The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-03-23
Murder Trial Takes Tragic
Twist When Defendant Elk
plains Series of Confessions
and Regulations to Officers
CROSS-EXAMINATI0N IS
BAD FOR THE PRISONER
Judge Lewis Admits as Evil
dence Stories Related in Jail
Concerning the Staying of
Special Police Officer Riley.
DRAMATIC SCENES IN COURT

Drifting on a sea of uncertainty made
up of a tangle Of evidence, disputed and
repudiated confessions, Lucian Edward
Driskell, who is on trial in the district
court for the murder of Special Police Of
ficer {. C. Riley, is desperately fighting to
save himself from the extreme penalty
imposed for the crime of taking the life
of fellow man.
At times yesterday the trial presided
over by Judge Lewis assumed g sensa-
tiOnal and even tragic aspect.
In the wisdom OF his counsel. Driskell
was put on the stand 20 testify in his
own behalf during the forenoon session.
His Straight-aWay story in which he ac-
counted for himself on the night of the
murder, October ,, 1903, was plausible
enough, but when he encountered the
shoals of cross-examination and the adj
mission, for the purpose OF impeaching
his direct testimony, of several confess
sions of guilt, which he IS alleged to have
mace, the young man ran into troubled
water. and, metaphOricaliy speaking, he
was in the trough of a heavy sea which
threatened TO submerge him when court
adjourned last evening with him still
under the guns of the rapia-fire cross
examination of District Attorney +. G.
LoofhouroW.
With all the seriousness which must
surely follow the trial of a man for his
life there were scenes in the court room
Yesterday which smacked of the melo-
dramatic.
There were many opportunities for
study of criminOlOgy in degree never
before presented in the state.
Third Degree" Exposed.
Driskell. discredited as he may be. gave
a description Of the third degree" which
he said was practiced upon him in the
city Jail in Salt Lake. which even made
the jurors tWitch neryously in their seats.
I'm tell you one of the reasons / made
a confession to George Sheets and other
members of the police department" de-
clared Driskell. as color seemed to come
to his face, and for the first time while
on the witness stand he seemed to shake
off a stole indifference. 1T was because
] was taken out of the boys ward in the
Jail and thrown into a bull-pen which
was damp and had a cement floor.
BY order of Sheets. all my clothing
had been taken from me, and | was cast
into the hell-hole stark naked, and kept
there for two nights and day without
Occasionally Sheets came down to
where / was and. standing outside the
bars he waved a bloody shirt in one hapd
and held a revolver in the other and eX-
claimed: Here is the bloody shirt of the
YOU did It with
''They then took me upstairs and kept
me without water, and would not let any
body come near me. I was sick ard in a
bad state of mind. I wanted TO get a
lawyer, but Sheets told me l was doing
we'll enough without lawyer.
when the iailer brought people in to
identify me, lie would call out, Bring that
murderer out
Pity for Accused.
With all the sternness of the law. which
makes the way of the transgressOr hard
Continued on Page Two.)