The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-05-02
TRIAL BY TORTURE.


murder committed in Charles county,
Maryland, have been scattered broadcast
over the country during the past week, and
to protect the suspected murderer-the
removed by the local authorities to the
| Baltimore city Jail.
Revolving as the circumstances of this
brutal butchery of two innocent women
are, the universal feeling of horror that it
has inspired, is increased by the story of
the trial by torture, to which the suspected
man was subjected, IN the hope of extort
ing from him some sign or confession of
guilt.
1t would seem that the local authorities
were attempting to establish the truth OF
the ancient tradition, that the wounds of Il
murdered person cape afresh at the touch
Of the murderer.
Cooking the suspected husband was led
one account stated almost carIied-into
the room where the murdered women lay
covered with sheet. An officer pulled the
sheet aside, and showed the horribly mutt
lated face. The suspected man did not
start, or show any outward sign of mental
disturbance.
! The account goes on to state, that his
hand stole out and he gently stroked the
dead woman's forehead once His hand
dropped to his side. Again his hand stole
out and stroked the forehead.
At this moment when the suspects
nerves must must have been wrought to
the highest tension, the detective, in slow
and impressive voice said:
Look at that face, Mr.. Cooking. 1t is
one that was dear to you and you have
seen it often in life. Look at it now and
tell me what you think of those horrible
wounds. How do you think they were
inflicted 2"
Cockings head dropped further forward.
The vacant, stupid look that had character
lied his face since he was found in the
cellar, was directed toward the floor
beneath the bier, where drops of blood had
trickled from the mutilated form above.
He did not answer a word and was led to
where the other body lay
Here the detective again attempted to
draw the man into some expression OF his
feeling by saying:
''Look at that poor child! No one would
have supposed that she did not have years
of happy life before her."
The same listless apathy was exhibited
as he stood beside the body of Miss Miller
and all efforts to provoke a show Of any
sort Of emotion was met with failure. He
was then taken and shown the blood stained
beds, which had been undisturbed, but his
stoieism remained unchanged. He was
then tax zen back to his room, where he
resumed his place on the bed, making no
comment on what he had seen.
This trial by torture, is eminently worthy
the darkest days of the Spanish inquisition,
and we are glad to see that a Maryland
journal as influential as the Baltimore Sun,
thus sensibly disapproves of it:
''The law presumes every man to be in
nocent until he has been proved to be guilty,
but it often happens that Jealous and
excellent official proceeds on the opposite
principle, and in his desire to arrive
quickly at the truth Of the matter over
steps the boundaries of prudence 1t may
be questioned whether any useful purpose
can be srbserved, for instance, by taking
man suspected of murder into the presence
OF his alleged victims and there subjecting
him to heartrending questions designed to
draw from him some utterance that may
be construed into an admission of guilt?
Such an ordeal furnishes no trustworthy
test Of guilt or innocence. The demeanor
and even the words OF an accused person
under such a test would depend largely
upon the temperament OF the individual
and to some extent upon the circumstances
preceding and following the tragedy. Many
innocent but nervous persons might act in
such way as to strengthen the suspicious
Of those who had already made up their
minds against them, while hardened and
desperate criminals are often quite equal to
playing part that seems to accord with
theory OF innocence. The mere demeanor
Of the accused in the presence Of the muir
dered does not weigh for much with rea-
soning and thoughtful people. 1t suggests
the trial by torture, to which accused per-
sons were sometimes subjected in the dark
ages, and under which they were generally
quite ready to confess anything.
THE WING recently condemned the
prostitution of the columns OF number of
Sunday newspapers, for the publication of