St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-03
TEMPERATURE AND CRIME,
Interesting Facts From Record
Kent for Judge Elliot.

Interesting Facts From Record
Kept for Judge Elliot.
Judge Elliot is preparing treatise on
temperature and its relation to crime,
which will undoubtedly prove of great
interest when completed. Court Officer
Alex Mullen is keeping record of each
days temperature and the various Grim
inal cases brought into court, and yes
terday completed the records for jan
uary and February. Judge Elliot will
use the facts gathered in that manner
to strengthen the theories already ar
rived at. many of which will differ
materially from those hitherto advanced
by philosophical llterateurs. Several
writer's on the subject have already adj
vanced the theory that temperature
directly affects the commission of
crimes, and others have dilated on
crime as superinduced by poverty, OPP
portunity, drunkenness and inclina-
ton. The exact deductions that Judge
Elliot will demonstrate, from his own
personal observations and the records
kept by Mr.. Mullen, are not known, but
that they will be of interest goes with
out saying. A GLOBE reporter was
given the privilege of looking over Mr..
Mullen's records yesterday.
The report for January showed an av
erage temperature of 8, and that during
the month 152 men had been arraigned
in the police court for drunkenness.
The disorderly conducts numbered %,
the assault cases 26 and larceny 81. In
all there had been All cases Of various
crimes tried in the court. During the
month of February the temperature
averaged 23,and there was noticeable
diminishing in the number of DRINKS,
the total number being 125, also of all
other cases. There were 20 cases of dis
orderly conduct, S5 of assault. and 80
of larceny. The total number. includ-
ing everything, was 1913. There seems
to be an easy explanation for this. Dur
ing the holidays of January more men
felt the need of intoXicants, and more
poor wretcheS were forced to purloln
clothing, owing to the extreme cold
weather. During this same month
cases directly theresult of laSciviousness
and lust were in the majority. The ar
dor of the feshpot-seekers began to
cool gradually with the mellowing of
the temperatures paradoXical condl-
| ton, no doubt, but nevertheless true.
MIR. Mullen has also prepared sum-
mary of the temperature and criminal
| cases for the last six months of 1891.
| This summary shows that there was
! comparatively less drunkenness during
! the months of July and August than at
| anv other time. AS the temperature
| fell with the advance of the season,
there was a gradual increase, the human
appetite for liquor seemingly enlarging
| and expanding with the approach of
| King Boreas. There is one very potent
reason for this. however, and that is the
| influx of harvest and farm hands from
the country with their pockets filled
| with wages. The approach of winter
| and the keen autumnal winds have also
a craving effect on the stomach of man.
| he finds that with the appearance of
"goose pimples" he needs some warm
| ing influence to operate in his interior
| works. and gets drunk. Throughout
i the entire period covered by Mr..
| Mullen's summary. however, the fact
| was clearly shown that disorderly con-
| duct ran rampant during warm weather
with one exception, and that was the
month of December. Yuletide festivi-
| ties and the anticipation OF things I'M
| seen. no doubt, was responsible for the
condition of affairs in that month-De-
cember is apparently the scapegoat. for
the preceding eleven months, for there
was more stealing done in that OF last
wear than in the other six, of which Mr..
Mullen kept record; the devotees OF
Aphrodite were more active in the
manufacture of horns for the adorll-
ment of other men, and the cases of as.
sault. which had attained their highest
number during the hot weather, when
the blood was teverish and then gradu-
allv lessened, increased again by a very
large percentage. ;,
Searchers after the philosophers
stone. as well as others, will await the
appearance of Judge Elliot's treatise
with keen anticipation. for certainly NJ
topic will be more interesting to stu
dents of moral economics and philan
| thropistS.