Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1875-12-24
New YORK, Dec. q, 1873.
THE CAUSES OF CRIME.


The committee investigating the causes
Of crime in this city are unearthing some
terrible facts. Among others is the testi-
mony of one Of the first physicians of the
city, DIR. Elisha Harris, who declared that
The increase of criminals in this city in the
past few years was greater in proportion
than the increase of reputation from births
and;mmigration together.
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 the vicious classes must be made
to work harder. 1t is notorious and
patent fact that with all the increase OF
wages and regulation of hours III the last
ten years, the condition of the lower classes
does not seem to be the better for the change.
The complaint is made by all employers
that their is very little, almost no fair return
made for the wages paid, no matter how
liberal these may be. The average OfwOrk
done in a day with all the labor saving
helps OF the time, is hardly half what 1t
used to be in the Old times. Now, that
there is such an outcry for work, employ
ers bethink themselves whether they can
not obtain their own right OF days pay.
The fact has rather been lost sight Of, that
employers had any right beyond that of
paying the most wages for the very least
that stupid and idle help choose to do.
Now that the cry for bread comes so urgent
there is ch ance to find whether the poor
are willing to work for their money rather
than starve. Those of experience 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 i'll
mild way, sooner than stir themselves to
do brisk days work.
THE DISTRESS OF THE POOR.
Curious incidents come up among the
labors for the poor. One woman was
found with her five children in the sixth
story of wretched tenement house, where
she made q miserable living by washing.
Her children were without shoes in bitter
weather and kind merchant seEt a sup
ply all round. The oldest girl objected be-
cause they were laced with shoestrings,
and button boots were the style. The
same family lost their father, Il miserable
wretch, who drank himself to death, and
were v'n'o-I ~ nsk for charity to bury him
The teachers of the mission oOi-aol who
helped them before, agreed to bear the ex'
penses, whereupon the old woman went
out and ordered a hearse, with plumes, to
attend the funeral Of the departed sOt, \
member of the city authorities told OF a
poor fellow who had seen better days, who
came to him for help as he was without q
position or money. The official handed
him fve-dolar bill, which he could spare
none to we'll himself, but he was rather sor.
ry for it, W hen he found the first use the
fellow made OF it was to 90 to the market
and order pair of ducks for dinner, tax
ing most of the money which might have
kept the amily in food for week.
This may be con nsidered apropOs OF the
study of crime, for such thriftlessness is a
crime not of the least dimensions. Ii
ought to count heavily against the labO--
ing 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 al the time was to make money, not
to save it, and to make it in many ways
working for it.
ONE WEEK.
A murder a week seems the regular al
lowance, not counting homicides Of less de-
gree. The last sad and shocking 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
night. The parties both have the reputa-
ton of being exceptionally religious, and
careful in observing all the rites of their
Church, and the girl was much beloved by
the family of the murderer. While q SER
want in the family she nursed him through
n long illness, and he seems to have really
loved her in return. But his wife was COM
ing over from the old country and there
was trouble ahead, and no way presented
itself out of the difficulty, but murder. So
he took the girl to walk with him in the
lonely outskirts of East New York. And
stabbed her, kneeling at his feet for mercy.
lie betrayed himself by his anxiety to
show how impossible it was that he should
have killed girl to whom he was so pure.
ly attached.
And speaking of murders, there are at
this time four men under sentence to be
hanged, and over thirty in the various pri
sons are waiting trial for the same oflensC
The bloody william Dolan: who killed
Noe, will probably csc ape the hanging hC
so richly deserves. The politicians art
moving heaven and earth to clear him
and they have succeeded d in obtaining two
respites he will doubtless slide out all right
There are in the same prison three negroe:
| convicted OF killing Jew pedler on nj
stronger evidence than that against COlan
but no one thinks of moving a respite fol
| them. And while | am on this sub
iect,
TIE SYMPATHY
shown for murderers is something curious
l was at the prison the other day, and saw
broied chickens, wine, rich cakes and con
fectionory, the choicest cigars that had
been sent in TO comfort these miserable
murderers. The low browed brutes are
living better now than they ever did in
their lives, and they seem to expect it
They growl, and consider themselves ill.,