rom
which Edwards' letter was posted began with a "_Mac_," and that was all
that could be elicited from him.

Everman gave as his reasons for desiring to learn this fact, that he
wanted to write to him himself, and convey the letters which had been
intrusted to him.

After spending some time in the vain endeavor to refresh the carpenter's
memory, they at length parted for the night.

"Remember, Mr. Everman," said Nelson, as he left the hotel, "if I can
find out for you what you want, I will surely do so; but for heaven's
sake don't let my wife know it, or I will be scalped alive."

The detective laughingly promised to beware of the sanguinary Mrs.
Nelson, and the carpenter went his way.

CHAPTER VIII.

A Plan to Intercept Correspondence--Edwards Fully Identified--A pretty
Servant Girl and a Visit to Church.

While these events were transpiring at Woodford, William had not been
idle in the city. A constant watch had been maintained upon the several
premises occupied by the relatives of Newton Edwards, in the hope of
detecting some attempt upon their part to communicate with the suspected
thief. This at all times is rather a difficult object to achieve, but we
have frequently been obliged to resort to this mode of acquiring
information from lack of definite knowledge on which to base intelligent
action. In order that one of the many of these expedients may be fully
understood, a few words in detail may not be out of place. As is well
known, the mail of an individual is so sacredly guarded by the laws of
the country which govern the postal service, that an attempt to
interfere with the letters of another is regarded as a felony and
punished with severity. Of course, therefore, no efforts of ours would
be directed to the obtaining or opening of any letters which might be
mailed to the suspected individual. Our object was simply to obtain the
addresses upon the envelopes, if possible, and then to search out the
parties to whom they had been consigned. In this instance our manner of
proceeding was quite simple, but it required that it should be managed
with great care and without exciting the suspicion of any one. For this
purpose each of the operatives, detailed for this duty, was provided
with a number of envelopes of a peculiar size and color, and all
addressed to fictitious persons. Our plan was, that if any one of
Edward's relatives deposited a letter in any of the street boxes, the
operative should be o