His letter is written to a burglar named Williams, who is serving a nine-year term in a certain State prison, for burglary.

Williams was a particularly daring burglar, and plied that trade during a number of years; but he was caught at last and jailed, to await trial in a town where he had broken into a house at night, pistol in hand, and forced the owner to hand over to him $8,000 in government bonds.

Williams was not a common sort of person, by any means; he was a graduate of Harvard College, and came of good New England stock.

His father was a clergyman.

While lying in jail, his health began to fail, and he was threatened with consumption.