The daily sentinel., 1909-11-01
STORY OF THE CRUELTY OF THE
POLICE THIRD DEGREE"

Not long ago in a certain city of
central United States, a young man
was arrested. 1t was recorded on
the police books that he was "sus-
pect. Inquiry developed that he
was suspected of being a burglar
who had shot a detective. The young
man, however, did not know this. He
was locked up in a cell. No one was
permitted to communicate with him,
and he was not permitted to send
word of his condition to outsiders.
This was the first step in the admin
istration of the famous police third
degree"
Now, theoretically. this young man
was entitled to a public trial at which
he should be confronted by the wit
nesses against him, and at which he
should be privileged to introduce
witnesses in his behalf. After his
arrest, he was presumably to be per-
mitted to consult with friends or
attorneys regarding the plan of his
defense: Police activities should,
theoretically, have been confined to
a search for evidence in support of
the opinion that the prisoner was
murderer. The accused man was
specifically protected by the law from
being required to testify against him
| self.
So much for the theory. What
were the facts. The young man was
permitted to lie in Jail undisturbed
for day. Then he was told that the
chief of police wanted to see him"
He was taken to the chiefs office.
| He was asked innumerable ques-
tions, to all of which he made answ-
ers. There questions and answers
are taken down by a shorthand re-
| porter. The chief worked with the
prisoner for several hours. but could
not induce hi INTO confess that he was
murderer. At length the chief
began to wither under the strain.
Then an assistant took up the exam
| ination. He was no more successful,
and so the victim was turned over to
another member of the police depart
ment. The examination, if such 1t
may be called. continued without in
terruption for 81 hours. By this
time every person who had any
| knowledge of the case had been worn
out trying to induce the youth to give
discriminating evidence against him
self, and all had failed. At o'clock
in the morning the man who was
| then conducting the sweating" told
| the prisoner that he might take
nap. He was allowed to sleep 80
| minutes; then the sweating was re-
sumed. 1t continued for the most
of the day, the police finally tenn
porarily abandoning the effort to
make the man admit that he was
| murderer.
At the end of the ordeal news
paper found opportunity to interview
. -
| the possibility of inducing man to
say almost anything that his tormen-
tors desire to have him say Il can
hear everything they say to me-" the
prisoner exclaimed, but ] am dream
| ing all the time. While they were
| questioning me / could see feather
| bed with soft pillows and warm
blanket. | was trying to get to that
bed, but something was holding me
back. When l looked at the long
table in the chiefs office it would
| turn into all sorts of things. Once
| it was river bank lined with soft
grass. | was trying to lie down there
| under big tree, but | could not
| move. With regard to the 30
minute nap that he was permitted to
take, the prisoner gave an eXplana-
tion that indicates this was merely
| another chapter in the sweating"
process. That nap they let me
have" he said, was the worst tor
ture yet 1t was just sleep enough
to make me want more. / would
rather have been killed than have
been awakened when that half hour
was up"
There is certainly no warrant in
law for subjecting a man who is sus-
| pected of crime to any such torture
as this. VIII anyone argue that there
| is any other legitimate excuse for it?
| Can it be justified? Most assuredly
not! But this case is not an excep-
tion. The practice is common.
Thousands of men are similarly
'sweated" every month of the year.
Why? Because the police desire to
make record of convictions" An
| unconcerned public permits its police
to profit through crime.