“Then, your honor,” said Wild Bill, bowing to the scout, “I might as well open up my bag of tricks. This Jew, Abraham Isaacs, came to the Circle-B ranch yesterday and had a palaver with Lige and Jerry Benner. Isaacs was piloted out there by Red Steve, as graceless a scoundrel as ever went unhung. Lige selected about thirteen hundred dollars worth of jewelry from that bag of Isaacs’, but said he wouldn’t take the stuff unless Isaacs would help him prove Nate Dunbar a thief. Jerry Benner did most of the talking, and----” “Lieber Gott,” wailed Isaacs suddenly, slumping down on the floor and hugging Wild Bill about the knees. “Dot iss plendy! Say no more, mein friendt! Say no more!” Wild Bill kicked the peddler away. “Get back on your bench,” he ordered sternly, “and don’t butt into my argument. Isaacs agreed to come back to Hackamore, while Dunbar was in town, and put up a howl that he had been robbed. Jerry Benner was also to come to town, get some fake diamonds from Isaacs, and put them in Dunbar’s saddlebags. That’s what happened. Lige Benner and his brother Jerry fixed up this little game, and Abraham Isaacs helped them carry it through. Is that so?” he cried, turning on the Jew. “Answer!” “Ach, it iss so!” groaned Isaacs. “Vat a miserable mans I vas! I didn’t vant to do dot, aber I lose der sale if I don’t.” “You admit,” went on Wild Bill, “that you gave those diamonds to Jerry Benner?” “Yah, so!” “And that Benner was going to put them in Dunbar’s saddlebags?” “It vas like you say! Vat a most unhabby man iss me! Mercy, chentlemen! Don’t do nodding mit me. It vas Lige und Cherry Benner.” “The defense rests,” said Wild Bill. “The case goes to the jury,” said the scout, turning to the sky pilot. “What’s your verdict, parson?” “Not guilty,” said the sky pilot promptly. “The prisoner at the bar is discharged,” declared the scout. “Bloom, take off those manacles.” “I’ll not do any such thing!” cried the sheriff. “I’ll let you kill me first.” “He ought to be killed, Pard Cody,” growled the Laramie man, “even if you make up your mind you won’t do it. I’d like the pleasure of taking off those iron gyves myself. Hold that rifle on him while I go through his clothes.” Buffalo Bill brought the rifle to bear on Bloom, and ordered him to put his hands in the air. Bloom fumed and protested, but his hands went up nevertheless. The Laramie man searched his pockets, found a bunch of keys, and soon had the manacles off the young rancher’s wrists and ankles. “You men will pay for this high-handed proceeding!” scowled Bloom. Wild Bill laughed. “You were the only one who did anything high-handed, sheriff,” he returned. “How did you find out all this, Wild Bill?” queried the dazed Dunbar. “I had a notion that Lige Benner was back of the play, but there wasn’t any way I could prove it. I seemed to be tied up hard and fast in circumstantial evidence.”