Evening Star Newspaper, December 15, 1929, Page 114

14 — THE SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON, D. C. DECEMBER 15, 1929. —— - TALKIES Go to the Rogues Gallery Novel Experiments by Philadelphia Police Likely to Become Permanent Addition to System of Crime Identification and Conviction— “Third Degree” Strong-Arm Methods to Do a “‘Fadeout.” . BY HARRY GOLDBERG. HEN Sherlock Holmes began the scientific tracking of criminals through the pages of fiction, de- tectives had to depend upon sheer brainwork for adding up odd bits of evidence and finding the solution of a crime. Study of footprints, fingerprints, chemistry and dentisiry were brought in to aid the cleverest manhunters to identify and con- vict thieves and murderers. Every good police force developed its “Camera- Eye Dick,” a man with remarkable memory for faces and features, and, despite the unceasing use of science, successful detective work con- tinued to depend upon the rogues’ gallery which the crime investigator carried around in his own head. Not long ago there gathered in the reception room of the mayor of Philadelphia a distin- guished audience of psychologists, criminclo- gists, welfare workers and detectives from other cities. The room was jammed with geople who had come to see the first run of a talking mo- tion picture. - Director of Public Safety Lemuel B. Schofield gave the word to the operator and the screen not only showed the scene and dia- logue of a morning “stand-up” of criminals and suspects at police headquarters, but also the audience saw and heard a suspected thief and a suspected murderer confess to their crimes and describe how they were carried out. A “THIS use of the movietone is a revolution- ary step forward in the identification and the conviction of criminals,” declared Director Schofield. “It is the most important develop- ment in police technique since the adoption of the fingerprint system. It will modify police methods, increase the efficiency of the average detective and make it more diff.cult for sus- pected men to escape recognition by the police. “A movietone rogues’ gallery must become an important part of the equipment of every first- elass police department, while the use of the talking picture in court, both by prosecution and defense, will, I venture to predict, create a subtle change in the processes of justice as well as in the conviction of criminals.” The inspiration for the use of talking pictures in police work came to Director Schofield while preparing evidence in a murder case. A Negro had held up a s‘orekeeper and killed him. He accompanied detectives to the sceme of the crime and a series of photographs were taken in which the man re-enacted his part in the crime. He demonstrated how he had ap- proached the store and how he had used his gun. When Director Schofield spread the prints out on his desk showing the sequence of the murder, the idea of using a motion-picture camera occurred to him. And if a motion pic- ture why not a talking picture. The police had just arrested a milk driver accused of robbing houses and a boy after the shooting of his sweetheart. Inspector of De- *tectives William J. Connelly, who belongs to.the school of detectives opposed to the “third de- gree,” believing that more flies are caught with molasses than with vinegar, had persuaded both of the young men to make confessions and they consented to have a camera record the visual and vocal aspects of the scene. Inspector Connelly sat at a desk with a stenog- rapher beside him, while William A. Peters sat opposite. The scene was clear and vivid. As the film flickered on the boy told the story of the tragedy, while the crowd leaned forward eagerly not to miss a word. Leona, his sweetheart, was in the store, said Peters. Q. The girl you shot? A. Went back into the bakeshop. Her father was there and I be- lieve her mother was in the store. I told the father I wanted to do the right thing. * * * The father said we would have to cut it out compietely, no letters. I talked to Leona and we walked into the hallway. I said, “Leona, want to quit me?” And she said, “No, Bo, but you have to act that way on account of pop being here.” * * * Went inside again and she was going upstairs. I called her back and I said, “Lee.” And she said, “I have to go up- stairs.” 1 said, “Listen, Lee, we will make a clean slate of the thing.” Then we went up- stairs to the parlor and started to talk. The father said something to me, and she said, “All right, we will settle this in court.” She sald something else and I lost my head. Q. Tell us what she said. A. I can’f re- member. & Q. Welil, 1ts all right if you can’t remember, What happened then? A. Anyhow, I got out the gun rad I shot her. I wanted to shoot myself, but somebody grabbed me and the next thing I knew I was on the floor. A couple grabbed me, and after that there was three on me. The mother came in and she said, “You shot my daughter.” I said, “No, mom, no.” Then I said, “Get somebody, get a doctor, I am not going ‘o beat it.” After that the police came and took me away. Q. They brought you to the police station and then here to City Hall, where we had a pleasant little chat, when I told you the police had nothing to do with getting you into this A trouble, and, of course, could do nothing toward getting you out of it? A. Yes, sir. Q. You bought the gun purposely with the intention of going to see this girl to commit this murder. A. Not to shoot her; wanted to do away with myself first. Q. But did away with her first, and, after you shot her, changed your mind about shoot- ing yourself? A. No, didn't change my mind] Somebody grabbed me. Q. Now, everything you have told me is the truth? A. Yes. Q. And you won't say later you were forced? A. No, sir. Q. And you won’t make up some other story taat will not correspond with this? A. No, Sir. Every onc hearing and seeing the confession held ‘his breath sharply at the point Inspector Connelly had tried to make Peters admit pre- meditation. But the boy avoided it with no sug- gestion of guile or adroitness. It was certain th.at if this film was introduced in court as evidence of coufession the slumped, wistful figure telling of the dire end of his romance would evoke mitigating sympathy. It reflected a picture of the circumstances of the killing and the manner of the confession which could never be communicated by a cold, typewritten record of the same scene. “FROM the standpcint of the police,” said Director Schofield, “the use of talking film to record confessions makes it difficult for the defendant to recant and declare that his sig- nature and his story were obtained through brutality and pressure. “The Peters film shows that he carefully looked over every page before he signed his name at the bottcm and that he was treated with consideration and courtesy by the inspector The presence of the stenographer is self-evident and is more convincing than sworn testimony to the same fact. “Confessions have often been made by crim- inals because of clever police work in appealing to their human side and then, under the guid- Philadelphia’s first talkie police confession, during which the prisoner, seated- at right, admitted