Part 37 (1/2)
”It wasn't burglary,” corrected the captain sullenly.
Judge Brewster again consulted the papers in his hand.
”You're quite right, captain--my mistake--it was homicide, but--it was an untrue confession.”
”Yes.”
”It was the same thing in the Callahan case,” went on the judge, picking up another doc.u.ment. ”In the case of the People against Tuthill--and--Cosgrove--Tuthill confessed and died in prison, and Cosgrove afterward acknowledged that he and not Tuthill was the guilty man.”
”Well,” growled the captain, ”mistakes sometimes happen.”
Judge Brewster stopped and laid down his eyegla.s.ses.
”Ah, that is precisely the point of view we take in this matter! Now, captain, in the present case, on the night of the confession did you show young Mr. Jeffries the pistol with which he was supposed to have shot Robert Underwood?”
Captain Clinton screwed up his eyes as if thinking hard. Then, turning to his sergeant, he said:
”Yes. I think I did. Didn't I, Maloney?”
”Your word is sufficient,” said the judge quickly. ”Did you hold it up?”
”Think I did.”
”Do you know if there was a light s.h.i.+ning on it?” asked the judge quickly.
At this point, Dr. Bernstein, who had been an attentive listener, bent eagerly forward. Much depended on Captain Clinton's answer--perhaps a man's life.
”Don't know--might have been,” replied the chief carelessly.
Judge Brewster turned to Dr. Bernstein.
”Were there electric lights on the wall?”
”Yes.”
”What difference does that make?” demanded the policeman.
”Quite a little,” replied the judge quietly. ”The barrel of the revolver was bright--s.h.i.+ning steel. From the moment that Howard Jeffries' eyes rested on the s.h.i.+ning steel barrel of that revolver he was no longer a conscious personality. As he himself said to his wife, 'They said I did it--and I knew I didn't, but after I looked at that s.h.i.+ning pistol I don't know what I said or did--everything became a blur and a blank.'
Now, I may tell you, captain, that this condition fits in every detail the clinical experiences of nerve specialists and the medical experiences of the psychologists. After five hours' constant cross-questioning while in a semi-dazed condition, you impressed on him your own ideas--you suggested to him what he should say--you extracted from him not the thoughts that were in his own consciousness, but those that were in yours. Is that the scientific fact, doctor?”
”Yes,” replied Dr. Bernstein, ”the optical captivation of Howard Jeffries' attention makes the whole case complete and clear to the physician.”
Captain Clinton laughed loudly.
”Optical captivation is good!” Turning to his sergeant he asked, ”What do you think of it, Maloney?”
Sergeant Maloney chuckled.
”It's a new one, eh?”