ns. If Eugene Pearson was innocent, he
stated, no serious harm had been done the young man; and if he was
guilty, as he could prove in a short time, they would deeply regret the
course they were now threatening to pursue.

[Illustration: William requested them not to be too hasty in their
actions.]

In the meantime he had not been idle in his attempts upon the stoical
firmness of Eugene Pearson himself, and at length the young burglar was
broken completely down; he confessed his guilt, and promised to conduct
the officers to the spot where he had hidden his share of the booty. In
company therefore with two of the officers, he repaired to the barn in
the rear of his father's house, and buried in the ground in the yard,
they found a sack of coin amounting to the sum of six thousand dollars.

[Illustration: Here they found a sack of coin amounting to the sum of
six thousand dollars.]

So far, so good. We had now captured two of the robbers, and had secured
nearly one-half of the stolen money of the bank.

It is needless to say that immediately following the confession of
Eugene Pearson and the finding of the money he had stolen, the opinions
of the previously enraged citizens underwent a decided change. If
William had desired any evidence of the overwhelming triumph which he
had achieved, the deportment of these disappointed men toward him would
have fully satisfied him. No longer regarded as a ruthless invader of
the privacy of honest homes, and guilty of outraging the finer feelings
of humanity, he was everywhere received with the utmost respect and
deference, and many apologies were offered for their inconsiderate
conduct of a few hours before. And yet it must be recorded, that with
this indisputable evidence of Eugene Pearson's guilty participation in
the robbery, there yet remained many, who, unable to refute the damning
proofs against him, were filled with a sympathetic sentiment of
regard for their fallen idol, and their prevailing feelings were those
of sorrow and regret.

The majority of them, however, came up by scores, frankly acknowledged
their mistake, and freely apologized for their actions, which under the
circumstances, were shown to be so hasty and ill-timed.

In a day or two after this, Dr. Johnson made his appearance, under the
escort of William Everman; and the delectable trio were placed in
separate cells to prevent any collusion between them prior to their
examination.

Johnson's arrest had