The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1884-12-17
The Cost % Il Crllninnl What
. single THIEF 1nilicts Upon

a ne Actual loss q dollars ~ cent ~
which single criminal iniiiels
upon society Is sometimes appaIl.
ing. Wegroan at the iniquity 81
politicians, and rej1ice whenone
cfthem whohas slolenaIew thous.
and dollars Il driven to jail otout
Of the country but sncha ielloHia
as asrule less dangerous than somo
common criminal Who issentslced
for a term Of yearsiof d small bur.
glary or for stealing a horse For
the criminal classes wastefar more
than they consume; il is beyond
doubt that a thief and most Grim.
finals live by thef,-who does moth,
itg whatever for socistyfbut prey
upon il, always lakes far notJ
than he would need were his opes.
atiOns honest. Money ismorth AS
face value, no matter in what hand
IL happens to DO; but The pick.
pocket whose specially is watches
knows that to earn twenty dollars
by his delicate handiwork he mus!
steal at least a hundred dollars
worth Of time pieces. The ajuuk'i
thief will tear out Of a house in
course Of erection all the lead pipe
of the plumbing system, which Id
material and Taboo has cost several
hundred dollars, and sell it blythe
pound as old lead, being we'll satis-
fed il he can Jet ten dollars for his
nights work. The financial re-
suits of some great burglaries oF
dry.gooda and jewelers. shops, silk
houses and private residences have
been shown at the trial Of the
thieves to bo only one.tenth, one
twentieth and even smaller fraC-
tions of the value of the goods Ia
ken. Even in great bond robbery
cases the thieves have obtained but
very small proportion of the ac-
tual value Of the securities stolen.
Theft, like many other industries,
is not complete in itself the booty
must bo sold, frequently j. must
go through several hands, to each
of which. sticks part Of the price,
no one of them is the hand Of a
person who is earniug an honest
living.
This would be bad etlSugh, even
were every thief persistent in try,
ing to keep down expenses in bis
personal and domestic manage.
mont. Unfortunately, however,
among the virtues which some
criminals profess and practice,
economy will be sought in vain
No reckless heir Of a million was
ever more free handed than the
thief is while his money lasts, He
wears fine clothes of fsulIless cut,
he smokes the best cigars, and in
the dingy backrooms of grogshops
in the streets most fre9uented by
thieves, thefs is more champaign
opened than in some famous places
on Broadway. Burglars always
drive good horses, and their femin.
al companions are arrayed like Sol.
omon in all his glory. Such iuxd.
ries cost great deal Of money. So
the thief who does not want To
change his habits is obliged to be
industrious in business, and lose
no chance through oarelessness. II
he spends Eve thousand dollars per
year, he must steal fifty thousand,
in.whiCh case be costs society as
much as a hundred honest day la.
borers, and gives society nothing
in return but an undsniable sense
ofapprehension.
Like breeds like, and criminal
families may always be depended
upon to live by crime. Perhaps
not all the thieves and bad charao.
ters in general can repeat the sp.
palling record of the Dukes family;
which gave the country several
hundred criminals, but they do
their utmost in that directiont
multiplying rapidly and neglecting
to train their offspring to live
properly.
1t will thgs be seen that tore.
form even q single criminal is to
spare society serious and steady
infliction, A common thief who
lives by his craft, steals more in his
lifetime Than any great rogue who
is not back president ever gets
by single haul. II is hard Ior a
sentimentalisi, or even a mission.
ary, to regard sueh fellow with
tenderness and brotherly love, but
any one can afford to wish that the
rascal's business methods we're dif.
ferent. To persuade and assist dis
chargBd criminals in Iaad hnnest