having committed 21 house robberies. create a system which would compel the police to account for every fcot of film. . “Of course, that would require legislation. I would not be opposed to it nor to any other regulation for the safeguarding of the men who are questicned. “There may be some difficulty in some States in having talking film admitted as evidence and made part of the record, but I believe that any legal objections can, in time, be overcome and that the talking picture will take its place with other scientific devices as part of the legally ad- missible record. “Courts recognize fingerprints. They recog- nize photostatic copies of dccuments. They have permitted the introduction of signatures on checks transmitted by the telephoto process across the Atlantic and they must admit the inescapable veracity of the talking picture. De- fendanis can be protected against the manipu- lation of the film so that the police cannct eliminate what they consider undesirable por- tions. “As a matter of fact, it is a perverted per- The “third degree” may be eliminated to a great extent if talking pictures are universally used to record a suspect’s confession. ance of an attorney, the man on trial has repu- diated his confession and declared that his signature was obtained only through the use of the ‘third degree.’ As a matter of fact, there Is no ‘third degree’ in Philadelphia. “Of course, there is nothing to prevent the ‘third degree’ being used in advance of a movie- tone confessicn, but, since the hatred of the police and cringing and fear would show in the man’s face and actions and be reflected in his voice, it is my prediction that the use of this method of recording confessions will tend to eliminate the use of the ‘third degree,” even in those police departments where it is still em- ployed “Inspector Connelly has a remarkable record of obtaining confessions without resorting to any inhuman or unlawful method of interroga- tion. He makes a man feel he is talking to a human being who sympathizes with his mis- fortune, and the result cf such human treat- ment is that the man is invariably willing to tell his story. “The suggestion has been made to me that a film which revealed the pelice in an unpleas- ant light could be destroyed and that it was essential In order to protect the accused to spective of police work which would lead any department to order eliminations in order to make a man’'s story wcrse. The business of the police is to uncover the facts. Whether they are good or bad, all the evidence should be pre- sented. The attorneys for the State and the defense will give the facts all the interpretation they require. - “You saw the sequence showing a stand-up of criminals at police headquarters. That scene is enacted every day in all the bigger police departments throughout America. The detec- tive fcrce is given an opportunity to see and hear every man under arrest for the more seri- ous crimes, and the detectives are expected to impress these faces and features upon their memory. “The talking movie makes a visual and vocal record of every aspect of such prisoners as are deemed important. The films of individuals may be filed and indexed, and when there is a manhunt under way the detectives can be mobi- lized before the screen and films of suspects run over far their benefit. “The seveen will show the criminal in action, talking, gesturing, mewing. The swing of his body, the peculiarity or i¥3 gait and any body decorations or marks may also be shown. Re= freshing the memory of detectives in this way should give them a better clue to the people for whom they are searching and lead to quicker identification of the criminal. “I foresee another very important aspect of this development in the filming of trials when either the prosecution or defense feels that an appeal to a higher court may be necessary. “A judgé may say to a jury, ‘Gentlemen, you have heard the evidence of both sides. Do you -~ believe the story of the defendant or do you believe the stories told by the witnesses for the State?’ . *On the face of the record the cold type sho no prejudice whatever, but a movietcne record of the judge’s words would record the eniphasis and tone of his voice and bring out any attempt to influence the jury against or in favor of one side or the other. . [ MOVIETONE rogues’ gallery may be used by the cc-operating police departments throughout the Nation to exchange prints of the movietone portraits of notorious or escaped criminals in addition to the snapshots now in use, so that the visual and vccal photographs of dangers1s men will be available to manhunters all over the United States. “The talking movie will not displace present statistical and photographic work of police de= partments, but it will be an invaluable accessory. Fingerprints will still be used for comparison and identification, and the combined accuracy of fingerprints and talking film will create a net frcm which the criminal will find it increasingly difficult to escape. “The men in all divisions of the department here are enthusiastic about this development. They want a real chance to try out the talking movie, both for purposes of identification and conviction. “Many of those who witnessed the screening of the two confessions have told me that in both cases—that of Peters, who killed his sweetheart, and the milkman who said he stole to help his poor family and paralytic child—the telling of the story in this way is certain to cause syme pathy for the defendant if shown in court. “I think there are many ways in which the use of talking movies will be useful to the weak and unfortunate men we are forced to arrest. But, as a police department, we are interested solely in the facts and the man on trial is en- titled to a presentation of all the facts. “The public is greatly interested in more efficient police work against crime, and I urge the inauguration of the movietone everywhere as a scientific development which will aid in the detection and conviction of criminals.” (Copyright, 1929.) Estimating Apple Crops. IT seems that if you really know your stuff it is possible to “count your chickens be- fore they hatch,” at least so far as the apple industry goes. The foreign markets seem to like smaller sized apples than the home trade and contracts for delivery specify that the apples must be no larger than a standard maximum. Experts in the Hood River section of Oregon, from which a large percentage of the apples shipped abroad come, are now able to tell in August just about how many bushels of apples will mature in the desired sizes and how many will be large. This information is vital, because the cone tracts are made on this estimate, and any mis- takes that might require the shipper to go out into the market to make good a shortage in his own crop might prove financially disas- trous. A study has been made of the crop produc- tion in this section, a section which receives its moisture through irrigation and which is therefore constant. Only the question of teme perature remains to be considered and the exe perts, by keeping a check during the scason, are in a position to make a fairly accurate guess at the outcome of the crop.