s
companion, and went on without speaking.

"Those fellows won't dare to sleep a single night after that!" laughed
Johnson. "They're scared right now!"

"I don't know anything about Cullen," Tommy answered with a grin, "but I
know that the man Katz is a false alarm. You should have seen him take
to his heels last night, when the train robbers rushed through the camp.
I'd like to know what he's in here for, anyway!"

"That's the very thing I'm here to explain!" replied Johnson. "The
story," he continued, "begins with the death of Thomas T. Fremont, a
Chicago banker, some weeks ago."

"I remember the case," Will interrupted. "The police declare that the
man was murdered, while his relatives insist that he might have
committed suicide."

"That's exactly the point," Johnson went on. "The police are working on
the theory that Fremont was murdered at his private room at the bank one
hot night in July. The relatives declare that there was no reason
whatever for him to have committed suicide, yet they insist that he must
have done so. Now, understand me," Johnson continued, "the relatives are
all interested in the defense of a disinherited son of the banker who is
charged with the crime of murder. And so, you see, when the police ask
them to point to some one fact substantiating the suicide theory they
are unable to do so.

"The result of this peculiar situation is that the police insist that
the relatives are advancing the suicide theory solely for the purpose of
securing the acquittal of the son. To the average citizen, it would seem
that the police are right. The son was always a thorn in the flesh of
his father. He has squandered thousands of dollars in riotous living,
and brought no end of disgrace on the family whose name he bears. And
still the relatives insist that he is innocent, and are willing to spend
a million in order to prevent his dying the death of a murderer. Mr.
Horton represents the relatives."

"I begin to see daylight!" Will exclaimed. "I guess this case isn't such
a little baby affair as we thought it might be!"

"Indeed it is no baby case!" exclaimed Johnson. "The family of the dead
banker have a well-defined theory concerning the death of the old man
which might help their case with the police if they would only present
it to the chief. This, however, they refuse to do, declaring that the
police would only take advantage of the confidence and use the
information received to the prejudice of th