The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1911-04-06
CHAPTER VlII.-Continued.

CHAPTER VlII.-Continued.
Howard was at no time an athlete,
and now, contrasted with the burly
policeman, colossus in strength, ne
seemed like a puny boy. His cringing,
frightened attitude, as he looked up In
the captains bulldog face, was pathet-
&c. 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 81 haven't done anything. The
mans dead, but 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
1OOh C1tO1 t11IllSO uOWh 1AOA " AOAA
let any of these people come upstairs"
Then, turning to the elevator boy, he
gave the command: Cup with her.
The elevator, with its 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
Iridor.
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-
garded under the law, he took the di-
rectly opposite stand. He considered
all his prisoners as guilty as he'll until
they had succeeded in proving them
selves innocent. Even thea he had
his doubts. When jury brought in
"a verdict of acquittal, he shook his
head and growled. He had the great
est contempt for jury that would ac-
quit and the warmest regard for a jury
which convicted. He bullied and NAL
treated his prisoners because he firm
iy 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 un-
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 busybodies called his
system barbarOus, 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.
Capt Clinton stopped down, but made
no attempt to touch the corpse, mere
ly satisfying himself that Underwood |
was dead. Then, after casual survey |
of the room, he said to his sergeant:
eve won't touch thing, Maloney, |
till the coroner arrives. He'll be here |
any minute, and he'll give the order |
for the undertaken. You can call up |
headquarters so the newspaper boys |
get the story"
While the sergeant went to the tele- |
IDhone to carry out these orders, Capt |
Clinton turned to look at Howard, who /
had collapsed, white and trembling, in !
to a chair.
what do you want with me?" cried
Howard appealingly. Il assure you |
had nothing to do with this. My wife's
expecting me home. Can't go?"
Shut up!'' Numbered the captain.
His arms folded, his eyes sterniy
fixed upon him, Capt Clinton stood
confronting the unfortunate youth. /