more under arrest."

"Well, if you will only have him punished as he deserves," said the
Captain, "I shall consider no reward too great for you. He is a snake in
the grass, who has ruined my sister, and covered our family with shame.
Now I want revenge."

"I shall do all in my power to have him punished," I said; "and I am
very well pleased to see the end so near. By the way, you might write
to Mr. Chapman to inform him of our success."

"I will, indeed," said the Captain, enthusiastically; "if it had not
been for him, I never should have thought of coming to you, Mr.
Pinkerton."

"Well, good-day, Captain; come here with Mrs. Thayer about ten o'clock
to-morrow morning."

I immediately placed the facts before my lawyer, and requested him to
prepare an affidavit for Mrs. Thayer to make relative to Pattmore's
guilt. The next morning it was ready, and Mrs. Thayer swore to the facts
as therein set forth. I then told the Captain to remain in Chicago until
I should send for him, and that evening I took the train for Greenville.

On my arrival there I called on Dr. Stuart and learned that his analysis
had been finished that day. He had found enough poison in Mrs.
Pattmore's bowels to make it certain that she had died from that cause,
and not from natural disease. I then made an affidavit, charging
Pattmore with murder, and I also filed Mrs. Thayer's affidavit in the
court. Everything was done quietly, so that Pattmore was arrested before
any one except the sheriff and the judge knew that a warrant had been
issued. The arrest created immense excitement; a bitter political
campaign was in progress, and it was charged, as before, that the arrest
was made for political effect. The grand jury was in session, however,
and I sent for Captain Sumner and Mrs. Thayer at once. The testimony of
Mrs. Thayer, the nurse, and the grave-diggers, made a pretty strong
case; but when I clinched the whole matter with the testimony of Dr.
Stuart, there was no longer any doubt in the minds of the jury as to
Pattmore's guilt. He was immediately indicted for murder in the first
degree, and was consigned to prison to await trial.

The trial took place very soon afterward, and the lawyers for the
defense made a very strong fight to clear their client. They were
successful to the extent of saving him from execution, but he was
sentenced to a term of ten years in the penitentiary.

Some years after Pattmore was sentenced, I was walking down Broa