Crime and Punishment #40

A man named George embezzles company funds and attempts to cover up the crime by manipulating his employee Edwin Garner, threatening to reveal damaging information about Garner unless he helps recover the stolen money. When Garner initially resists, George forces him to write a confession letter, but Garner ultimately shoots George in self-defense. Garner is arrested and convicted; his confession leads to a five-to-ten-year prison sentence, and the story closes with reflections on the injustice of his punishment for an act driven by coercion.