Billson is a Deacon with the nickname "Shadbelly." He is the first of the nineteen claiming ownership of the sack. When Burgess reads his name, the crowd doubts that Billson could have been so generous, shouting: "Billson! Oh, come, this is too thin! Twenty dollars to a stranger-or anybody-Billson"; Wilson falsely accuses him of plagiarism.
The letter attached to the sack authorizes Burgess to break the seals of the sack and the enclosed envelope. Unaware that Edward Richards concealed information that could have cleared him of wrongdoing in a previous scandal, Burgess regards Edward as his savior for advising him to leave town. Burgess repays his perceived debt by not announcing Edward's name at the town meeting, which leads everyone to believe that Edward is the only truly honest.....
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