The arrest of the Raiders

The tact and humanity of the highly respected Police Sergeant Hector Smith from Keose defused the strong feelings of the crofters of Lochs when he came to arrest the Raiders. His first action was to confer with Donald Macrae, the Balallan headteacher, and Donald assured him that all the Raiders would give themselves up peacefully and that there was no need to use force. The sergeant then con­tinued his journey to South Lochs.

On the following Sunday, Mr Ross, the Deputy Fiscal, came to Balallan and told Donald Macrae, the head teacher, and Roderick Macken­zie, merchant, Balallan, that they had to appear in court in Stornoway at mid-day on the following day, Monday.

Mr Ross suggested they could travel to Stornoway with him in his gig. They declined to travel with Mr Ross but assured him they would ap­pear in Court in good time.

They left Balallan on horseback at 2 a.m. on Monday and they were in Stornoway in good time despite a hard frost that made the going difficult for the horses. The Crown was anxious to prove that Donald Macrae, the head teacher was the leader of the Raid and that he had a bad influence on the crofters, but he maintained that he never stood on a blade of grass in Park. Not even when he crossed over to Park in a boat from Arivruaich in the company of newspaper cor­respondents did he go beyond the highwater mark, and in any case he also was a card holding newspaper correspondent.

Mr Macrae was detained in prison in Stornoway on bail of £60. He told the sheriff that he was tired and wanted to sleep. Just as he was fall­ing asleep, the prison warden came to tell him that there was a man outside wanting to pay his bail. On emerging, Mr Macrae was told that his bed was paid for in the Imperial Hotel, Stor­noway, and that his wife was already informed that a gig would take him home to Balallan in the morning.

Some sixteen Raiders were arrested as follows, but they were later released:

Malcolm Macritchie (Callum Thormoid Challum), 38 Gravir, age 29; Murdo Mackenzie (Murchadh an Habost), 4 Gravir, age 35; John Macleod (Seonaidh an Oig), 24 Cromore, age 29; Angus MacFarlane (Aonghais Alastair Thormoid), 10 Marvig, age 23; Alasdair Macfarlane (Alasdair beag • Alasdair Thormoid), 10 Marvig, age 29; Alex Kennedy (Alastair Rhuaridh Ceanneady), 2 Calbost, age 24; Donald Mackinnon (Domhnuill Thor­moid), 43 Balallan, age 32; Murdo Macleod, Balallan; Roderick Murray (ex-Habost, Ness), 31 Balallan, age 22.

Donald Macrae (Head-teacher, Balallan)Balallan age 36 Roderick Mackenzie (Ruaridh Sheorais Merchant), Balallan, age 54; John Matheson (lain an Mhur-chaidh), 13 Gravir, age 25; Murdo Macdonald (Murchadh an Tailair), 61 Balallan, age 41; Malcolm Mackenzie (Calum Alastair Rhuaidh), 26 Crossbost, age 43; Donald Mac-millan (Domhnuill Aonghais lain), 6 Crossbost, age 37).

Only the last six above named men were charged with mobbing and rioting. The first three of them were alleged to have been the main leaders and organisers of the Raid, and that they formed a scheme to incite a large number of people to trespass on the deer forest and destroy deer therein as well as intimidate the employees or Joseph Platt, the lessee of the Park Deer Forest.

The Raiders never missed an opportunity to gain publicity and they wrote to the Procurator Fiscal, William Ross, announcing their intention to call Sheriff Fraser, Lady Matheson, her Chamberlain and other unlikely people as witnesses for the defence. The newspapers duly noted that unusual move, but the Raiders did not persist with their declared intention. The Deer Raid and the harsh treat­ment meted out to the crofter popula­tion of Scotland was widely reported in the Press and it attracted the atten­tion of the public even as far away as America, Australia and New Zealand. A Glasgow newspaper sent a cor­respondent to Lewis to make a special report on conditions in the Parish of Lochs and other parts of the island. When the results of his investigation was puplished in his newspaper in four articles it caused a great public debate. Radicals in the House of Commons insisted on an indifferent Government making enquiries for themselves and investigate what was described as "the sensational reports in a Glasgow newspaper".

The Government sent Mr Malcolm McNeill, a Government investigator, to Lewis to carry out an investigation. Subsequently, Mr McNeill confirmed that the newspaper reports were unfor­tunately quite true.

Among the results of the publicity was the setting up of a destitution and famine fund and thousands of pounds were subscribed within a short time, some of the largest contributions com­ing from exiles overseas. Clothes were also distributed in Lochs, as was con­firmed to us by an elderly man from Marvig who remembered the older folk referring to the "Deer Raid jackets".

It was also felt that the Deer Raid focused attention on the social in­stability, which this form of land use produced in the Highlands and discouraged the Government from ex­tending further legal protection to deer forests.

The Park Deer Raid caught the public's imagination and drew the eyes of the whole civilised world to the con­dition of severe hardship in Lewis.

Mrs Platt with Head Keeper Mr MacRae and Ghille