ut his approval, he was contented.

When I received a copy of his letter, I was convinced that he was trying
to make the best of a bad bargain. He could not be spared from Eldridge
street jail just at that time and had to trust his wife whether he would
or not.

White and he lived quietly together. He told White that he was confined
at the instigation of the Adams Express, who accused him of stealing
fifty thousand dollars from them.

"But, of course," said he, "I am innocent!"

Still, as I have before mentioned, he was anxious to break jail--an
unusual inclination for an innocent man.

About this time he happened to read in the papers an account of a
robbery in Tennessee, in which a description of the stolen money and
bills was given. As he and White were walking in the hall, he said to
White:

"White, I wonder if it would not be a good move to try some game in my
case? Of course, I am innocent! I think the messenger, Chase, the guilty
party, and I want to arrange some plan to throw suspicion on him or some
one else; but (in an amusing tone) there is no one else. Chase received
the money from me and put it into the pouch! Still, I can't prove this,
as there were no witnesses. It will be my oath against his, and as the
company have taken his part, he will have the best of it. It is a
strange affair. Chase was at the counter checking off the packages as I
put them in the pouch. He now says that he did not see all the packages,
as they went in so quickly that he had all he could do to check them
off. Strange, indeed! If I were checking off packages of such large
amounts I think I should be likely to look at them, don't you? I wish in
some way to prove Chase dishonest. At present it is even between us, but
the company support him and leave me in the lurch."

"Yes," said White, "it is just about as you say, an even thing between
you; but the company have undoubtedly sided with Chase because you have
the most money, and they think they can recover the amount from you or
from your friends! But I don't see how you can clear yourself. If Chase
only swears he did not receive the money, it will go hard with you."

White thought that now Maroney would propose to him to get Shanks to
have some duplicate keys of the company's pouch made; but apparently he
did not yet feel fully certain that he could trust White. He broached
the subject several times, but finally dropped it altogether.

A few days after, Maroney had another