ut no polish". Yank's "olla podrida of heterogeneous
merchandise". The author meets the banished gold-dust thief.
Subscription by the miners on his banishment. A fool's errand to
establish his innocence. An oyster-supper bet. The thief's statements
totally incompatible with innocence.

Letter _the_ Ninth

THEFT _of_ GOLD-DUST--TRIAL _and_ PUNISHMENT

_From our Log Cabin_, INDIAN BAR,

_October_ 29, 1851.

Well, my dear M., our grand Squire, whom I sketched for you in my last
letter, has at length had an opportunity to exercise (or rather to
_try_ to do so) his judicial power upon a criminal case. His first
appearance as justice of the peace took place a week ago, and was
caused, I think, by a prosecution for debt. On that momentous occasion,
the proceeding having been carried on in the barroom of the Empire, it
is said that our young Daniel stopped the court twice in order to treat
the jury!

But let me tell you about the trial which has just taken place. On
Sunday evening last, Ned Paganini, rushing wildly up to our cabin, and
with eyes so enormously dilated that they absolutely looked _all_
white, exclaimed that "Little John" had been arrested for stealing four
hundred dollars from the proprietor of the Empire, and that he was at
that very moment undergoing an examination before the Squire in the
barroom of the Humboldt, where he was apprehended while betting at
monte. "And," added Ned, with a most awe-inspiring shake of his
corkscrews, "there is no doubt but that he will be hung!"

Of course I was inexpressibly shocked at Ned's news, for Little John,
as he is always called (who, by the way, is about the last person, as
every one remarked, that would have been suspected), seemed quite like
an acquaintance, as he was waiter at the Empire when I boarded there. I
hurried F. off as quickly as possible to inquire into the truth of the
report. He soon returned with the following particulars.

It seems that Mr. B., who on Sunday morning wished to pay a bill, on
taking his purse from between the two mattresses of the bed whereon he
was accustomed to sleep, which stood in the common sitting-room of the
family, found that four hundred dollars in gold-dust was missing. He
did not for one moment suspect Little John, in whom himself and wife
had always placed the utmost confidence, until a man, who happened to
be in the barroom towards evening, mentioned casually that Little John
was then at the Humboldt betting,