In the early 1900s, The Third Degree came to be known as the method used by the police to extract a confession from a suspect. Whether or not the person sitting in the hot seat was guilty or innocent, if given The Third Degree, it was nearly always guaranteed that the suspect would admit to whatever crime was placed on him.
Often likened to undergoing the Inquisition, many among the police were against the tactics and spoke out against torturing presumed suspects. It was only a small handful of policemen and detectives who used questionable methods for getting confessions, but that was all it took to bring “The Third Degree” into full view of the public’s eye.
Ghosts in the Haunted Jail
When Norman Bruce McLeary was brought to trial in 1913 for the murder of his girlfriend’s mother, he had quite a tale to tell about the third degree treatment he had received. According to his account, the police arrested him and charged him with the murder. They then placed him in a haunted jail and, throughout the night, the police, dressed as ghosts, proceeded to terrify the suspect for the entire night.
As if that were not enough, they had also released a dozen lizards into his cell to crawl over the suspect when he finally did fall asleep.
After the full night of scares, the suspect was interrogated and admitted to having strangled the girl’s mother. [1]
An Endless Stream of Funeral Hymns
In Danville, Kentucky, suspects brought before the police magistrate in 1913 were treated to musical torture. According to the report, if the suspect proved rather stubborn, a piano player was on hand to play funeral marches and hymns for the suspect until his composure would break and he would agree to play along with the magistrate’s conditions. [2]
No Food or Sleep Allowed
When the body of a woman was found stuffed in a trunk inside an apartment overtop a Chinese restaurant, the detective on the case was sure that one of the restaurant workers had knowledge of the crime. He had the suspect arrested and was heard saying, “Turn the strong light on him! Souse him with the cold water hose! Starve him a couple of days! Deal him a blow from an unseen hand. Give him no water to drink for a day. Give him the third degree in its most strenuous form, and maybe he will tell a story!”
The suspect was deprived of food and sleep over the next 36 hours. During that time, he came up with three different stories about what happened in the apartment above the restaurant and none of the confessions proved fruitful to the case. [3]
Touch a Dead Body
A young girl, picking dandelions on the outskirts of New York City, was attacked and stabbed in the throat back in 1910. The police searched everywhere to find the brutal murderer, but the only person they could find was a young man who had been seen loitering around the area at the time of the attack.
The young man quickly came under suspicion and was arrested. While we all would certainly hope that every suspect be checked out in such evil cases, the method they used to force a confession out of the youth was far less than professional.
After the young man denied any knowledge of the murder, the detectives had the girl’s corpse brought in. The detectives then forced the suspect to view the deceased. He collapsed, was forced back onto his feet, and made to touch the girl’s forehead. The young man collapsed a second time, was forced to his feet again, and then made to touch the dead girl’s hair.
He was bombarded with questions and, shortly afterwards, while still in a state of shock, he confessed to everything the detectives threw at him. [4]
Water Torture
One form of The Third Degree described in 1931 resembles the torture used on enemy combatants:
“The prisoner lay upon the floor, face up, unable to move. His hands, tied behind him… Another man stepped forward with a bucket of water and a dipper… He scooped up a dipper of water from the bucket and began pouring the contents slowly onto the terrified face beneath him. The water, aimed at the nostrils, nearly strangled the helpless victim.”
After each pour, the man was questioned. If he didn’t answer the way the police wanted him to answer, more water was poured onto him.
This incident occurred in Holly Ridge, Mississippi. The suspect was an 18-year-old African American. [5]
