"My name is William S. Simmons. I am by profession a detective, and am connected with the city force in P----. I was called here Monday morning to investigate this robbery by the _defense_. An unusual circumstance, I assure you. But Mr. Shephard afforded me every opportunity to examine his premises, and I soon became satisfied that the theory of my worthy friend, the chief of your police here, could not be sustained. The piece of cloth found on the edge of the opening had been to my mind attached there when the burglar crawled out of, and not in through that hole. Then, too, but one track went from the rear of the building down to the wharf, and that returned again, as if the robber had gone down to the pile of lumber simply to hide the coat he had discovered to be torn, and the tools with it. Possibly he may have intended to sink them off the dock, but was interrupted or alarmed in some way, and so hastily placed them under the lumber, intending to remove them later. No goods were carried away by boat, but they were put through the hole in the partition into the empty store. Then the front door of that store was opened, and the goods were carried away by wagon, while the door was fastened to its place, and the tracks made at the rear of the store for a blind. It is no wonder that this lad slept on all night without knowing of the robbery, for only one of the burglars came anywhere near him, and he only for a brief moment." "How do you know your theory is any more correct than Captain Gardiner's?" asked the little attorney, with a sneer, in the cross-examination. "Well," replied the detective, quietly, "my main reason for believing I am correct, is that for two days I have been following the real burglars, and about nine o'clock to-day I bagged them, and the stolen goods, over beyond Holly Mountain. By hard riding I got them into the lockup fifteen minutes ago, and then came over here." "We rest the case here, your honor," said Mr. Eaton. The two lawyers on the prosecution consulted briefly with each other, and then the little attorney announced: "In the light of the facts presented by the defense, we submit the case without argument." Mr. Eaton rose to his feet. "I desire, your honor, to briefly sum up the facts we have presented, in the interest of my client. He is a poor lad, whose reputation and character are his only possessions. For three days he has been branded as a thief; for three days nearly this whole town has been ready to pronounce him guilty, untried and uncondemned; yea, when, as it now so overwhelmingly appears, he was entirely innocent of the crime with which he has been charged. In justice to him I ask that I may briefly sum up the case." "We shall be glad to have the counsel do this, your honor," said the little attorney, bowing courteously toward Mr. Eaton. "The court consents," the judge replied, smiling blandly.