guard-house in the High Street. The mob were not so much
intimidated as incensed by what had been done. They pursued the soldiers with
execrations, accompanied by volleys of stones. As they pressed on them, the
rearmost soldiers turned, and again fired with fatal aim and execution. It is
not accurately known whether Porteous commanded this second act of violence; but
of course the odium of the whole transactions of the fatal day attached to him,
and to him alone. He arrived at the guard-house, dismissed his soldiers, and
went to make his report to the magistrates concerning the unfortunate events of
the day.
    Apparently by this time Captain Porteous had begun to doubt the propriety of
his own conduct, and the reception he met with from the magistrates was such as
to make him still more anxious to gloss it over. He denied that he had given
orders to fire; he denied he had fired with his own hand; he even produced the
fusee which he carried as an officer for examination; it was found still loaded.
Of three cartridges which he was seen to put in his pouch that morning, two were
still there; a white handkerchief was thrust into the muzzle of the piece, and
returned unsoiled or blackened. To the defence founded on these circumstances it
was answered, that Porteous had not used his own piece, but had been seen to
take one from a soldier. Among the many who had been killed and wounded by the
unhappy fire, there were several of better rank; for even the humanity of such
soldiers as fired over the heads of the mere rabble around the scaffold, proved
in some instances fatal to persons who were stationed in windows, or observed
the melancholy scene from a distance. The voice of public indignation was loud
and general; and, ere men's tempers had time to cool, the trial of Captain
Porteous took place before the High Court of Justiciary. After a long and
patient hearing, the jury had the difficult duty of balancing the positive
evidence of many persons, and those of respectability, who deposed positively to
the prisoner's commanding his soldiers to fire, and himself firing his piece, of
which some swore that they saw the smoke and flash, and beheld a man drop at
whom it was pointed, with the negative testimony of others, who, though well
stationed for seeing what had passed, neither heard Porteous give orders to
fire, nor saw him fire himself; but, on the contrary, averred that the first
shot was fired by a soldier who stood close by him. A great part of his defence
was