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


cumstances Consrire to shieid the wick.
ed woman-women seldom Reform.
Theodore @. Metgier, the well lmown,
San Francisco detective. has not had
twentytssx years Of experienceih his pro.
fession without obtaining some very
strong impressions ana opinions in regard
to crime and criminals.
Gas O SORT Of text," said Mr.. Metzler,
''for wbat'T haye to say onthis 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 o rulc, the more prominent in
crime, woman, on the other hand, is at
once more cruel and cunning in what
she does.
"Frorn the circumstance that o 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 conclusion is,
however, not borne out by the facts, for
when crimes have been traced to women
1t has been found in the greet rnajority
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.
u 'sThere are several reasons continued
MIR. Metzler, "why SO few women have
been convicted of crime. Man'snatnral
sympathyfor her often, causes him to
overlook important points against her,
and then againshe is always, extra care
full for fear he might do her injustice
and injury. Men In tho detisctive pro-
fession may pretend tohaxe no sympathy
for a woman, yet a good looking face
and o bewitching smile always find a
tenderspet in their hearts
'sOf course there are exceptions. but
they are verytfew If there are menein
this profession who are not susceptible
to woman's' plea,1 in my experience
oftwenty-sixyears, have failed to find
them.
Another thing: 1t Is seldom consid-
cred that girls are watched more care
fully than&boys and are under. greater
restraint. Neither is it taken into &C
count older females spend more Of
their time at home. while males of their
own age are on tho street or mingling
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 violefft quarrels generally
take place In the street or barrooln, and
not in the parlor or sitting room.
"Now as to the cruelty and delibera.
\ tion of the female criminal. The history
| OF crime eshows that most Of the murders
committed by women are those perpe
| y Iney'sdUw eareItlI preparas1on Bhu grea
4 dellberation. In almost every instance
! itreachery is employed, tho victim beine
| invited to partake of refreshments by
one who is presumed to bea friend.
''Murder by the administration of poi
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.
Another very remarkable fact" con-
lt1nued the detective, "has recently been
mentioned in London paper by the
chaplain Of Clerkenwell jail. It is that
some criminals are practically incurable,
From o table prepared by him it was
shown that during last year there were
committed to the prisons and iails of
England and Wales 1855 men and 9,Te4
women who had been convicted no less
than ten times previously. You SEQ the
force of the comparison.
"a partial explanation Of this strassye
state of things may be foundin in the fact
that women are more thoroughgoing in
siall things, good, bad or Indifferent, than
1.-THE men. They do nothing by halves.
BE the matter the construction of q
,shortcale, the making Of crazy quilt
ior the poisoning of a rival, woman de.
votes all her time, knowledge and talent
to what she has in view.
/ AueH, aBatH, u woman naS less chance
of reforming than ihan. The latter
can go to 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 Indifferent place some
one is liable to recognize her.
ga strange woman Is always looked
on with suspicion, as it's presumed thai
she would prefer to live in the town
where she was brought up and where
her old acquaintances are. A man gets
credit for his enterprise if he goes to
new country and engages in business
for himself, but such is not the casa
with woman. If she is once discowa
tered her own sex are the first to point
their fingers at her. turn up their noses
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.
-A---------------s---------.-i ~
AS Far AS Looks Go.
"They've raked in pretty tough 11uk-