We were all seated around the fallen young man awaiting his recital, and after a few moments of hesitation and embarrassment he began: "I will tell you all there is to relate, and in order that you may fully understand my present situation, I will commence with the first temptations, which finally led to the commission of this crime." "Yes," said William, encouragingly, "tell us all." "The robbery of the Geneva bank was planned more than six months ago," continued Edwards, "but its real origin dates back more than a year.

At that time I was traveling for a large house in the city, and was receiving a liberal salary.

I had a large trade, and my employers were very generous with me.

I cannot tell you how I drifted into habits of dissipation, but it was not very long before I found it a very easy matter to dispose of my salary almost as soon as received, and was forced to borrow money of my friends to enable me to maintain myself at all.

From that I was tempted to gamble, and being fortunate at the outset, I soon found, as I imagined, an easy way to make money without serious labor; but I speedily discovered that my first success was doomed to be of short life, and I began to lose more money than I had ever won.