"Oh, yes, but then he was going away."

"That will do,--you are excused," interposed Moxlow quickly.

The sheriff was next sworn. Without interruption from Moxlow he told his
story. He had made a thorough search of the ash barrel described by the
witness Thomas Nelson, and had come upon a number of charred fragments
of paper.

"We think these may be of interest to the coroner's jury," said Moxlow
quietly.

He drew a small pasteboard box from an inner pocket of his coat and
carefully arranged its contents on the table before him. In all there
were half a dozen scraps of charred or torn paper displayed; one or two
of these fragments were bits of envelopes on which either a part or all
of the name was still decipherable. North, from where he sat, was able
to recognize a number of these as letters which he had intended to
destroy that last night in his rooms; but the refuse from his grate and
the McBride murder still seemed poles apart; he could imagine no
possible connection.

The president of Mount Hope's first national bank was the next witness
called. He was asked by Moxlow to examine a Mount Hope Gas Company bond,
and then the prosecuting attorney placed in his hands a triangular piece
of paper which he selected from among the other fragments on the table.

"Mr. Harden, will you kindly tell the jury of what, in your opinion,
that bit of paper in your hand was once a part?" said Moxlow.