THIRD DEGREE.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 10860, 2 April 1929, Page 3

THIRD DEGREE.

EXtUrTINU CONFESSION^

BY APPLYING AIENTAI TORTURE.

American Methods

'liifra degree methods received considerable proiliin'ence during the. Baking ttf cVidfinbei at tllii British Police Celliinissioh, It ,wiik einpliUlicUlfy denied that , tile tilird degree whs ever iriOcl against suspects or prisoners in Britain. There has never been a single ease within living memory, it was stated, where, it has been proved that the English police have resorted to such methods.

But in other countries, particularly m Germany and America, the third degree, is one of the greatest weapons In the police .ilrliioury,. Huiidfcids Of desperate criminals fear, it even ihofe' than they wfiuld a policeman at the business, olid of a fevcilver. tt is the One thing that really scares till'lU-. J-’ILAi TitiCK. The third degree is a method of extracting information from suspects either by violence and threats or by constant questioning until the victim’s will power breaks down and lie confesses. Its great weakness is that Under its strain men have been known to confess to crimes of which they were perfectly innocent. Sometimes tlurd degree will take a subtle form. Not long ago a man suspected of murder was invited to a private dinner party at a friend’s house. After dinner a _ cinematograph display was given in the librarv. The first film was a comedv with a well-known “movie" actress in the leading role. The host then announced that a real life drama was going to be screened. The picture began to flicker on t!i©_ screen. Tin scene showed a yacht lying off Rhode Island. v\ ith a shock people present began to realise that they were watchinp the events loading up to a notorious murder which had been widely reported in the newspapers anu in connection with which the murderer was still at large. SHRIEK IN DARKNESS. They saw characters on the screen made up to represent people who figured in the real life drama. 'J.bey saw the murdered ma.n and the man who bad dined with them that evening. As they watched, laseirmted, they saw the grim drama march to its Climax. Their fellow guest was shown murdering bi.s companion on Hi:i yacht. Suddenly a shriek broke the tension. The lights were switched on. and the suspected man was found huddled in a corner with his hands m front of his face. “Stop the fl'ni! Stop it!" he sereamed. “I’ll eonless."

Later the police officers, -some of whom had been guests at the dinner, obtained a full confession of the crime. The dinner party and the cinema display had a.ll been arranged by the authority's in the hope of tricking the suspect into betraying himself.

Another ingenious var ation of third degree methods was recently employed m Germany to force a. confession from a -.suspect. \ cry cleverly the man had covered up all his tracks. He had left no linger prints, had carefully destroyed the weapon with wh’eh the crime had been committed. and had established an alibi which the police could not shake.