The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-03-01
CHAPTER vIil.-continued.

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. II haven't done anything. The
mans dead, but I 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, 1t was
to be as brutal as possible with every
body unlucky enough to fall into his
hands. Instead of regarding his prfs-
oners as innocent until found guilty.
rs they are justly entitled to be re-
garded under the law, he took the di-
"ectly 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 ac-
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
40 longer be in condition to withstand
his merciless cross-examinations. De-
noralized, unstrung, they would blurt
out the truth and so convict them
selves. The ends of justice would thus
e 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
N any other way. All his convictions
aad been secured by them. The press
and meddling busybodies called his
system barbarous, a revival of the old
lime 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
% find the murderer, and he was GO
ing to do it.
He pushed his way into the apart
nent, 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
" satisfying himself that Underwood
was dead. Then. after casual survey
IF the room. he said to his sergeant:
I'VE won't touch thing. Maloney,
I'LL the coroner arrives. He'll be here
any minute. and he'll give the order