New Britain herald., 1916-08-16
WHAT OTHERS SAY
Views on all sides of timely questions as discussed in ex- changes thal come to tho Herald Office.
Again the Third Degree"
(NeW York Sun


 On March 21, last year, Charles Phelps, farmer of Orleans county, and his housekeeper, Miss Margaret Walcott, were murdered in Phelps home. Charles F. Stielow, a laborer recently engaged by Phelps, living with his brother- flaw near the scene of the crime, %Was arrested on sus picion., : He, Wsss subjected to the so- called third degree" by a private de- tective, and on the strength of an al- legged confession, Which he authenti- cated with his thumb print he being unable to write, Stfelow was con- demned to death Four times his exe- cution was stayed, the last time by Justice Charles l.. Guy of the supreme court Since Justice Guys interVen- tlon, another man. bearing the name off, King, has confessed that he com mitted the crime and added corrobor- atlVe details that appear to bear out his story Whether Kings confession was the result of the application of the third degree" has not yet been re- corded but of StielOW's, admittedly obtained by this method, Justice Guy says
 The more I read that confession (Stielows) the more I am convinced
 
 'They put him through the third de- gree and he did not know what he was talking about"
 The condemned man has asserted that he was so confused by his ques- tiOners, so tormented by their persist enCe, and so wearied by the ordeal he underwent, that he had no conception of the significance of his answers and statements. He was reduced to a con- dition in which he would have assent ed to anything to escape persecution, and his declarations made under these circumstances he repudiGted when he regained his poise.
 This is not the first nor is it the sec ond case in which the utter unrelia- bility of confessions extorted from &C., cused men has been proved. A few years ago a weak and defencelesS Crea- ture in this town was induced or cOm- pelled by the police to assent to an elaborate story of evil doing in which he was posed as a desperadO of eX- traOrdinary skill and resources and by means of which a crime which was puzzling the police was apparently cleared up. When the unfortunate re- covered his normal senses, the fabric built up by the detectives was de- SAAO man not only had not committed the act of which he was accused, but had been in no way concerned in 1t. Such cases are common; only the more sen sational gain public attention.
 That the police and detectives should not examine persons accused of crimes is impracticable and undeslr- able, but such examinations as those known as the third degree,' in which hunger, enforced wakefulness, threats of bodily punishment, falsehoods and the familiar machinery of terrorism are employed will inevitably bring ly- ing "confessions' from all except the most sta1wart When the mental, moral. physical and educational status of the great majority of persons se- lected for this kind of inquisitiOn Is considered the weakness of their ad- missions under pressure is obvious There should he no torture, mental or physical; the rights of the accused should be held in suspicion until their details have been confirmed by unim- Deachable independent evidence.