The San Francisco call., 1910-07-31
J.. 5. SENATORS
TO INVESTIGATE
THIRD DEGREE
Tales of Prison Tortures Will
Be Sifted at Inquiry Here
This Week
Senator Stone Declares Terrible
Stories of Police Oppression
Have Reached Congress

senatorial investigation of the COM
plants against the sweating system
employed by the local police and those
of other California cities and an in
vestigation into the reports that the
constitutional privileges Of American
citizens are being trampled will begin
at the Fairmont hotel next week, SEN
in this city to prepare the way for the
other members of the committee, who
are expected here within a few days.
The committee will consist of Sen
ator Stone, Senator Brown of Nebraska
and Senator Borah of Idaho.
THOROUGH INQUIRY
The inquiry will be thorough and
sweeping, the belief being that 1t will
last about 10 days two weeks, dur
ing which the committee will hear tes-
timony from every possible source.
The investigation will not rest with the
police of the cities, but will extend to
the treatment meted out to federal pris-
oners by their captors.
There have been continual COM
plaints,' said Senator Stone yesterday,
brought to the attention of the senate
against what is known as the third
degree given prisoners by the police.
While there is a question as to the
extent of the jurisdiction of the federal
government in these matters, the COM
plants were so numerous and the
stories of torture and cruelty so afro
cious, that committee was appointed
to investigate conditions. When the
facts have been gathered the senate
VIII consider the proposition of federal
Jurisdiction and what steps can be TAX
en- to check or remedy the evil.
AWAITS COLLEAGUES
Every citizen has certain sconstitu-
tional privileges which should be
safeguarded. Just what the conditions
in San Francisco are 1 do not know. 1
have not done any work on the matter
up to the present and will nit take
any steps until l am Joined by Senator
Brown and Senator Borah. 1 expect
them here In a few days and immedi-
ately on their arrival we shall begin
work The first two or three days
will be taken up probably with pre-
liminary work leading to the inquiry.
The hearing will be open. If some of
the reports are true then a terrible
condition exists.
We have been given various stories
as to what happens to prisoners when
in the hands of certain types of police
officials. A favorite means of forcing
a prisoner either to confess to a crime
or to give information to the police, /
have been told, consists in refusing the
man sleep, one of the tricks being to
turn an electric light full on his face.
OF the truth or falsity of these stories
it is, of course, impossible for me to
discuss until we have investigated. The
committee has all the necessary pow
ers of subpenaing witnesses and of OBJ
tanning the desired information"
COMPLAINTS COMMON
Just what amount of information
the committee has in its possession is
net known. Complaints against the
third degree employed by the police
in western cities have been common
for years Tales of tortures and pun
ishments have from time to time crept
out from the shadows of the prison
cells only to die down. Prisoners are
said to have been beaten, abused.
starved and kept from Sleeping to
compel them to confess or divulge the
names of their accomplices. In many
instances Jealous policemen of some
of the western cities have put perfect
ly innocent persons in the sweatbox,
according to the reports, and after
subtecting them to all the horrors of
the third degree have been forced to
acknowledge their innocence.
The federal prisoners, it Is said, have
been given better treatment than those
arrested by city officials. In the former
case there does not seem to have been