[3] His body had been found by two young men, John Gebbie and John Scott,[2] at about 4am on the Saturday, lying in a pool of blood, with a wound in the neck that had been inflicted with the carpenter's chisel which was found in a nearby field, together with an unusual pink and patterned napkin or handkerchief[7] that was shown to have been recently in the possession of James McWheelan.

[4] James McWheelan had been seen acting suspiciously in the area the afternoon of the day before the murder and having suddenly disappeared he was a logical suspect.

[8] A farmer, William Orr, whilst riding passing a toll-bar between Paisley and Beith on the Sunday, saw McWheelan hurriedly leaving the toll-house having, so it transpired, stolen £35 and a silver watch.

[4] On 'Dudd's-day' the hiring fair was taking place at Kilmarnock[11] and James had gained permission to visit his home at Knowehead in Riccarton.

After walking the few miles he arrived at 7am and stayed with John, his father, his mother and family members until around 10.30pm that evening when he set off to return to Fortacres Farm.

[3] It is not recorded exactly why James was carrying as much as '15 shillings in silver', a relatively large sum of money or if the robbery and murder were premeditated or occurred as a result of a random act.

[4] John Crawford, a barber in Beith related how James had forced his way to the front of the queue of waiting customers to have his beard shaved off as if to disguise himself.

[8] Such was the notoriety of the murder and sympathy for the victim that passers by took to leaving a stone at the spot to create a cairn (NS 39979 34140) that grew to a fairly considerable size.

Adamson's comment in his 'Rambles Round Kilmarnock' was that the cairn ".. marks the spot where one of the most cold-blooded and heartless murders that ever stained the annals of our country.