The herald., 1893-02-12
FEMALE CRIMINALS.
IA DETECTIVE SAYS THAT WOMEN
ARE MORE CRUEL THAN MEN.

cumstances Conspiro to Shield the wick
ed woman-women seldom Reform.
Theodore @. Metzler, the well known 4
San Francisco detective, has not had
twentyyssx years of experienceih his pro.
fession without obtainipg some very
strong impressions ana opinions in regard
to crime and criminals.
Gas sort Of text" said Mr.. Metzler,
''for what'T haye to say on this subject,
Twill state that in considering men and
women as criminals, between whom and
their deeds comparisons are to be made,
/ consider that, while man is undoubted-
ly, as rule, the more prominent in
crime, woman, on the other hand, is ct
once more cruel and cunning in what
she does.
"Frorn the circumstance that con-
siderable less number Of women than
men are convicted Of crime the infer
ence is drawn that in women the GRIM
inal ptopensities are weaker or under
better control. Such o conclusion is,
however, not borne out by the facts, for
when crimes have been traced to women
1t has been found in the greet 1najor4ty
of cases, That the guilty deeds HAYS been
committed not only with systematic
cunning, but also with GOODNESS and
cruelty which have seldom been attrib-
,uted to man.
"There are several reasons" continued
MIR. Metzler, "why SO few women have
been convicted of crime. Man'snatnral
sympathyFfor her often. causes him to
overlook important points against her,
and then again he is always, extra care
full for fear he might do her injustice
and injury. Men in the detective pro-
fession may pretend tohave no sympathy
for q woman, yet a good looking face
and o bewttching smile always find. a
tender,spet in their hearts
''Of course there are exceptions. but
they are very y.few. If there are menin
this profession who are not susceptible
/ to woman's' plea,1, in my experience
Of twenty-sixyears have failed to find
them.
Another thing: 1t is seldom consid-
cred that girls are watched more care
| fully thaneboys and are under greater
restraint. Neither is it taken into ac-
count'that older females spend more of
4 their time at home, while males Of their
own age are ON the street or ningling
with persons whose habits are not al
ways the best. Many of the temptations
\ to crime come from business complica-
tions, in which women have little or no
\ share, as they spend most Of their time
at home with their children and female
companions, Most homicides, you know,
are the results Of anger excited when
persons are away from their homes and
families, as violent quarrels generally
4 take place In the street or barroon, and
\ not in the parlor or sitting room.
4 "Now as to tho cruelty and delibera.
tion of the female criminal. The history
of crimeshows that most Of the murders
l.committed by women are those perpe
u neys1uw cEreItli prbpaIaSIon anu grea
\ tdellberation. In almost every instance
/ ytreachery is employed, tho victim being
\ invited to partake of refreshments by
\ one who is presumed to be friend.
j S'Murder by the administration of poi.
4 son is considered the most foul and the
darkest of all crimes, but il is the one
that women have been addicted to more
generally than men in all ages and
\ countries.
4 Another very remarkable fact" con
| tinued the detective, "has recently been
mentioned in London paper by the
chaplain Of Clerkenwell jail. 1t is that
some criminals are practically incurable.
From table prepared by him it was
shown that during last year there were
committed to the prisons and jails of
England and Wales 1856 men and 8, ,764
women who had been convicted no less
than ten times previously. You SEQ the
force Of the comparison.
"a partial explanation Of this strsage
state of things may be found in the fact
that women are more thoroughgoing in
all things, good, bad OF Indifferent, than
Isithe men. They do nothing by halves
Be the matter the construction of d
,shortcal,e, the making Of crazy Quilt
or the poisoning Of rival woman de-
votes all her time knowledge and talent
TO what she has in view.
"Then. again, a woman has less chance
of reforming than q lhan. The latter
can go to a strange or distant.place,
raise whiskers or shave those he had, as.
sumo a, different name and commence
life anew. He can generally find en-
ployment, but with the woman it is
more difficult. Disguise is not SO easy,
and if she goes to different place some
one is liable to recognize her.
ga strange woman is always looked
on with suspicion, as it is presumed that
she would prefer to live in the towr
where she was brought up and where
her old acquaintances are. A man gets
credit for his enterprise if he goes to a
new country and engages in business
for himself, but such is not the cass
with woman. Ii she is once discows
ered her own sex are the first to point
their fingers at her, turn up their nosas
and refuse to associate with her, the re-
suit of which is that She becomes hard
ened and callous, ana is again driven to
crime. San Francisco Post. q
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AS Far As Looks Go. 81
"They'ye raked in O pretty tough ugrilr