He rose from his seat before the officer could stop him, and roared like a lion in the toils, in a voice filled equally with agony and rage: 

“You murdering liar!  I’ll tear your heart out of you!”

There was a wide table and several chairs between them, but Sleeny was over them in an instant.  Offitt tried to escape, but was so hemmed in, that the infuriated man had him in his hands before the officers could interpose.  If they had delayed a moment longer all would have been over, for already Sleeny’s hands were at the throat of his betrayer.  But two powerful policemen with their clubs soon separated the combatants, and Sleeny was dragged back and securely handcuffed.

Offitt, ghastly pale and trembling, had sunk upon a bench.  The justice, looking at him narrowly, said:  “The man is going to faint; loosen his collar.”

“No,” said Offitt, springing to his feet.  “I am perfectly well.”

In his struggle with Sleeny a button of his coat had been torn away.  He asked a by-stander for a pin, and carefully adjusted the garment.  The thought in his mind was, “I don’t mind being killed; but I thought he might tear off my coat, and show them my money.”  From this moment he kept his hand in such position that he might feel the packages in his pockets.

Sleeny was still panting and screaming execrations at Offitt.  The justice turned to him with sternness, and said, “Silence there!  Have you not sense enough to see how your ferocious attack on the witness damages you?  If you can’t restrain your devilish temper while your friend is giving his evidence, it will be all the worse for you.”

“Judge,” cried Sam, now fairly beside himself, “that’s the murderer!  I know it.  I can prove it.  He ain’t fit to live.  I’ll break his neck yet!”

Offitt raised his hands and eyes in deprecating sorrow.

“This is the wild talk of a desperate man,” said the justice.  “But you may as well tell us how you passed last evening.”

“Certainly,” said Offitt, consulting his memory.  “Let me see.  I took supper about seven at Duffer’s; I went to Glauber’s drug-store next and got a glass of soda water; if they don’t know me, they’ll remember my breaking a glass; then I made a visit at Mr. Matchin’s on Dean Street; then I went to the Orleans theatre; I come out between the acts and got a cup of coffee at Mouchem’s—­then I went back and stayed till the show was over, that was about half-past eleven.  Then I went home and found Mr. Sleeny there.”

“You had better go with Mr. Fangwell, and let him verify this statement,” said the justice.

He then called the policeman who arrived first at Farnham’s house the night before.  He told his story and identified the hammer which had been shown to Offitt.  A young man from Ware & Harden’s swore that he had sold the hammer the day before to Sleeny, whom he knew.  The justice held this evidence sufficient to justify Sleeny’s detention.