The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-02
CENSUS OF HOMICIDE.
Percentage Of Murderers Great
est Among the Negroes.
FOREIGN PROPORTION LARGE.
Oregon With Smaller Population Than
Washington, Has More Homfcides-
LISA Total Abstainers.

The census ONCE has issued bulletin
on homicide In $780, OF $3.50 prisoners
IN the United States June /. 1890, the num-
Der charged with homicide was 1856. or
897 per cent
Omitting thirty-fve who were charged
with double crimes. 6955 of them Tor 9465
per cent. we're men, and s9S Tor SIS per
cent we're women.
Az 70 color, 4,425 were white, 2 IA
negroes. 81 Chinese, Japanese and 81
Indians.
As 10 the nativity Of the 4,425 whites.
s,l57 were born in the United States. ], 213
were foreign born, and the birthplace of
Is Is unknown.
A careful and accurate inquiry into the
parenfage of those born in the United
States results in the mathematical conciu-
sion that 80. Ia per cent. of homicide COM
United by white men and women is
chargeable to the native white element OF
the population, and 43.s6 per cent to the
foreign element. On the same scale of
AGA TO 3,605, the negro contribution TO
homicide is represented by 5.476. A table
ID given showing the nationalities of the
1866 foreign-born parents in detail.
More than one-half of the foreign-born
whites are unnaturalized, and nearly one
fifth are unable to speak the English Lam
guaEe.
In respect TO age, prisoners charged with
homicide range from IL to So years One
sixth Of them are under "a years. and
more than one-haif under SO years of age.
Their average age is 81 years and 1913 days.
The lowest averages are among the In
dians. 30 years and $50 days. and the ne
groes, 80 years and 279 days. The highest are
among the Chinese. 81 years and 246 days.
and tho foreign-born whites, Al years and
159 days. The average age of women
charged with homicide is 80 years and 2l6
days. The ages at which homicide was
committed are estimated to be at least
years below the averages here stated.
Nearly one-half of this group of prison.
ers were found to be unmarried. The
number of unmarried was 3,615; married,
ans; widowed, 703: divorced, LA.
The percentage Of those who can both
read and write is 81. 70; Of those who can
read only. 4s4; of those who can do
neither, 3343 OF the negroes, more than
one half can neither read nor write; of the
Indians, nearly two-thirds. The percent
age Of lliteracy among the foreign born is
nearly or quite three times az great a. that
The number who have received higher
education is 253, or g. A per cent.
More than four-ffths have no trade. The
foreign born and their children have much
more generally acquired q trade than the
native whites, and the native whites than
the negroes.
cefation have been ascertained, and are
GAtf fse1.
Official, IS; agricultural, I, 1913; lumber, %;
mining. 212: fisheries. 10; trade and COM
meroe, l73; transportation. $50; manu-
features and mechanical industries, 1,O66:
personal service. go: unskiiled labor,
2,z5s, miscellaneous, 81
The number employed at the time of
their arrest was 6.650; unemployed, LBS;
unknown, l67.
The habits Of s73. in respect to the use
OF intoxicating liquors, are not stated. The
remaining 0.37S are classed As follows:
Total ahstatners, f.2s2; occasional or mod
crate drinkers. $3.50: drunkards, 1857.
The number arrested and imprisoned in
the state Of their residenos was 6,26S; out
Of the state, SCI.
Four hundred and sixty-three had served
a. soldiers in the civil war.
Five hundred and thirty-four were
known to have served q previous term of
imprisonment.
Two hundred and twenty-four were Fed
eral prisoners.
As TO their physical condition. 6, 149 were
In good health. 600 Ill. 2s3 insane. "a blind.
II deaf and dumb, Is idiots and o63 Grip
pied.
In Washington there were ASP prisoners
in 1890; parents native. l4i: one parent
foreign, 20; parents foreign. s.: one or
both parents unknown, Is; foreign born,
ls, nativity unknown. Il: negroes. 81;
Chinese. z; Japanese, 5; Indians. 3D. Only
four OF the prisoners were women: three
had native parents and one was foreign
born.
The number of prisoners. June I. 1890.
charged with homicide was !, 1856, namely,
6.ysS men and 3s3 women. Not ali of
them had been convicted: aS2 OF
them co.'s men and sixty-six women)
were awaiting trial. The homicides
formed S9l per cent. of the entire prison
population. The percentage of male pris
oners charged with homicide was 92i; of
female prisoners 1t was GA. or precisely
two-thirds as great. In other words, NOT
withstanding the fact that Of 1000 muir
derers e47 are male and So are female. the
comparative frequency OF the homicidai
impulse in men is only 50per cent. greater
than in women.
OF 1856 prisoners charged with homi-
eide 1881 t6 ass men and S93 women) were
indicted under no other charge. hu, IS (all
OF them menu were arraigned on double
charges, such as murder aud arson. etc
Washington had ~ prisoners charged
with homicide. ThiTty-one OF these were
white, and fifteen OF the whites were
natives of the United States; parents ma
tive, II: parents foreign. 8. The foreign
born numbered IL There were negroes.
, Chinese and B Indians. None of the
homicide prisoners were women
The highest ratio of increase OF homi-
cidsi prisoners is in the Western division.
erS in the million; then in the South Gem
trail, 30: the South Atlantic, i23; the
North Central. 50. and tire North Atlantic.
81. The order OF ratios in 1850 was the
same. The growth of this class of pr,s-
sners dnring the decade has been greatest
In the South Central division, o.: then IN
the South Atlantic. SIS; the North Attain
Vie, IL: the North Central, 7, AMI the
Western, 8.
Washington had ratio Of 10 homi.
sidal prisoners 10 the million of nonula
don; Ia 1850 266 10 tie million: percentage
ef increase, 81 81
There were in the North Atlantic diyis.
on i.0ST hemicldal prisoners. in The
North Central division, |. 7ssi; in the West
srn division. SIS: total In the so-called
Northern states ,incluiing Missouri.
k52 There were IN the south Atlantic
tivlsion. i.0Sss in the South Central d,yis.
on, 2,5sS: total in the su-cal1ed Southern
ta;es s6Sa This is very nearly an even
stvlsion between the two leading sections
q the country. Ii Missouri we're rerk.
aned With the Southern states, the ficn-es
would stand; In the so-called North.
q &NS: but in the South ? s,SS