After Macleod denied the postmaster's claim, the sheriff arrested Macleod and ordered a search of his house. None of the peddler's belongings were found however and, shortly before the sheriff was to release Macleod, a tailor named Kenneth Fraser came forward claiming he had experienced a dream in which he saw a vision of Macleod's cottage and in which he heard a voice speaking in Gaelic which told him "The merchant's pack is lying in a cairn of stones, in a hole near their house."
This sequence of events resulted in Macleod being taken into custody by the sheriff and ordered to search his home. However, no belongings of the peddler were found, and just before the sheriff was about to let Macleod go free, a tailor named Kenneth Fraser appeared, claiming that he had experienced a dream in which he saw a vision of Macleod's cottage and heard a voice speaking Gaelic, which told him "The merchant's pack is hidden near their house."