Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-04-05
atli5eellaneous 8eadins.
THIRD DEGREE" A MYSTERY.
Attempts to Investigate It Meet With
But Little Success.


the mysterious process by which the
police are supposed to wiring the truth
from criminals, or at least, come as
near it as possible without submitting
the suspects to the tender mercies Of
the rack and thumb screw.
According to the popular notion the
police do not hesitate to maltreat,
browbeat and otherwise mentally and
physically torture the victim until he
yields the desired information. Ac-
cording to the police themselves such
talk is mere twaddle-they would as
soon cut off their right hands as even
raise a finger against a prisoner Some
where between these extreme views Is
the real truth.
The rule of law and the instruction
in all police manuals in English speak
ing countries, is that when a person
under arrest displays symptoms Of
talking about his case in way that
may be used against him at this trial,
the officer shall warn him that any
thing he says will be repeated by the
officer in the court. Were this rule
strictly complied with the number Of
confessions would be vastly decreased,
and V. 18th them the number Of convic-
tions AS a matter of fact, all police
officials assume a wide latitude in get
ting a confession, for the altruistic
Of N a
on all occasions clashes with the nee
essity for seeing that the guilty are
punished for the benefit of the COM
munity 1t is the varying degree in
which the police apply the third de-
gree" that has given that institution
such an elusive character.
Little Chance For Accused.
When the third degree is applied 1t
is almost invariably done in the pres
ence of none but police officials or 9TH
.ers intensely interested in obtaining a
conviction. If the prisoner signs a con-
fession, then repudiates it in open court
on the ground that he was bullied into
making it, he finds the policemen lined
up solidly against him, ready to swear
that the confession was voluntary-and
he has no witness to disprove their
statements. If me shows bruises and
cOntusiOnS, they are offset by the tes-
timony that he was unruly while i'm
prsoned and was injured in being sub
dued.
An interesting case illustrative of the
alleged third degree methods, and sub
sequent reputation. was that Of Henry
Mas. He was New York crook, who
was convicted some years ago of hav
ing been an accomplice in n Baltimore
robbery. Several prominent New YORK
detectives appeared against Mas when
he was put on trial. They offered
what purported to be voluntary con-
fession from him admitting his guilt
and describing the crime. Mas en-
ployed eminent counsel and entered a
vigorous defense. He said that when
ne denied his guilt the man in charge
of the investigation grabbed him by
the throat, and threatened to choke and
kick him to death. When he protested,
he was given more of the vigorous
treatment, until in fear of his life, he
concocted the story in order to escape
his tormenters. In rebuttal, the four de-
tectives-one of them "a stenOsrapher,
who took down the confession-told a
straightforward story of Mas making
his admissions without serious objec-
ton. The jury believed the detectives
and Mas got ten years.
Police Don't Talk.
That the police Of large cities have
used such methods as those charged
by Mas is hardly denied, but no pc-
liceman will admit that they are in
use now. Talk it out of them the
best way you can," was the terse de-
scription of the third degree by de-
tective of twenty years experience in
Washington, d. c. This is the modern
theory, and physical maltreatment is
supposed to be rapidly disappearing,
but there are other schemes for per-
suading a suspect to confess. For ex-
ample:
Several years ago a well-to-do resi-
dent in a large city was followed into
his home by negro thug and stabbed
to death in the hall on the lower floor.
The mans two daughters were on the
upper floor and heard a disturbance.
One Of them called down the steps:
Who's there" It's all right" gruff
voice responded, and quiet followed.
Presently the daughters descended
and found their father murdered. In
two or three days the police got a
slight clew against the negro and ar
rested him, but he made such violent
dcnialS that he seemed destined to go
free. Finally it was decided to play his
was taken to the house of death, halt
ed at the foot Of the steps, where the
murderer had stood, and the daughter
called down as she did on the fatal
night The negro was ordered to re-
ply: ITS all right" He did SO, the girl
recognized the voice, gave a scream Of
agoniZed horror and tainted, while the
prisoner nearly collapsed. Seeing his
advantage, the detective remarked:
Come on down to the morgue now,
we want you to look ut the corpse"
Don't boss. don't make me look at
the body. I'll tell everything" replied
the prisoner i'm q frenzy of SuperSti-
tious fear He made clean breast Of
it, and was hung.
The French Method.
This is what might be called the
scientific third degree" which has
been reduced to its ultimate conclusion
in France. There it is customary,
when enough clews nave been left to
give the police Il fairly accurate idea
of how Il murder was committed, to
reconstruct the crime" for the bene-
fit of an arrested person thought to
be- the guilty one. He is taken to the
scene. where police officials who have