The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1877-04-26

denials. The confesssion wakens great con-
sternation.
HABITUAL CRIMINALS IN ENGLAND.
From the London Times.
The Register of Habitual Criminals
in England and Wales for the years
1859 to 1879 has just been printed in
the printing works of her majesty's
prison, Brixton. The ponderous vol
ume is bound in black, and contains
the names Of 1874 criminals with all
| their aliases. These aliases of Grimm
ais are in proportion to the number Of
their convictions. One of the persons
referred to in the directory of the
criminal class has Is aliases in addition
to her proper description, Bridget
Kingstry, of the county OF Sligo, and
has 80 times been convicted. But the
average number of names criminal
possesses is two. For the better super
vision of criminals it was provided by
the habitual criminals act Of 1869
and the prevention. of crimes act OF
1871 that central register OF Grim
inals should be formed, and that the
governor of every prison should fur
nish returns of persons convicted OF
| certain crimes. The result has been
that from Dec IL, 1859, to March. 81 !,
1879, 170,6Ol persons were placed on
the list. The completeness Of this list
was the chief drawback to its useful
ness. When local authorities applied
to the central Office for the identltica-
ton Of the criminal, the mass OF the
names made the search difficult, while
the vast majority OF the names record
ed were those Of petty local criminals
who did not commit second Otfense or
were important only to the local po-
lice. An act was passed last session
which enabled the House Secretary to
| select the class Of prisoners to be reg
! iStered.
The list now printed has been franz
ed by separating from the great mass
of returns those which refer to persons
| who have been convicted on indict-
ment of crime, and thereupon have
had a previous conviction proved
register Of habitual and professional
criminals. and has been printed for
circulation among the Police and the
authorities Of prisons, in order TO ena
BILE them to identify persons who come
under their charge, and to enable them
| to Judge OF the value OF those profess
sions OF rrpenfa nce which are SO east.
| ly repeated. Printed at the cost OF
the ink and paper by prisoners At Brix.
ton, the book is a remarkable appllc;s-
ton Of tho ancient max i'm, Set thief
to catch u thief It's circulation
ought not to he confined to the United
Kingdom. No less than Isl of the per
Sous entered in the volume were born
out Of the limits OF this country.
Names like Auguste Wlterhaleer Sug-
geSt the dang ruu5 class OF cOsmOpOll-
tan criminals, who are heard OF one
day AS breaking prison in Constantine
| pie, and another day AS forging green
| backs in New York. But the main OBJ
| ject Is to place at the command OF our
local authorities the information hith-
erto to be found only at the Central
Registry, 10y which they may establish
a prima facie Identification of any pei
SOD suspected be An. habitual GRIM
| inal, aud will be able tn procure at
once direct from the locality or prison
| where he is known further infUrma.
ton, evidence. means Of Identification,
photographs, &C., without the loss OF
time caused by reference to London.
i Lieut. Col. Du Cane, SurvoyOr-Gen.
era of Prisons, states in his introduc-
ton to the volume that this is, he be-
ileves, tie first attempt Of its kind to
furnish the police Of any country with
Information In form SO complete and
readily accessible respecting the per-
sons against whom they are carrying
on their operations. The dO5siers OF
the French police have long been ia
nous, and they recently aided an Eng
Ugh parliamentary committee in its
Inquiries. But the speciality OF the
n W Register Of Criminals which has
now appeared is that it Is select list,
printed and portable. Similar lists
will be compiled and printed period
Gully in continuation. The work shows
that wo have recently had 1T different
times in safe custody 1900 Of the
dangerous class, temporarily deprived
Of the power Of injuring others and
it suggests the inquiry, how could we,
by means not repugnant TO humanity.
rightly understood, and more effectual
than the surveillance already excr-
cised .perpetuate our recent temporary
immunity from their powers Of doing
mischief a
Those who look into this Register
and fail to find in it some name which
/ They would expect 10 seo there may
understand that namos are entered
only when the owners Of them are dis
charged from prison; or it may b
!: that some criminal who hae INSIDE I