Arizona republican., 1903-10-11
IN THE SWEAT BOX"
ways of Forcing Confession From
 Criminals.

"Forccd confessions worthless? Non sense" and the man whose local DO lice experience is almost as old as the city itself looked scornful at the mere suggestion from Kansas City Journal reporter. That Chicago man who made the statement showed that he didn't know very much about the busi ness of catching and convicting crim- inals. A confession is q confession. no matter how it is gotten. and the quick CT it can be gotten the better for ev eryone concerned"
 This particular officer is q firm be- liever in the "sWeat box" that mys- terious place the mention of which to the uninitiated calls up visions of quak- ing cuiprits, and horrible instruments Of torture. and stern torturers and lot of other unpleasant things. but which really is just an ordinary sort of room with two or three men sitting around. one of them pouring rapid fire of questions into another. It looks like a pleasant little afternoon chat, but it isn't. It is the sweat box. and it is lot worse than it looks There are ways and ways of extort- ing confessions from criminals. but the general term sweat box covers them
 
 for the ordeal by being exceedingly kind to him. others by bluffing him little, and still others by casual off hand remarks that set the culprit to thinking The Pinkerton people use the first system. It is the Pinkerton's firm belief that the way to a criminals tongue is through his stomach, and consequently before he begins to sweat Ii 1,., best he can get. q drink. and a good cigar. Then he sits him down il q comfortable chair. leans toward him in q friendly sort of way and says. Now you might just as well tell me all about this business. IL will save trouble and unp!easantness for you and for nle and for everybody else. Now, don't you think you had bette1?" and in q great many cases the man will think he had. The hluffing system is the one most frequently used by the police. and es- pecially with hardened criminals. Kindness. it is found, has little weight with the old offender; it is only the man new to the business who can be influenced.
 The ways of getting man to think ing are various. One of Chief Hayes favoTite remarks to man just before he goes into the sweat box is. Man I wouldn't be in your shoes for mill lion dollars.' A remark of that sort is pretty apt to make him think. if he hasn't done SO before.
 When the sweating begins the sup posed criminal has no idea what the evidence against him may be. indeed he may not know of just what he is accused. The first few questions asked him are probably q thousand miles dis tant from the subject in hand, and are more to establish the status of future operations than anything else. This is not always the case. though, for sometimes the questioning officer will walk up to the accused person. put his hands on his shoulders, look straight into his eyes and put a question that will put the man right off his feet. After the first question or two they come thick and fast. like d rapid fir ing gun. with just time between them for answers.
 After the fierce questioning has gone on for an hour and a half or two hours the prisoner is sent back down to his cell to think it over. or in police parlance, ito soak" He is then brought back and put through the same ordeal again. This has been kept