and the Summer was at hand. Our thousands of
the year before had dwindled to hundreds, and the old lady whose heirs
we had constituted ourselves seemed to have renewed her youth, and
threatened to outlive us all.

Besides this there had grown up a repugnance in our minds to the
business, and when one day my friend Mac remarked it was a scoundrelly
business to rob the heirs of an estate, and they women, George and I
heartily acquiesced; and we vowed we would take no part in the matter,
and then and there resolved we would throw both James and Brea over, but
first to use Brea and James for our own purposes. Once more we found
ourselves planning a coup in Wall street. Talking the matter over, we
three soon had a plan, and, being dowered with intense energy, it
promised a successful termination. Audaciously enough we determined the
lightning should strike once more in the same place--that is, to make
Jay Cooke & Company again the victims. Irving and his honest fellows
were to co-operate by watching everything, and, if any arrest
threatened, to be on hand to make it themselves; and then let the
prisoner escape. Most important of all, when the bankers drove up in hot
haste to Police Headquarters to give information, James, Honest James,
would be on hand to receive them, would call in his two trustys to get
with him full particulars of the robbery and a description of the men.
Then the bankers would be sent away with assurances that "we know the
men and will have them," but at the same time warning them to keep the
matter a secret in order better to enable them to catch the villains.

If successful, the detectives were to receive 25 per cent. between them.
Our plan required James to play an important part, and, although no
confederacy could be fixed on him, yet he would hardly escape
questioning and a very considerable degree of suspicion, so much so that
it probably would put an end to any lingering remnants of character he
had on hand or in stock. But he was tired of America, and determined to
go to Paris with his share of the plunder. Our visits to James had
always been in his private office, and his clerks had never seen either
of us or Brea.

Our plan was to make use of James' office in a way that will appear
later. As related, he was suspected by his profession, but the general
public thought him a very great man. He had appeared as (volunteer)
counsel in two or three murder cases and had delivered powerful
addresses