The Third Degree

What's

ith a jump and rubbed his eyes. On the other side of the screen, concealed from his o

to collect his senses. It was too dark to discern anything plainly, but he could dimly make out o

led that perfectly well. Then he and Underwood got drinking and talking, and he had fallen asleep. He thought he had heard a woman's voice-a voice he knew. Perhaps that was only a dream. He must have been asleep some time, b

nk so much! He wondered what Annie would say when he didn't return. He was a hound to let her sit up and worry like that. Well, this would be a lesson to him-it was the last time he'd

ddenly he stumbled over something on the floor. It was a

nderwood!"

ge that he should have selected so uncomfortable a place. Then it occu

ood, what's

accidentally touching Underwood's face, found it clammy and wet. He held his hand u

's bleeding

e? Quickly he felt the man's pulse. It

he electric button and turned on the light. There, stretched out on the floor, lay Underwood, with a bullet hole in his left temple, from which blood had flowed freely down on his full-dress

ed while defending his property. He remembered now that in his drunken sleep he had heard voices in

had never gone to bed. The shooting had occurred either while the angry dispute was going on or after the unknown visitor had departed. The barrel of the revolv

ich he himself was placed. If he aroused the hotel people they would find him here alone with a dead man. Suspicion would at once be directed at him, and it might be very difficult for him to establish his i

s hand on the handle there was the click of a latchkey. Thus headed off, and not k

en and neatly dressed, yet did not look the gentleman. His appearance was rather tha

devil a

his interlocutor closely, as if in doubt as to h

ir." Suspiciously, he added: "Are yo

ll distorted by terror, was anything but reassuring. Taken by surprise, Howard did not k

akes you think anyt

man, he added: "It

kly into the sitting room, he called out: "Stop a minute!" But Howard did not stop. Terror gave him wings and, wi

ef! Stop that man

aped down four steps at a time in his anxiety to get away. But it was no easy matter de

d the attendants, who had promptly sent for the police. By the time Howard

with his latchkey. To his astonishment he had found this man, the prisoner, about to leave the premises. His manner and remarks were so peculiar that they at once aroused his suspicion. He hurried into the apartment and found his master lying dead on the floor in a pool of blood. In his hurry the assassin had dropped his revolver, which was lying near the corpse. As fa

a woman bystander, avertin

a mistake," cried Howard, almost panic-s

d!" sneered

the police," l

marines!" c

r for his'n!"

ers-by attracted by the unwonted commotion. A scandal in high life is always

t? What's

the precinct and a half dozen policemen and detectives. The crowd pushed forward to get a better view of the burly representatives of the law as, full of authority, they elbowed

ecinct. He's a terror. It'll go hard wit

ushed his way to the corner where sat Howard, dazed and tr

gruffly, and looking from Ferris to the white

in the apartment, shot through the head." Pointing to Howard, he added: "This man w

to attract attention to himself. The sensational newspapers would be full of the case. They would print columns of stuff every day, together with his portrait. That was just the kind of publicity he needed now that he was wire-pulling for an inspectorship. They had caught the man "with the goods"-that was very clear. He pro

ch every exit from the hotel. Arrest anybody attempting to leave the buildin

sergeant, as he turned a

forward, and catching Howard by t

with me! We'll go upstairs an

s cringing, frightened attitude, as he looked up in the captain's bulldog face, was pathetic. The crowd of bystanders could hardly co

d. "I haven't done anything. The m

uth!" growled

he elevator. Throwing his prisoner into the cag

e said: "You other fellers look after things down here. Don't let any of these people

a jerk at the fourteenth floor, and the captain, once more la

ed in proving themselves innocent. Even then he had his doubts. When a jury brought in a verdict of acquittal, he shook his head and growled. He had the greatest contempt for a jury that would acquit and the warmest regard for a jury which convicted. He bullied and maltreated his prisoners because he firmly believed in undermining their moral and physical resistance. When by depriving the

h he brow-beat his prisoners into "confessions." With his "third degree" seances he arrived at results better and more quickly than in any other way. All his convictions had been secured by them. The press and meddling busy-bodies cal

Howard. The dead man still lay where he had fallen. Captain Clinton stooped down, but made no attempt to touch the corp

be here any minute, and he'll give the order for the undertaker.

these orders, Captain Clinton turned to look at Howard

ingly. "I assure you I've had nothing to do wit

thundered t

unpleasant. He did not mind the detention so much as this man's overbearing, bullying manner. He knew he was innocent, therefore he had nothing to fear. But why was this police captain staring at him so? Whichev