His excitement and feigned earnestness had brought the tears to his eyes.  Sam saw them and was convinced.

“Andy,” he said solemnly.  “I know you’re my friend, and mean right.  I’ll swear before God it wasn’t me, and I know nothing about it, and I won’t run away.”

“But how will we prove it,” said Offitt, wringing his hands in distress.  “Where was you last night from ten to eleven?”

“You know where I was—­in your room.  I went there just after nine and fell asleep waiting for you.”

“Yes, of course, but who knows it?  Sam, I believe you are innocent since you say so.  But see the circumstances.  You have talked about goin’ for him.  You have had a fight with him, and got put in jail for it, and—­” he was about to mention the hammer, but was afraid—­“I wish you would take my advice and go off for a week or so till the truth comes out.  I’ll lend you all the money you want.  I’m flush this week.”

“No, Andy,” said Sleeny, “nobody could be kinder than you.  But I won’t run away.  They can’t put a man where he wasn’t.”

“Very well,” replied Offitt, “I admire your pluck, and I’ll swear a blue streak for you when the time comes.  And perhaps I had better get away now so they won’t know I’ve been with you.”

He went without a moment’s delay to the chief of police and told him that he had a disagreeable duty to perform; that he knew the murderer of Captain Farnham; that the criminal was an intimate friend of his, a young man hitherto of good character named Sleeny.

“Ah-ha!” said the chief.  “That was the fellow that Captain Farnham knocked down and arrested in the riot.”

“The same,” said Offitt.  “He has since that been furious against the Captain.  I have reasoned with him over and over about it.  Yesterday he came to see me; showed me a hammer he had just bought at Ware & Harden’s; said he was going to break Arthur Farnham’s skull with it.  I didn’t believe he would, he had said it so often before.  While we were talking, I took the hammer and cut his initial on it, a letter S.”  The chief nodded, with a broad smile.  “He then left me, and when I came back to my room a little before midnight, I found him there.  He looked excited, and wanted me to go and get a drink with him.  I declined, and he went off.  This morning when I heard about the murder I said:  ’He’s the man that did the deed.’”

“You have not seen him since last night?”

“No; I suppose, of course, he has run away.”

“Where did he live?”

“Dean Street, at Matchin’s the carpenter.”

The chief turned to his telegraphic operator and rapidly gave orders for the arrest of Sleeny by the police of the nearest station.  He also sent for the clerks who were on duty the day before at Ware & Harden’s.

“Mr. ——­, I did not get your name,” he said to Offitt, who gave him his name and address.  “You have acted the part of a good citizen.”