The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-12-29
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
NEW YORK, December p, 1875.
THE rATSFS or CRTNrE

NEW YORK, December p, 1875.
THE CAUSES OF CRIME.
The Committee investigating lnI
causes of crime in this city are un
earthing some terrible facts. Among
others is the testimony Of one Of The
first physicians of the civ, DR.. Elisha
Harris, who declared that the in
crease Of criminals in this city in the
past few years was greater in pro
portion than the increase Of popula
ton from births and immigration TO-
gether.
DR.. Willard Parker, an authority
Of equal standing, said that liquor
was the chief cause Of the vice, crime.
Idiocy and insanity in the country
All who have looked into the cause
and cure Of crime agree that tie vi.
ciOus classes must be made to work
harder. 1t is a notorious and patent
r fact that with all the increase Of
wages and regulation Of hours in the
last ten years, the condition Of the
! lower classes does not seem TO be the
better for the change. The COM
plant is made by all employers that
there is very little, almost no fair re-
turn made for the wages paid, no
matter how liberal these may be
The average of work done il a day
with all the labor saving helps Of the
time, is hardly half what is used to
be in the old times. Now, tina, there
is such an cutlery for work, employ
ers bethink themselves whether they
,annot obtain their own right Of a
davis work for 4 days paw. The
fact has rather been lost sight of,
that employers had any rights be-
yond that Of paying the mos wages
for the very least that lazy and idle
help choose to Dc. Now that the
cry for bread comes 30 urgent, there
is a chance TO find whether the poor
are willing to work for their money
rather than starve. Those of expert
ence among the lower classes Of New
York, are not wanting who DO not
hesitate to say that these had rather
starve than work hard. Certainly
they will all beg, loaf, or cheat in a
mild way, soone than stir themselves
to do q brisk days work.
THE DISTRESS OF PRE POOR.
Curious incidents come up among
the labors for the poor. One woman
was found with her FIVE children in
the sixth story OF a wretched tene-
ment house, where she made q miser-
able living by washing. Her chill
dren were without shoes in bitter
weather. and q kind merchant sent a
supply all round. The oldest girl OBJ
.jected to them because they were
laced with shoe-stringS, and button
boots were the style. The same
family lost their father, a miserable
wretch, who drank himself to death,
and were obliged to ask for charity
to bury him. The teachers of the
mission school who helped them be-
fore, agreed to bear the expenses,
wherupon the old woman wen out
aad ordered a bearse, with plumes,
to attend the funeral Of the departed
sot. A member of the city authori-
ties told Of a poor fellow who had
seen better days. who came to him
for help as he was without a position,
or money. The official handed him
a FIVE dollar biz, which be could spare
none too well himself, but - was
rather sorry for it, when he found
the first use the fellow made of it
was to go to the market and order a
pair Of ducks for dinner, taking most
of the money which might have kept
the family in food for q week.
This may be considered apropos
OF the study of crime, for such thrift
lessness is a crime not of the least
dimensions. # ought to count heav-
lily against the laboring men Of this
and other cities, that with the high
wages of the last ten years, very few
Of them have saved money. The
idea at the time was 10 make money,
not to save il, and 10 make it in
many ways beside working for it.
ONE A WEEK.
A murder q weekseems the regu-
lar allowance, not counting hOmicides
Of less degree. The last sad and
schocking tragedy is that Of young
Hebrew girl who has not been long
in this country and who was brutally
killed by her betrayer last Sunday
The parties both have the
of being exceptionally re-
ligious, and careful 10 observing all
the rites of their Church, and the
girl vas much beloved by the family
Of the murderer. While a servant
in the family she nBrsed him through
a long illness, and be seem to have
really loved Der in return. Bot bis
wife was coming over from the old
country apd there was trouble ahead,
and no way presented itself out of
the difficulty, but murder. So be
took the girl to walk With him In the
outskirts Of East New York
And stabbed her, ~kneelisg al bis feet
for mercy.
He betrayed himself by his ankle
y to show how impossible it was +,