The general feeling in the town was now very strong against Nicholas D----. He was committed to the town prison, and his relatives placed under closest surveillance. All, nevertheless, persisted in their story. In order to ascertain the truth, justice was prepared to go to the extreme length of applying torture to force a confession from the obstinate accused. But happily, just as the "question" was about to be employed, the following letter was received:-- "Before I leave the country and betake myself where I shall be beyond the reach either of the Court of M---- or the military tribunal of the garrison, I would save the unfortunate persons who are now prisoners at M----. Beware of punishing the innkeeper, his wife, his father, or his brother, for a crime of which they are not guilty. How the story of the carpenter is connected with theirs I cannot conjecture. I have heard of it with the greatest surprise. The latter may not himself be entirely innocent. Let the judge pay attention to this remark. You may spare yourself the trouble of inquiring after me. If the wind is favourable, by the time you read this letter I shall be on my passage to England. "JOSEPH CHRISTIAN RUHLER, Formerly Corporal in the Company of Le Lery." The receipt of this letter started a new set of conjectures, followed up by inquiries. Captain le Lery's company was quartered in the town, and Corporal Ruhler had, as a matter of fact, belonged to it, but he had mysteriously and suddenly disappeared about the time of the robbery. No trace of him had been found. His letter seemed to throw light upon his disappearance, yet when it was shown to his captain and some of his comrades it was unanimously declared to be a forgery. What could have been the writer's object in fabricating it? Various theories were advanced, the most popular being that some guilty party, knowing the corporal had gone, thought to implicate him and save the accused from the torture, which might have driven them to full confession, in which the names of all accomplices would have been divulged. It was a clumsy explanation, but the only feasible one forthcoming. Every effort was made to discover the author of the letter, but without avail.