The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-08-24
A YEARS MURDERS.
STARTLING FACTS GATHERED
BY CENSUS OFFICE kAPERrS.
OF the 50, 800 Prisoners in the Unitec
States 1886 Were Charged
With Homicide-Lvnch-
ings and Executions.

summary Superintendent Porter declares
that the report, so far as it goes, Is COM
plete and final.
The report is based on the criminal
record OF 1890, ard shows that OF 81,
329 prisoners in the United States on
June 1, 1890, the number charged with
homicide was 1886, or s.97 per cent.
Omitting IS who were charged with
double crimes, 695S of them (or 94.6o
Der cent? were men, aud 1893 Tor $50
per cent were women. As to color,
4425 were white, 2739 negroes, 81 Chi
nese, japanese aud 80 Indians. OF the
1925 whites, 1857 were born IN the
United States, 1918 were foreign born,
and the birthplace of 55 is unknown.
A careful and accurate inquiry into the
parentage of those born in the United
States results in the mathematical con-
cluslon that Sc. IA per cent. OF homicide
committed by white women and men IS
charpeablc to the native white element
of the population, and 1886 per cent.
to the foreign element. On the same
scale of 4614 to 1905, the negro contri-
button to homicide is represented by
547S.
More than one.half OF the foreign boru
whites are unnaturalized, and nearly one
fifth are unable to speak the English
language. :,
In respect to age, prisoners charged
with homicide range from IL to %
wears. One-sixth of them are under "a
years, and more than one-ha9 under 50
wears of age. Their average age is "a
years and 1913 days. The lowest aver
ages are among the Indians, 80 years
and $50 days, and the negroes, 80 years
and 279 days. The highest are among
the Chinese, 81 years and 246 days, and
the foreign born whites, Al years aud
159 days. The average age of women
charged with homicide is 80 years and
zig days. The ages at which homicide
was committed are estimated to be at
least 5 years below the averages here
stated. Nearly one-half of this group OF
prisoners were found to be unmarried.
The number of unmarried was 36l5;
married, 2715; widowed, 7O3; di-
vorced, LA.
The percentage of those who can both
read and write is 6l.73; of those who
can read only, 4.S4; of those who can
do neither, 33.43. OF the negroes. more
than one-half can neither read nor
write; of the Indians, nearly two-thirds.
The percentage of illiteracy among the
foreign born is nearly or quite three
times as great as that among the native
whites. The number who have received
q higher education Is 253, or 3.44 per
cent.
More than four-ffths have no trade.
The foreign born and their children have
much more generally acquired trade
than the native whites, and the native
whites than the negroes.
The occupations of 6546 prior to In.
generation have been ascertained, and
are grouped as follows: Professional,
1O2; official, 3S; agricultural, 1902;
lumber, 29; mining, 213; fisheries, 19;
trade and commerce, 173; transportation,
$50; manufactures and mechanical in
dustries, 1886; personal service, $50;
uuskilled labor, 1888; miscellaneous, IL.
The number employed at the time OF
their arrest was $3.50; unemployed, 1925;
unknown, 467. The habits of 973, in
respect of use of intoxicating liquors, are
not stated. The remaining 637S are
classed as follows: Total abstainers,
1882; occasional or moderate drinkers,
1929; drunkards, 1857.
The number arrested and imprisoned
in the State of their residence was 626S;
out of the State. 861; 463 had served as
soldiers in the Civil War, 534 were known
to have served previous term of i'm
pr1sonment and 224 were Federal pris-
oners. As to their physical condition,
6149 were in good health, 600 i'll, 2S3
insane, d blind, IA deaf and DUMB, Ii
idiots and 263 crippled.
Of prisoners charged with homicide,
more than one-eighth were awaiting
trial. Of those convicted, 15S were
awaiting execution. 2406 sentenced for
life, S45 for twenty years or over, 143S
for from ten to nineteen years, and 1888
for less than ten years. The average sen.
tence less than life is IS years and 292
days. 1t is greater for men than for
women, and for negroes than for whites.
The highest average sentence is pro-
nounced upon Cinnamon.
The number of cases classed as murder
was 554S, of which nearly oue.half re-
ceived life sentence. The number
classed as manslaughter is 17O4, of which
nearly one.half received sentence OF
over ten years.
Of the 15S prisoners awaiting e1ecu-
ton 49 were found in the Kansas Pen
itentiary, no date having been fixed for
their execution by any Governor since
1872. The death penalty is thus prac.
tically abolished in Kansas, though not
by statute. The only States in which it
has been abolished by law are Rhode
Island, Michigan and Wisconsin. The
figures published do not indicate any In
crease in the number of honic:des as the
result of such abolition.
In the Tenth Census there were re.
ported 46OS prisoners charged with
homicide. In the Eleventh Census the
number is 1851. This is an increase OF
$3.50 per cent, while the increase in
the total population has been only "A. .Sb
Der cent. But it is largely explained by
the great length of sentences for homl'
cides, in consequence of which the una
jority of those reported in 1880 are again
renortei in 1890, together with those