CRIME SIDELIGHTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1925, Page 4

CRIME SIDELIGHTS.

SAX I' It.VNCiSCO. July 15. America has hccn dec-hired to have no «•< 111:1 1 iu tin' world lor the mmihcr i I iimi'ilei's per thousand of papulation e niiiiiit toil every twelve months, ami in study-iii" lhe records one might eonceivahly, fancy that a continual warfare was in progre.-s in these Cnitcd Slates, so frequently are lives taken ami the hangman so seldom is called upon to officiate at executions. 11l Chicago. America's worst centre of murders, the question has hum asked : "Why do men kill ? The same query has keen answered in the Windy City in cold columns of statistics ihaf represent red liniments of passion, lust and fear hy Chief of Police .Moreau Collins, of Chicneo, who has lompiled data on the causes of all the i’;i3 death; by violence which occurred in that city in tile lirst s|s months ol this vear. onXTAXDIXi; [.'ACTS. The deatli-rate in killings in Chicneo increased Hit per cent, in that period over last year’s lip ores and the police wanted to know why. One outstanding fact discovered was that out ol the total of g.'IS killings. 11l occurred in homes, and kiilines in quarrels among Iriends headed the li-t of murders with •_'| I;ililies reconled. l-’uui'tecn of 1 hos" occurred inside buildings. Murders in rohhcries came next, with 15 cases, of which ten uccured inside buildings. There were tmurders for revenge. |o other murders were attributed to the "black hand." Iwo kiilines in toil" wars, ami live in gang lights. Seven policemen were slain in the line of duly. Two murders occurred behind the walls of goals, one being the stabbing of Pcrnard (Irani hy his pal. Walter Krause, in i lie lfridewoll prison. Violent family quarrels hate led to ten murders and of these, nine were committed in homes. I.overs’ quarrels resulted in nine killiups. of which seven were in homes. Four men were killed iu drunken brawls; one man was slain in a street quarrel with a stranger. There were six cases ol infanticide, and six cases of deaths clue to illegal operations. MOT KEY OTARI! EI.S. In cases of manslaughter listed hy the police, the causes followed the same line, qitarels among friends, family quarrels, lovers’ quarrels, ditnken brawls. One case of manslaughter was attributed to a labour war. There were iu all -10 manslaughter eases. In the 55 eases of justifiable homieide recorded. killings hy police in line ol duty led the list with 25. There were 13 iustiliable killings iu quarrels among friends, eight iu family feuds, ciglil in drunken brawls. live in burglaries and one during a lovers' quarrel. Twelve killings wee listed as accidental homicide, and three involuntary manslaughter. Among those was the case ot a man killed by a stray bullet. Ten persons, the list showed, had committed suicide after murdering another. .Moonshine led to the majority of the murders of friends, in families and of lovers. Thief Collins explained and in emphasising that a "man’s house is his castle,’’ Collins pointed out that ‘'most of the murders are done oil the spur of the in uncut, and tile police cannot do very much to prevent them.”