Evening star., 1932-07-29

C'ath of a prisoner from brutal
1-ent received when he was sub
j TO the third degree at the hands
,le polio, of Mineola, n. Y, arouses
,,c indignation of the country FUtilitv
il this method of extorting confession
Is asserted, and it is contended that
there must be great reform in the
treatment of prisoners.
These methods are a Eross violation
of fundamental human rights guaran-
teed by the Constitution" says the
New York Herald Tribune, while main
tanning that they discredit all police
testimony" and they can be ended
speedily by any community that will
rise in Its wrath and insist that the
law be obeyed" The Milwaukee Sen
tinel holds that "callous brutality
causing great physical suffering or
even death, can find no justification
in the mind of any right-minded citi-
zen" The Sentinel also advises: 1T
is not the province of the police to in
fiict penalty or to adiudge a man
guilty or innocent. Under the princi-
pies of law which exist for the prCtec-
ton of every citizen he is presumed to
be innocent until proved guilty. The
police have no right to eXtort con-
fesSion from him by means of inhuman
treatment"
Crime never appears so black as
when it is committed in the name of
the law" declares the Asbury Park
Evening Press, with the conclusion
that the circumstances "indict the au-
thorities for murder" The Press adds:
This case is one of the most flsgrant
abuses of police authority reported in
years. Apparently the prisoner was
beaten to death, not only in an effort
to obtain evidence, but to administer
vengeance for the brutal crime with
which he was charged. The story un-
folded is miserable blot on the record
of the police force. Third-degree bru-
tality is nothing but lawlessness." The
Birmingham Age-Herald states: Let
public sentiment in any community
cry out against the vicious thing, and
it is bound to go" That paper also
remarks that 'one has only to remem-
Der extralegal compulsion from the po-
lice can be applied to innocent as well
as to guilty persons to be aware OF the
real evil in the situation"
"The torture system" in the opinion
of the Duluth Herald, 'is a crude in
Vasion of rights, a barking back by
Savages to barbarism." The Herald ad-
vises that the country must put an end
to 1t. The Danbury Evening News calls
it "un-American and brutal as well as
unintelligent," pointing to that precept
Cf American jurisprudence which says
that no person can be compelled to give
evidence against himself" The Balti-
more Sun raises the question of
whether the police exist to carry out
public policy for the protection of the
community or whether they are able TO
carry out their private revengeS and
crafty their lust for torture, in com
plete defiance CT their superiors and the
sentiment of decent people" The
Charleston (W. Va Daily Mail asserts
that "cruel and inhumane treatment of
accused or convicted persons at the
hands of authorities in whose keeping
they are is hangover from barbarous
age, and should have no place in mod
ern civilization" The Davenport DEM
ocrat agrees that ut is indefensible
that policemen anywhere should go be-
yond the law, violate rights, act as
Judges or inflict punishment and tor
ture." The Houston Chronicle offers
the Judgment: Whatever else America
may do to combat criminality, she can
not hope for a satisfactory situation
until she stamps out this criminality
known to exist at the heart of her law
enforcing system
X X y
Deploring the return of "the cruel
brutality of the third degree to the
front pages" the Rochester Times
Union makes the comment: The fact
that the suspect stood accused of beat
ing an elderly woman until she was
is no excuse for an at
tempt to eZtc-t 3 confession by tor
tWe. The fact that 10 woman was