Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1894-04-28
HOMICIDES.
WHAT THOSE OF THE UNITED
STATES INDICATE.
The Average Criminal Fairly Educat-
ed-AveraRe Age of Murderers
A Comparison With Other
4 Countries.
n ETWEEN the fact OF one hu.
man being killing another and
- the judicial act pronouncing

il murder there is many . step |
and many slip; which explains. per-
haps, why it is that. although the num-
Der of persons convicted Of murder is |
the number of those ac-
eused thereof is increasing.z In tho
United States, on an average, accord
ing to an exchange, nearly ten per
cent. of all the prisoners confined in
our jails. at any one time, are charged
with homicide.
Muraerers are not usually illiterate.
The majority of them can read and
write, except in the case of colored
people, less than half OF whom can do
either. and of the Indians only a very
few have any education or even civil
ization at all. Among the foreigners
charged with the crime three out OF
every four are entirely illiterste. Very
few of those charged have had any
higher or advanced education-the
percentage being about 3.45. Nearly
all of them have no trade or life occu-
patton, especially among the native
murderers-the foreigners usually hav-
ing had some adopted means of hveli.
hood before emigrating.
The professions furnish about one or
-, xh>
office holders about one for every tive
hundred and the fishers about one for
every three hundred. Unskilled labor
is credited with most, agriculturists
come next, manufacturers and mechan-
ical industries follow, and then in their
order of criminality come personal and
house servants, railroad and steamship
people, trade and commerce, mining,
professional, official, lumber and mis-
cellaneous.
To the everlasting honor of woman
hood be it said that out of all homi-
cides men commit at least ninety-five
per cent. of them and women not over
five or six per cent and of those the
vast majority are by lewd and aban-
doned women. And of the men it is
found, naturally enough, that nearly
one-half of them are bachelors.
Men are never too old to murder.
The average age if found TO be about
thirty-five years, except among the
Chinese, where the average is higher.
Twenty per cent are under twenty
five and few are over the Scriptural
three score and ten The average age
OF women is over thirty-two and that
Of colored people thirty. The figures
also dispel the popular delusion that
idleness is crimes workshop, as over
three -fourths of all persons charged
with homicide were employed a. the
time Of the crime.
In spite of the fact that . majority
Of the murderers have some sort Of
education, il is nevertheless noticeable
that the crime IN broad generaliza-
ton reachest its highest percentage
among the uneducated and illlterate.
Compared with other nations the
United States. in spite OF its different
| elements and its want OF uniform
police protection, is not remarkable
| for the number of It's murders. Italy
| aud Spain are much more mnYdeYous
nations. In 1875 Italy abolished capital
| punishu. en., and ii is said murders in
| creased forty-two per cent In the
| United States only three States lave
| abolished the death penalty-Rhoae
| Island, Michigan AMI Wisconsin with
what cense,. .aences il is ye, impossible
to tell.
Murder IS often the -esa!. os sos,
| o. epidemic 0; c.iue that strikes >
eomnunitv-one murder frequently
bringing on another bat generally j,
is TIE pYoduc: o: 8 lsck o: civilization
Wherever a s.ate o. GovernEent IL IL
state Of decentralization AID diso.'
Ssc.xst.os n7rier - bound 20 g
crease. unlese srcn .ec9s.ey Is cnuc
| .erAc,ed BY s,f,ng ,<lig.ous.nausnces.
Thus Tu-ke- Is -oto..oas.- uase:s.e;
- a.. It's tezpo:a. a.ai.s, AID re:
| ,hacks 10 tee s.so1g Islam faith o: Il
peouie. :, Is no.o.ionslv free from shi
| one great crime against God AMI HAN
Compared with. Turkey. Greece. 'h
| cradle O. civilization. j. n serv hot
| bed 81. mur.lers rolling up a grsn'
| total II ZIG rans~lers and 41s attempt
IN one rear oat Of population OF les