EPIDEMIC OF CRIME.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3413, 18 February 1920, Page 2

EPIDEMIC OF CRIME.

‘, BRl'_l‘AlN’S NEVV PROBLEM. MANY UNS()LVED p[YS’I.‘ERIES. . A '.‘\.ll.'l~ZDl:.‘l{ IN A TRAIN. Crimes of_ Violence and moral 4turpitude are becoming so nuinerous that Ijudgcs and preachers are constantly : mox-wed to express their uneasiness. t At the Westminster Court the inquest ion Arthur Alexander, who Colllmit-ted 3 suicide by taking poison in a. West End Jhotel, in the c.oroner’s works, “ignolminiously, maliciously, and Inalevo~- ] lently” rewealed a disgraceful scainlal g in high life. , The handsome young sc'a.peg‘ra.ce, an ' ltalinn, was found dead in 21 room full of compromising letters, which the ; coroner declined to read, as they impliEoated a number of society women. t Young, middle--aged, and elderly wives inf officers and others, had financed thim, presented him with valuable jewellery. and paid his hotel -bills. ' The press is concerned at the numl her of l11lll'(l(!!'s in which the nlur(lerers escape. The latest case is that of l :1. young man who murdered an elderly ‘nurse in, the Eustl)onrne-Victoria express, and passed through the barrier l’ullCllecke:l_ The police are still searching for ! the murderer of Mrs Lu.\'ton/. the lonely licensee of 3. little publicliouse. The I f..Zl'os,» Keys, at Chelsea, who was felled with :1 bottle in the cellar at night. I The murderer set fire to the house and l escaped. I The firemen found the body still I warm and the gas jet alight. If a polic.ein-an had not noticed the door |opcn and smoke issuing, the place t would p:'olmbl_y have been burnt down, I ol‘»‘.ltel'2ttillg all traces of the crime. ’ The wave of post oflice robberies ‘xontinues una.bate(l, and several addi- ‘ l'lOlli\l cases have occurred, \\‘ithout arsre.sts being‘ 1n:n:le. The latest xras at ll;.‘»t-rtriorrdscy, wliere four men forced i -ll!‘ entrance into the p‘-xemises in the l":H'l)' inorning‘, and were observed to !ii‘.': the safie. ‘colltain'Lng £9OO, into J. motor van and drive on. ‘ Scotland Yard is faced with 21 most

difiieult. problem in solving the inysfery of the disappearaneg of Lady l.Oug'hborough ’s jewelle'ry.« Lady Loughborough was spending some days with ‘:.'»0IllC' friends, and a -taxi-cab was engaged, and conveyed her luggage from her house in Connaught Street to friends in Duke Street. The jewel case was not missed until after the 'arrival of the taxi in Duke Street, and was possibly extracted during transit. Seven constables, who wene. caught gambling in the VVest End while supposed to be on duty have been dismissed from the force. An aged recluse, reputed to be wealthy, named Ruben Mort, who lived alone in Bolton, has been found dying, with his head shockingly battered and otlierwise maltreated. \‘ He declared that :1 burglar forced an entrance and hit. him over the head because he refused to hand over the keys of his safe, containing £2OOO. Mort was removed to the infirmiry, where he died. A Liverpool post. office was held up by three masked men with revolvers. who stole £5150. The Times, in '3 leading article. says that the most casual observer must be impressed by the fact that London and the country generally are sufTeriug_»; from an unusuallly _serious epidemic of crime, which students of social problems fOl'OSll\\' and foretold. The crime-wave has been caused by the release of :1 large number of prot'essional criminals from the army, unemployment_, and disinclination -to work among discharged soldiers, and disre_e'ard for the saeredness of life caused by t'uniili:irit_v with bloodshed and .-4-.‘T‘.J'clilol'lfll cineinn films.