The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-01-27

big man In plain clothes. with
square. determined jaw and a bulldog
face. they whispered one to another:
That's Capt. Clinton, chief of the
precinct. He's terror. It'll go hard
with any prisoner he gets in his
clutches!"
Followed by his uniformed myr-
midons, the police official pushed his
way to the corner where sal Howard,
dazed and trembling, and still guard
ed by the valet and elevator boys.
whats the matter here?" demand
cd the captain grufIly. and looking
from Ferris to the whte-faced How
ard. The valet eagerly told his story:
II came home at midn ght, sir, and
found my master. Mr.. Robert Under
wood. lying dead in the apartment,
shot through the head" Pointing to
Howard, he added: This man was
In the apartment trying to get away.
You see his hand Is still covered with
blood"
Capt. Clinton chuckled. and expand
ing his mighty chest to its fullest,
licked his chops with satisfaction.
This was the opportunity he had been
looking fora sensational murder in
big apartment hotel, right in the
very heart of his precinct! Nothing
could be more to his liking 1t was a
rich mans murder, the best kind
to attract attention to himself. The
sensational newspapers would be full
of the case. They would print col
umns Of stuff every day. together with
his portrait. That was just the kind
OF publicity he needed now that he
was wirepulling for an inspectorship.
: They had caught the man with the
goods"-that was vc:y clear. He
rron':scd himself TO attend to he
st, Conviction was what he was
after. He'd see .hat "a t~ic,,y lawyer
got the bsst Of him Coccsaling as
; we'll as he could, his satisfaction, he
drew himself up ard, with clustering
show of authority, Immediately toon
command OF the situation. Turning
to a Police sergeant at his side, he
said:
"Maloney, this fellow may have had
an accompiice. Take four officers and
watch every exit from the hotel AR.
rest anybody attempting to leave the
building. Put two officers to watch
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 feller. 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 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 O0ice- 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 a Jerk at
the fourteenth floor. and the captain,
once more laying a brutal hand on
Howard. pushed him out into the cor
ridor.
III II could be said Of Capt. Clinton
that he had any system at all, II was
to be as brutal as possible with every.
tody unlucky enough to fall into his
hands. Instead of regarding his pris.
cners 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 hell until
they had succeeded in proving them
selves innocent. Even then he had
his doubts. When jury brought in
verdict of acQuittal. he shook his
mead 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