The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-09-20
sHREwD DETECTIVE WORK.
Uniaue Method Sometimes Employed
to Compel Confessions
from Murderers.

detective to Washington Star re-
porter recently, they have different
methods OF securing evidence. and
where the police have no evidence of
extorting confession from suspect
ed man.
an cities the size Of Washington and
larger it is a comparatively easy mat
ter to identify the corpse and connect
the murder with the right criminal,
but in New York the annual number
of unidentified dead Is so large that
the securing OF evidence fixing the
crime upon the right man is another
matter. A large proportion OF the
unidentified dead of the metropolis are
the victims of murder, but in that great
whirlpool of humanity a score or so
of untraced murders annually don't
count.
81 served under former Inspector
Byrnes, and l will tell you of one or
two instances, illustrating his peculiar
methods when he started after a GRIM
inal against whom there was no posi-
tive evidence.
"a man had been murdered by be-
| ing thrown from rowboat in Jamaica
bay, in the outskirts of Brooklyn.
| There was no clew save that he had
| been seen in company with four men
! the day previous. Byrnes learned that
these men were members of gang.
He knew that when gangs commit
crime their leader Is usually the per-
petrator and always particeps Grim
inis. The leaders Of New York gangs
OF t0ughs maintain their prestige by
their oiTenses against the law, and IL
one shows the white feather he is
bounced and tough Of more cour-
age takes his unenvable place.
"This gang had it's headquarters near
the dock yards on the East river near
the Brooklyn bridge. Byrnes arrest
ed the leader and six Of his followers.
He placed the leader in room in the
Tombs. which overlooked the court
yard of that gloomy historic build
Ing. Each day Byrnes visited him, and
'swcated' him for confession, but the
fellows nerve was all right, and he
stuck to one story-that he was in n
river front saloon all day on the day
OF the murder. Members OF n gang
as a rule, are loyal to each other, and
especially their leader, and this fellow
counted on a dozen followers to swear
to the truth of his story and prove an
alibi. But Byrnes knew his game.
The suspected man was not in
formed of the arrest of his follow
ers. After being in confinement for
several days, Byrnes visited him and
called his attention to the courtyard
As detective and criminal appeared a
the window, one of Byrnes' officers
with one of the arrested members Of
the gang, entered al the side gate with
the tough handcuffed to his wrist and
walked across the courtyard into tht
building. In few minutes second
officer appeared with another of thu
Y murderer's followers handcuffed tt
him, and this procession was kept W
until the entire six had been thus 81
lently paraded before the culprit'
eyes. AS they turned from the win
, dow the pawnbroker with whom thu
victims watch had been pawned b.
the leader entered the room quietly
and, laying the t1mepiece upon tn
table, Withdrew without NoTu. IL
t murderer, supposing that his pals ha'
S peached, and that the police had posi-
S tive evidence against him, confesse'
and begged for mercy. l afterwar'
saw him executed
"In another case, where the evidenc
was Incomplete and it seemed a
though the suspect would be release
n for want of proof Byrnes caused
n room in the police headquarters to b
t fitted up precisely, in every detail, II
l. cluding the wall paper, as the apart
" ment in which the crime was commit
ted. The bed was stained with beer
= blood, and the victims clothing al
y , ranged as when the body had been dil
l. covered. Byrnes, sitting on the sid
r Of the bed, with a smile on his fac
c. ordered the murderer brought suddeI
e " into the room. The sight was to
+. much for his nerves and he weakened