, 1877-02-18
Some Facts About "Margaret, the
Mother Of Criminals"
Also Some Statistics Regarding
Four OF Her Sisters.
Twelve Hundred Of Their Progeny
Traced Through Seven
Generations.
Over Fifty Per Cent of Them
Criminals, Paupers, or
Prostitutes.
Some Idea OF What This Vicious Tribe
Has Cost the Public.
Millions Of Dollars Contributed to
Support Them in 1dleness.
Some Idea OF What This Vicious Tribe
Has Cost the Public.
Serious Questions Presented for Philan'
thropists to Consider.

thropists to Consider.
soertaI Correspondence Of The Tribune.
New YORK. Feb. l4.-Some time ago pa1a-
graph toated its rounds through the newspa-
ners regarding woman who lived In the lnte-
7ior Of this State, and who had numerous
progeny, the larger part Of whom were crlrni-
mails OF paupers. This woman was spoken Of as
{" Margaret, the mother OF criminals Her
case gains importance from the fact that it lei
to investigations relative to crime and panpef-
ism becoming hereditary. The New York fFas-
on Association prosecuted its inquiries very
zcalouslv for the purpose OF ascertainlns 10
y hat extent tho hereditary taint was RESPONSE
bic for the long line OF criminals and paupels
descended from this woman, and no" 1nucn
the surroundings Of the individual were 10
be charged With his or her short comfnes.
These inquiries were prosecuted with great IN
tclligencc by the Rev. Richard L. Dugdall,
whose report occupies over 150 pages oi the an-
uual report Of the New York Prison Association
just published. AS it is full OF interesting IN
1or1nation, as well for the general reader as 1or
those whose business it is tc care Tor the out
cxsts of soeictyGd propose to give the salient
points Of a1r. Dugdale's report IN TINS b11e1
letter. ..
TEE JUKE FAMILY.
The family to vh1ch t. Margaret, the mother
OF criminals" belonged bore the na1ne OF Juke'
Their ancestral breeding spot is near i've lakes
in the northern counties, which LIKES arc bor-
d=red by forests, and the Surrounding country
fs 10 rocky as to be almost inaccessible This
neighborhood has been prolific in criminals 1of
Investigation shows that other resident famf-
lies have been nearly as notorious oepre-
dltors rs the Jukes. The original ancestors OF
this yery bad stock we're t'sQuatfers y among
these rocky Businesses, where they lived III log
or stouc novels, similar to the old siaEe-hoVels
ot the South, all ages and sexes, relations anu
strangers, s'5unIing'' Unfortunately. euen
mode of living, it not resulting in l'nmeo1ate
Illicit relations, we're fatal to all mouests ana
tahits vi chastity iu later days Among these
rcope, the illicit relations Of the sc2es was mol
even subject to wonder at, on the contrary
that virtue existed in any shape was more apt
To t,c ! matter Of surprise. The male members
a. these households were given to dcprcdate On
their rcisnbors, stealing anything +ha. could be
made scryiecabte. There we're six sisters OF the
Juke family. some Of them legitimate, othcrs
whose parentaxc was decidedly doubtful. Two
of thcse sisters married two nicr named
AIas. whose father Was frequent
quest in the County Jail. This man
was a jolly, good-naiured fellow.
fond Of his gla==, fond OF the women. and utter
II regardless whether his numerous progeny
coulA lay claims to legitimacy or not. FIVE OF
the siI Juke girls Rcrr married, but had l'ttle
respect for their marriage vows- The sixth dis
appeared so that ill traces Of her were Lost VI
the five married ones, three had llegitimatc
children, Que OF them bearing three naulattoes
anS one white child. - Margaret had one illc-
gitlmate son, who is. notorious as the fatner,
grandfather, and grcat~-!4ndtather OF
D1sT1sc1lvEL1 CRIMINAL LINE
Of descendants, whose crimes range from simple
assault and battery to murder. One OF the JuSe
listers is reported rs having married and lived
coastc Lie, but her descendants have been no
tnrious paupers. The progeny OF the fyc sisters
has been traced with more or less exactitude
through FIVE generations, thus making the total
l.crcdity which has been followed stretch
through seven generations, counting the jolly
t,ii-bird Max as the first The number Of
descendants registered includes $40 individuals
wno arc related by blood to the Jukts. aud l69
nv rnarriase OF cohabitation; in all sQ9 persons
ii all ages alive and dead. The aggregate Of
tais lineage reaches. probably, over l,.O0 per-
sons. tut so many Ol llc4t uaaG houEAt oeA~1
localities at different periods that it was iound
ir1possible TO follow up and euumerate all the
lateral brauchcs- But enough haze been traced
10 show that true economy teaches that II Is
cheaper for society to lit tie unfortunate out
+ their bad ways than to support or punish
them Out OF these ;U9 descendants Ut the
luke girls-and the best OF them are supposed
10 have taken MIR. Greeiey's advice and gone
Wcst,-1B0 were paupers, receiving reucl, IN
whole or il part from the town authorities
OF The other 500, it is estimated that 50 were
.lepeadent at times on charity, making total
OF $50 persons OF this peculiar STOCK VINO
lived an aggregate Of l,l50 years on
rublIc charity. Some town records
were not accessible TO Mr.. Dugtale, SO that
there are l9l years during which there is no rec
ord OF the charity dispensed TO this lamlly. Is
timatipr upon the basis established BY the rec
.rds for THESE missing years, and there Ii an
aggregate Of 2, 200 years OF public charity en-
1oyed By the joke blood alone Allowing l50
wears OF elms-loase life at Sl00 a year, We
have SIS 600: estimating the outdoor relief at
.,150 years at SIS L year, We have $32,250 more,
or an aggregate expenditure from the public
funds OF 1880 In serenty-dvc year6 for this
family OF Jukes, SO per cent OF whose women
we're harlots in sumo degree. But, while thus
preying on the public treasury. this family was
6epredsting on individuals also. and
THEIR DEpREDATIoEs
as paupers and criminals may be briefly estl-
mated us follows:
Total number Of persons. ]. 200 --.....-
Number OF pauperiked ~