He remained firm, and protested to the last that Sommers knew nothing about his case.

The iron will upheld him during this ordeal, and the influence which the detective had gained over him had been of such a character as to outweigh the solicitations of those to whom he ought to look for relief on the trial that was now fast approaching.
How far again the question of self-interest may have induced this action cannot be ascertained.

Bucholz had been led to believe that if he communicated the existence of the money which he had secured, to his lawyers, and if they should succeed in obtaining control of it, his portion would be very small indeed, after they had paid themselves therefrom.
This idea may have been of sufficient weight to compel his silence, but the result--whatever the cause--proved that the detective had achieved a victory over the attorneys, and that he wielded an influence over their guilty client which they could never hope to possess..