The record-union., 1894-01-27
GEOGRAPHY OF crime.
Some Interesting Statistics Com
piled in Germany.
Saxony Shows the Enormous Percent
age of Four Hundred Suicides to
Every Million Inhabitants - New
York City a Central Place For All
Kinds of Criminals.

For over year Professor Oettinger,
the German philosopher, has been COM
piling statistics regarding what might be
called the geography OF crime. His work,
the first of the kind undertaken, has just
been given TO the public. The best ma
terial that could be found, which fur
nishes incontrovertible proof, is the
crime of suicide, based on geographical
conditions. says the Boston Transcript
The geographical certer of the suicidal
mania is SaXony, which yields an enor-
nous crop-400 cases to every 100000 in
habitants. Among all the civilized States
Germany rolls up the greatest number,
an average of 220 to every 100000 souls.
The other countries range in the follow
ing succession: France, Austria, Bel
GUM, England, Italy and Russia. The
smallest number of suicides occurs in
Ireland. Denmark, on the other hand.
furnishes strikingly large percentage OF
suicides. From all sides of the compass,
according to its greater or lesser dis
tance from the Saxon center, arises the
colossal suicide mountain range OF
Germany. From the Sarmatic Plain
i'll Russia, where the suicides per
million fall below thirty, the crime in
creases in mum bers as it nears the heart
OF Germany. In the provinces OF the
East Sea the number runs up to forty
five; in Eastern and Western Prussia its
quota is almost 100; in Brandenburg 1T IS
200; in the Saxon provinces, from 23O to
240 (higher than III all the other Prusslan
Statesl, reaching its maximum IN the
Kingdom of Saxony itself-400. The
same condition prevails on the western
approach. The Rhenish provinces, in
common with the Belgian tier, produce
from TO 90 cases TO each I,UOO,OOO souls;
Westphalia, 20; Hanover, l40; Thuringia,
as it gravitates toward Saxony, 800. The
same proportion holds good for the south,
while farther north, in Schleswig- Hol-
stein and Denmark, sort OF independent
mountain range with second gravitation
center seems TO have formed. The south
ern regions, Austria and Bavaria, are un-
der the baneful influence of SaXony. The
average is Bavaria is 100, farther south it
is barely 20, while III the northern prov
inces of Bavaria, as they border on Sax
ony, the number increases to $50. Aus
tria, aside from the infectious surround
ings of Vienna and lower Austria, fur
nishes an average of l30 suicides to l.000,-
900 people, but in the provinces which
approach SaXony this number increases
rapidly, being 100 in Maheren, $50 in
Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria and Norarlberg
the number declines to 80 and 100.
MANY OFFENDERS IN LARGE CITIES.
Before passing on to a review of other
crimes it is we'll to state that the metro
politan cities are not included in these
geographical statistics, for all the large
cities of the world-London, Paris, Ber
lin, Vienna, Rome, st. Petersburg, NJ ew
York-are centers of crime. They may
be regarded III the light of international
criminal resorts, where all crimes are
equally represented, the size of the city
being the only cause of difference. Lon
don, with its 100000 Inhabitants, has
the largest number OF criminals. Nearly
$4,000 individuals are constantly menac-
ing the public peace of London, the safety
OF life and property, and England'S
peculiar laws encourage this state of
affairs. 1t seems incredible that only
one-siXth of the most notorious law
breakers are imprisoned in England,
while the rest go about on evil bent. The
two next largest cities where crime
abounds are New York and San Fran
cisco, encouraged as in London, by the
laws of the country. Paris at the present
time manitests a striking increase in
crimes OF immortality, far in excess pro-
portionately TO all other crimes. In
Vienna burglary is far in excess OF muir
H,
Austria Hungary.
Murder, geographically considered, is
the product of a lack of civilization.
Whenever a State or Government is in a
state of diSorganiZation the people be-
come demoralized, educational and re-
ligious progress is at standstill and muir
der is bound to increase. 1t is essential
to lay great stress on the religious feeling
of a community, because few murders
1f1.xyf n cro1
unsettled in it's affairs, wherein a large
proportion of the people are lacking in
civilization and culture. But the Islam
faith is productive of certain religious
sentiment in these uneducated masses
which prevents murder, the greatest
crime against human and divine laws.
Compared with Turkey, Greece, once the
seat Of civilization but now demoralized
and degraded by Turkish influences,
without the productive power of the Mo-
hammedan religion, manifests the truth
of this assertion by rolling up, in popu-
lation of less than 100000 people, 3I6
murders and 473 felonious assaults, an
average of one killed or manned for every
$500 souls. This number overshadows
demoraliZed Ireland, where for a mum ber
of years the most terrible agrarian crimes
murder, arson, etc.-have been COM
mitted, the outcome of the atrocious feel
ing between landowners and the peas
antry.
STATISTICS OF MURDER IN AMERICA.
Another country with large percent
age is Spain, and an increase in blood
shed goes hand in hand with the gradual
decline. A glance at the crime statistics
of the United States demonstrates that
murder reaches it's highest percentage
among the uneducated class, who can
neither read nor write. In the State of
Texas, for example, one murder occurs
to every $3.50 inhabitants. In Illinois
this percentage is considerably lowered,
one murder being quoted for every 80, 900.
Germany of late years shows an increase
of murder cases and assaults, born out of
sociaiistic tendencies. The murder per-
centage OF Great Britain is comparatively
small, with the exception of London and
Ireland, and personal safety in England
and Scotland is commended on all sides.
Even few thefts are committed in the
level portions. France, Sweden, Dem
mark, Belgium, Holland and Switzer-
land record murder statistics similar to
| those of Germany. No substantial data
can be obtained about Russia, but the
striking increase in political murders,
signalized by the nihilistic and socialistic
era, needs no comment. No State in the
world rolls up more revolutionary at
tacks and crimes at the present time than
Russia. During the year ISS6-S7, the last
authentic report that could be obtained,
5000 persons were deported to Siberia for
life.
AS with suicide and murder, it is with
theft geographically speaking. Lack of
culture and civilization is synonymous
with increased theft and dishonesty, not
SO much on account of the immoral and
depraved condition of the people as be-
cause of lack of protection. Theft in
Sweden and Norway, in Denmark and
the extreme north is exceedingly rare.
The oriental and southeastern States show
an alarming amount of theft, and next to
America, Turkey, Russia, the Balkan
States and Hungary contain the most
crooks. Fraud in all its various denomi-
nations. ranGing from the hinh=nrada