely lost his head. The
passion that had been swaying him all day entirely overmastered him.
He is said to have snatched a musket from the hands of the soldier
nearest to him, to have yelled to his men to fire, and to have shown
the example by pointing his own piece and shooting one of the crowd
dead.

Whether Porteous gave the order or not, it is certain that the attack
upon the gibbet was followed by a loose fire from the guard which
killed some six or seven persons and wounded many others. Then
Porteous made an attempt to withdraw his men, and as they were moving
up the High Street the now infuriated mob again attacked, and again the
guards fired upon the people, and again men were killed and wounded.
Thus, as it were, fighting his way, Porteous got his men to their
guard-house.

The popular indignation was so great that the Edinburgh authorities put
Porteous upon his trial. Porteous defended himself vigorously, denied
that he had ever given an order to fire, denied that he had ever fired
his piece, proved that he had exhibited his piece to the magistrates
immediately after the occurrence unused and still loaded. This defence
was