The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-09

The shabby lad was taken to the loft
and walked up to the spot where the
corpse lay. lie did not see it until, by
a sudden jerk, the chief of the inquisi.
tion pulled off covering and revealed
the dead girl in her white shroud, the
red wound gaping in her neck. At the
same time words suggesting that the
boy had committed the crime were
shouted at him and he fell to his knees.
placing his hands over his face, Next
he was dragged to his feet and com.
maDded to place his hand on the fore
head of the corpse, which he did.
trembling from his anguish. He col
lapsed the second time, only to be
roughly dragged to his feet again, and
while forced to stroke the hair and
checks of the corpse was bombarded
by suggestion after suggestion that he
was the murderer. And now, complete
ly hypnotized, he not only affirmed all
that his inquisitors suggested, but in his
dazed state of mind added details to
his untrue confession.
Hanged, Though Innocent.
How many innocents have been con-
the testimony of such false confessions
cannot be estimated. DR., Hugh Nun
sterberg, professor Of psychology at
Harvard, who has been studying the
| phenomena of late, believes that Rich
| ard WINS, the youth hanged not long
ago for the famous Hollister murder
in Chicago, was hypnotized during the
| third degree ordeal into making just
such a false confession as that wrung
from Henry Becker Mrs. Hollster, it
may be remembered, failed to return
to her home after attending church, and
next morning her body was found in a
neigh boring alley with a piece of wire
tightly fastened about her throat, The
police had little evidence against young
| WINS until he was subjected to the pro
longed tortures Of the third degree. The
sudden flashing in his face of highly
polished revolver is believed by Profes-
sor Munsterberg to have thrown him
into state of hypnosis. during which
he confirmed ali of the suggestions
which his inquisjtor roared at him.
Later the nervewrecked youth pro-
| tested his innocence, but his "confes.
sion - was accepted by the jury and
he had to pay the grim penalty Of the
| law.
The plot of stirring drama was
built upon Professor Munsterberg
study Of this case. This was Klein IS
"Third Degree,' whose most thrilling
! scene rehearsed the hyppotizing of
Young Wins by the revolver flashed
in his face. The psychologist accused
the playwright of embodying paragraph
after paragraph of his monograph into
the dialogue of the drama, But in the
play the third degree victim was ac-
| quilted Of the crime.
Strange Mental Phenomena.
A strange phenomenon which psy,
/ biologists term auto accusation has a
bearing on such cases That those sub
iect TO it confess to crimes merely read
of or heard described at trials shows
what pliable mental material the third
degree artist often has in his grasp
before commencing to mold il by his
suggestions with which he unwittingly
shapes thoughts and coujures up hallu
ciuations with the dexterity of the hyp.
notst. In other words, If the human
mind is frail enough to receive such
impressions of the self-guilt without
the connivancc of the police, think how
easy it is for the inquisitor to help the
process along.
A case OF this kind cropped up some
time ago in Philadelphia at the time
that city was wrought up over the
Lewis murder mystery, which to TINS
day has never been solved. Mrs, Lewis,
the young and pretty wife of travel
ing salesman, was found murdered in
Il hall closet Of her house while her hus-
band was on a business trip IN western
PENNSYLVANIA. The house had been
opened while she was at WORK INSIDE
and the sobs of her baby attracted
neighbors TO the scene, probably some
hours after the crime had been com,
mittcd. While the police were scour'
ing the city for possible elews, John
G., Price, young man, came forward
with an elaborate confession of all of
! the details Of the murder, but subse.
4 quent investigation showed that he had
had no hand in the matter.
1t is said that when one reads he
n mentally substitutes his ego for that
of the personages depicted by the mar
N rator. Price IS mind extended this pro
cess beyond normal limits and he saw
4 himself enacting the crime according
n To the methods which the detectives de
scribed as having been employed by
N the unknown murderer.
Two Cases This Year.
" A more recent easo WAS that of tho
\ Young man who lately came forward
with full confession Of how he mur