St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1905-04-14
SWEATING PRISONERS.

SWEATING PRISONERS.
The days Of the Spanish Inquisi-
ton are supposed to be past. Tor.
quemada and his fiendish assistants
gloated over the sufferings of the
unfortunate wretches who fell into
their power. All their deeds of
cruelty, all their fendish acts we're
done in the name Of christianity,
and for the glory Of God.
When the power of Torquemada
and his minions was broken, hum
anity breathed a sigh of relief. The
clouds Of despair were broken and
through the rift the sunshine of
hope threw its brilliant rays. The
reign Of blood had ceased.
People look back at that dark and
bloody spot on the history of relig-
ious prosecutions and wonder how
il was possible for men to be so
brutal. Today we have torture
chambers and inquisitors of our
own, more disgraceful to our civil.
ization than was the Spanish to
theirs. Their ignorance and relig-
ious fanaticism were some excuse,
but for ours there is none.
Every municipal court in any
great American city savors of the
Inquisition. Its Torquemadas are
in the ranks of It's detectives. No
more cruel things were ever infict-
cd upon is helpless victims by the
bloodthirsty old Spanish fanatic
than are inflicted by these brutcs
IN human form who perpctrate all
their acts Of cruelty in the name of
law.
The only sacrcdncss they attach
To the term lies in its proficiency in
helping them brow.bcat and bull.
dole some ignorant wretch who has
fallen into their clutches. TO him
they tell any lies that will enable
them To wiring a confession from
him OF trip him into an admission
OF guilt.
II. {. Wood. a member of the
detective force Of Portland during
the early 9o's, was an able cxpon.
cnt of the inquisitorial system.
When Captain Spencer became
chief OF police he fired Wood from
the force. Wood owed the loss of |
his position largely to the influence
oi man he said he would send To
the pen III he had to Job him to
10 H." Unfortunately for Wood
he had struck the wrong man.
II was common fame that Wood
vas a blackmailcr, a liar, lccher.
ous brute and thug, and yet for
ong, he was regarded as an able
'ihccr. When the expose was
complete Wood disappeared from
he public gaze, sinking into the
lbyss of obscurity.
The latest example of inquisitor-
al methods comes from san Fran
.isco. A woman was so brutally
Ieaicd that the press raised hue
md cry over the outrage. The
csult can no, be foreseen but il is
u he hoped the brutcs who tor
ured the woman in the name of
he law, may bc severely punished. ,
life sentence is sufficient.
When men representing the law |
dopt such horrible methods as the
olicc ot san Francisco did To ex. I
nrt a confession from the wife OF
Inspected murderer, il is time the q
cople arouse themselves To action. {
II - known 10 all men that /
NE cannot testify for. nor against. u
81 husband, IN murder case, aud =
II these brutes in human form. <
'riurcd a helpless woman into a c
ate OF mental collapse, To secure
statement which they could not |,
gally usc. What did they care G
Z the suilcrings of sspoor. helpless ii
oman, No they succeeded in fore V
< her Ia tell what she knew, il 5
lythlng, about the crimel 81
Sometime a day of reckoning
III come To these minionS of the f
" and they will be placed where K
ey Justly belong, behind bars, al
Iayed m striped suits, with their Il
ads shaven.
II Is the conduct of such men as v,
ese which makes most OF our
lnlclpal courts hiss and by. ps
nd throughout all the land. 4
Tie law assumes every man
irged with crime, innocent G,
I'll proven guilty, but the mod
courts assume his guilt and Br
npel him 10 prove his innocence.
,h eorrupuble methods as these J,
To the French Revolution and,
lot checked, revolution will &.
ow here. H.