El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-10
The
Third Degree
A NarrofiUe of Metropolitan Life
Copyright. 1910. by q. W. Dillingham; CO.
CONTINUED From Yesterday

(COnL1Qued FROM feSlerOdy.t
the fire escapes. Send one man on
the roof Co."
Yes. sir" replied the sergeant, as
he turned away to execute the order
Capt Clinton gave two strides for
ward. and catching Howard by the col
lar, jerked him to his feet.
Now, young teller, you come with
me- Well go upstairs and have a
look at the dead man."
Howard was at no time an athlete,
and now, contrasted with the burly
policeman, a colossus in strength, he
seemed like puny boy. His cringing,
frightened attitude, as he looked up in
the captains bulldog face, was pathet-
ic The crowd of bystanders could hard
ly contain their eagerness to take in
every detail of the dramatic situation.
The prisoner was sober by this time,
and thoroughly alarmed.
What do you want me for?" he
cried Il haven't done anything. The
mans dead, but 1 didn't kill him.
shut your mouth" growled the
captain.
Dragging Howard after him, he
made his way to the elevator. Throw
ing his prisoner into the cage, he
turned to give orders to his subord-
mate
Maloney, you come with me and
bring Officer Delaney" Addressing the
other men, he said: "You other fellers
look after things down here. Don't
let any of these people come upstairs
Then, turning to the elevator boy, he
gave the command: up with her"
The elevator, with it's passengers.
shot upward. stopped with jerk at
the fourteenth floor. and the captain,
once more laying a brutal hand on
Howard, pushed him out into the cor
ridor.
If it could be said of Capt Clinton
that he had any system at ALL it was
to be as brutal as possible with every
body unlucky enough to fall into his
hands. Instead of regarding his pris-
oners as innocent until found guilty,
as they are justly entitled to be re-
So4NC0 I1C Ac-HS AC lOOh TIC
rectly opposite stand. He considered
all his prisoners as guilty as hell until
they had succeeded in proving them
selves innocent Even then he had
his doubts. When a jury brought in
verdict of acquittal, he shook his
head and growled He had the great
est contempt for jury that would &C
quit and the warmest regard for jury
which convicted. He bullied and NAL
treated his prisoners because he firm
ly believed in undermining their NOR
al and physical resistance. When by
depriving them of sleep and food, by
choking them, clubbing them and
frightening them he had reduced
them to a state OF nervous terror. TO
the border of physical collapse, he
knew by experience that they would
no longer be in condition to withstand
his merciless cross examinations De-
moralized. unstrung, they would blurt
out the truth and so convict them
selves The ends Of justice would thus
be served.
Capt Clinton prided himself on the
thorough manner in which he conduct
ed these examinations of persons I'M
der arrest 1t was laborious ordeal.
but always successful He owed his
present position on the force to the
skill with which he browbeat his pris-
oners into Confessions" With his
third degree" seances he arrived at
results better and more quickly than
in any other way. All his convictions
had been secured by them. The press
and meddling busybo0ies called his
system barbarous, a revival of the old
time torture chamber. What did he
care what the people said as long as
he convicted his man? Wasn't that
what he was paid for? He was there
to find the murderer, and he was go
ing to do It.
He pushed his way into the apart
ment, followed closely by Maloney and
the other policemen, who dragged
along the unhappy Howard The dead
man still lay where he had fallen.