Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-12-02
BIG WAVE OF CRIME.
NEW YORK UNDERGOING ALMOST A
 REIGN OF TERROR.

One Thousand Felonies In a Month-Po.
 lice Force Totally Inadequate--PossibIe
 Return to Byrnes' Famous Plan of En-
 pioying Stool Pigeons.
 The records of the New York police department show that crimes of violence or felonies increase and decrease within certain periods without any apparent cause. Crimes have been increasing so rapidly of late in some quarters of that city that people are panic stricken and are afraid to leave their homes after dark. The wave of crime appears to be at its full height, and the energetic efforts of nearly 4,000 policemen have not had any perceptible effect ill pre- venting its commission. Arrests are be- ing made for felonies at tho rate of about 800 month, but the ranks of crooks seem to fill up so rapidly that these arrests have not had any effect.
 It has been the policy of the police for years to prevent publicity in all cases of felony ill which the alleged Offender is not arrested. If the records of all complaints entered in station house blottors are compared with the leeord of arrests which are kept in po- lice headquarters. 1t will show that in Considerably less than 50 per cent Of the eases are the complaints followed by arrests.
 The police claim, with a considerable show of pride, that rohberies involving large sums of money by thieves ill tho first rank have been held in cheek, but it cannot he denied that small or forci, ble robberies are on the increase.
 The felonies committed will average about 1000 month, and many of the offenders escape because under the pres ent system of communicating between Station houses and police headquarters there is always more or less delay in mo- tifying the detective bureau of the com mission of q crime Criminals, even murderers, frequently get four or five Hours start, as appears from the record in the Krauer murder case, before com petent detectives are detailed to work on the ease.
 The thieves in New York hailed with delight the announcement made by Act ing Captain O'Brien, when he took charge of the detective bureau, to the effect that the detective force would be operated without the aid of stool pi geons. When exChief ByInes was ill charge of the detective bureau, he estab- lished stool pigeon corps which was so powerful and well organized that thieves, big and little, were afraid to talk about or make plans for an inpor- tant robbery of any kind No thief could be sure that he was not talking to one of Byrnes spies, and this kept robbery in check Tine effect of the practical abolition of the stool pigeon system was to encourage thieyery, and it is the be- lief of policemen who have had long ex- perience that the present activity in criminal circles is largely due to the ab- senoe of the stool pigeon and his daily reports to the station house or his favor ite detective.
 It is a record of the detective bureau, though not one open for public inspec- tion, that ill the 3 years ex-Chief l Byrnes was in charge of the bureau at least 75 per cent of the arrests made 5 were due to the work of the stool pi- geon. The percentage of arrests at pres ent, ill comparison with the number of complaints made of crimes committed, is much less than it was when the stool pigeon was the premier detective in the department, although he did not get credit for his work publicly. New York Recorder.