Evening star., 1932-10-21
Attempt to Show Six Used
Third-Degree Methods
on Prisoners.
CONFESSIONS INTRODUCED
WILL BE HELD C0ERCED
One of Defendants Declared Drunk
at Time officer Milo ].
Kennedy Was Killed.

Supreme Court today that they beat
the three colored men being tried for
first degree murder of Park Policeman
Milo ]. Kennedy, in order to elicit in
eliminating statements from them.
The three defendants. joseph James
jackson, Irwin Murray and Ralph
Holmes, yesterday charged that they
were severely beaten in order to make
them sign statements which contained
assertions which they did not make.
officers who took the stand this
morning were Detective Sergts. John Z,
Dalglish and Thomas Sweeney and
Lieut.. Clement Cox, all Of the Metro
poiitan Police Force. and Lieut.. Henry
Helms and PvtS. Oren Spears and j. b.
Ede kamp of the Park Police Force.
All six men testified they participated
in the questioning OF the three oe-
PENDANTS along with other officers. but
said no force or threats were used.
Confessions introduced.
During the course of the trial, which
started Tuesday, the prosecution intro
duced signed confessions by Murray
and Holmes, in which they stated they
took part in the gang attack on Ken
nedy on the night of August 6 in Logan
Circle where he was beaten to death.
The statement by Jackson. while deny
ing actual participation in the attack.
admitted knowledge of plot to get
the officer.
After hearing the rebuttal evidence
offered by the policemen, the jury was
excused by Chief Justice Alfred a.
Wheat until Monday morning while he
considers prayers for instructions to the
jury submitted by the prosecution and
the defense.
In his argument before the judge on
requested instructions, Defense Attorney
John H. Wilson indicated defense Of the
three men would be made on the
grounds that the statements were
co2rcod. He also said he would attempt
to chow that Officer Kennedy, who was
arrestirg jackson when the assault oc-
cUr-el had no right to make the ar
rest and that Jackson used no more
fCrce n resisting the officer than he
vas allowed to Go under the law.
Declared Drunk.
Wilson also said he would attempt to
show that Murray was so drunk when
the attack was made that he should
not be convicted of first-degree murder
and that the charge against him should
be changed to a lesser degree Of honl-
ciCe, and that Holmes had nothing to
co with the attack, but was mistaken
for another colored man who beat Ken
nedy about the head and face with the
officers nightstick.
Associated with Wilson in the de-
fense are Bernard AIDES. Samuel Levlng
and j. F. Derricotte. The case is be-
ing prosecuted by Assistant United
States Attorney William H. Collins.
The three other colored youths who
went on trial with the three being held
were freed yesterday when Justice
Wheat directed a verdict of not guilty
in their cases on the ground that no
adequate proof had been presented TO
connect them with either the attack or
the alleged plot to beat the officer.
Allegations Bring Surprise.
The allegations of police brutality IN
eliciting the statements came with
startling suddenness in a crowded court
room yesterday afternoon a few minutes
after the defense began to present its
testimony.
Attorney Wilson asked Jackson if his
statement was true and the colored
youth replied that most of it was not,
but that he was forced to sign 1t under
a severe beating in a rear room on the
second floor of the second precinct. He
said six policemen, whom he could not
identify. beat him about the face and
body with their fists and kicked him.
This beating he said. followed pre-
vious statement he had made, which
was changed in the second signed
statement.
Evident by this time that the defense
attorneys intended to rest their whole
case on the allegations that the signed
admissions of the three colored youths
were gotten by force. Holmes was put
on the stand and told still more har-
rowing story of police brutality than had
Jackson. He said four policemen beat
him in the second-f1oor room at the Sec
ond precinct until Il was tired of being
beaten and just couldn't stand no more. y
identifies Policemen.
Holmes. pointing at Detective Sergt
Dalglish testified that officer knocked
him down during the alleged inquisi-
ton. He could not identify any other
of the men he said beat him. but said
Detective Sergts. Floyd Truscott and
Sweeney also were present during the
questioning
Murray then told of being beaten by
three park policemen at the park police
headquarters. He pointed to Policemen
Spears and Edelkamp as two of
the men who beat him to elicit
a confession. On cross-eXamination by
Collins, he testified he was drunk on the
night Kennedy was murdered and did
not remember throwing the half brick
with which the officer was struck On
tha back of the head
Immediately after the testimony of
the trio, the defense rested.