The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-12-08
Gated. lie has outliycd his dav. He Is as
much belated as the internal taxes or the
iron-clad oath.
Crime North and South.


Crime North and South.
Recently certain OF our northern con-
temporarics have been Specializing In re-
gard to " the present persistence OF MUIR
der.v The theories advanced toaccount for
- the carnival OF crime" arc varied, and
would IN some instances be laughabic did
they not deal with 30 horrible a matter.
While. however. others have been specu-
latIng. Chicago man has been counting,
and In an article in the Tribune OF chat
city presents the following facts and
figures:
..This year the telegraph has already re-
ported 1917 murders-an increase OF near
ly 800 over those OF the whole OF last year.
This is az the rate OF four each day, and
equals the fatalities OF a severe battle. But
this il not the worst. OF this enormous
number of murderers only 80 were hanged,
The majority OF whom were negroes in the
South. aud lis lynched, the majority OF
whom were also southern negroes. the
totals are only 2ii, or ratio OF less thah
one i'm seven. The other six were per-
mtted to escape without any punishment
worthy of the name
Upon these figures the writer, as the
reader has Doubtless anticipated, builds up
an argument to show that "the present
persistence of murder" is due to the dis
proportion between the number OF crimes
committed and the number OF executions.
This may or may not he the solution Of the
murder problem; but in any event The
figures serve an important purpose. Some
months ago, in answer to the charge made
by staIwart papers that there was a wide
spread disregard for law and a low state OF
civilization III the South, we took occa-
sion TO present statistics proving that
in 1882 there had been fewer murders
In the South in proportion to popula-
ton than there had been in the North.
Also, that for the same period the per-
centage Of executions, based, OF course, on
the relative number OF murders, had been
much greater in the South than in the
North. Although we have not made any
actual figures for 1883, every newspaper
reader who has given the matter attention
knows that there has been no material
chance in Che relative number OF murders
for the year as between the two sections;
consequently the figures Of the writer In
the Tribune fully sustain the ratio CT exc
cutions in favor OF the South, and the DIS
patch claims, reiterated time and again,
that in no geographical division OF the
= L., fnIiV NinniHptp1
But this is not all. Discarding the muir
ders committed by negroes and taking the
murders committed by white men-thc
representatives Of the civilization OF the
two sections-and the circumstances sur
rounding and the motives OF these muir
ders, what is the contrast presented! In
the South a mysterious cOld-blooded MUIR
der by a white man committed TO conceal
worse crime is the exception; in the North
il is, we are almost justified in saying. the
rule. The record OF brutal butcheries by
whites-in some instances coupled with the
most heinous offence against society-in
New England alone during the last few
months has no parallel in the annals OF
crime committed by the same class in
the South during years. ii the South is
too handy with the pistol, the North is too
handy with the axe, the Ratchet, and the
billet. As opposed to "southern muir
derers " who shoot men down in the heat
Of passion in street fight we have
"northern murdererS" who asSassinatc
whole families at midnight or throttle de-
fenceIess women in the lonely highway.
No man can excuse murder in any form.
but the discrimination between these class
Is OF crime is as old as Sinai itself. Where,
then, in figures, in fact, or in morality, is
the evidence that gives any northern jour
nal the right to lecture the South On IFS dis
regard OF law aud its low state OF civliza-
t!Ons