McKean was apprehended by the end
of October on the Isle of Arran, some 50
miles away, where he was found with
Buchanan’s pocket book and bank notes
for more than £100. At first he admitted
robbery but denied murder, and was
taken to Edinburgh for trial. By the time
he was hauled into court on December
12 he had changed his plea. He pleaded
guilty to both crimes and submitted a
written confession. Nonetheless, the judge
thought it necessary “for the satisfaction
of the public” to bring a few witnesses
forward. The case was clear. The jury
“returned a verdict, all in one voice”: Guilty.
He was returned to Glasgow and fed on
bread and water until his execution.McKean was hanged at the Cross in
Glasgow on Wednesday January 25, 1797,
appearing “calm, collected, and resigned to
his fate”. Although his body was supposed
to be handed over for dissection, his end
was even more macabre – persuaded by
some curious gentlemen to provide the
criminal’s skin, the man guarding his corpse
had sections of it cut and distributed among
them as a grisly memento.