The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-10

that theao t1vo women mot their deaths. Emm,
johnson parted company with her sister and
her niece about 8 o'clock at night on the MAR
Oxford road between Windsor and Maiden
head. They had accompanied her part OF thu
way back to her employers. 1t was q fine
moonlight night, and she, a strong young wo
man, walked on alone.
Within ten minutes Of the time she left hci
friends she had been seized by the arms and
felled with a blow on tho right side Of the head
to the ground. The blow may have been struck
with the fist, but It is unlikely. She struggled
violently, and then she was stabbed in the neck
either with a dagger or a sharp and long. bladed
penknife, tho juRular vein was cut, and the girl
practically bled to death. Her body was then
dragged to the mill stream, about $50 yards
away. It was stripped, the clothes being torn
from the limbs, and 1t was thrown into the
water. The clothes were then carried by the
murderer for about half a mile, carefully
searched, and afterward placed in q bundle
under the hedge on tho opposite side of the
main road from where the attack on the girl
took place, and where the body was found.
Nobody has been arrested and nobody seems
likely to be arrested. The police theories of
robbery or jealousy seem entirely unsupported.
What plumber worth taking any risk for
would be likely to be found in the pockets of a
barmaid or a servant girl on her Sunday out
ingi As for jealousy, 1t is very doubtful
whether the vindictive swain ever commits his
crime secretly. He glories In 1t, boasts Of It,
often threatens II beforehand, and. having done
1t, either takes his own life or surrendors him
selr quietly to Justice. Ono does not recall a
single case of murder from jealousy in which
tho perpetrator has sought to mako good his
escape. He resorts to his vengeance from a
feeling that he has nothing left to live for.
What the police too often fail to grasp. espe-
cially in connection with q cunningly executed
murder, seems to be that 1t need have no ra-
tional motive at oil. but may be the result of q
deyilish impulse on tho part Of some homicidal
maniac.
The purposeless ferocity OF many Of the other
crimes lends color to the theory of masked In
sanity. In one case a schoolboy was strangled
and horribly mutilatcd at Plaistow and his
body thrown into q field. In two other cases re-
spectacle women in humble life were slaugh-
tered without apparent provocation. and in no
case has any one been brought to Justice. Then
there are children left strangled, and unknown
bodies from the river.
Public opinion has at last demanded q reason
from the police for their failure to accomplish
something. Unhappily there seems abundant
reason why criminals in London are not caught.
The Chief of Police is always q retired army of
fcer, whose entire system is discipline. without
regard to individual skill in detective inquiries.
The men in the criminal investigation depart
ment get promoted because they are nice per.
sons, well behaved and obedient, presentable at
West End evening parties. where they are hired
to see that jewelry and other valuables do not
go astray. But for men with a natural genius
for finding and tracing real clues in obscure
crimes they have no use. and for the weaknesses
that sometimes accompany such gifts they
make no allowance. Some OF the detectives
are now speaking out as freely as they
may without fear OF tho consequences in
complaint of Scotland Yards military methods.
They complain of very harsh sentences for what,
in the Continental or American detective SER
vice, would be regarded as offences against reg.
ulations that would be sufficiently punished by
reprimand or a small fine. They complain that
to reduce men to the ranks who have done ex-
cellent service simply because OF an occasional
excess. for which the very nature of their bust
ness furnishes sufficient temptation, is not the
way to build up a feeling OF security, fraternity.
and loyalty among men who have much to risk
and little to gain by the detection of crime. The
man who works hardest Is subject to tho great
est risk, the one who takes 1t easy to the least.
Hence, perhaps. the apathy which confines most
of tine members of tho detective force to exactly
that amount of ~exertion which can be com.
pressed into the word duty"
Another officer attributes the decline Of do
tective efficiency to the demands made upon tho
available staff by what 10 known as the special
or political branch of the service. "On the for
nation OF the Special Department in 1883" he
says. all the political work was done by the
late Inspector Won Tornow and a small staff.
They were quite sufficient to look after tho
Anarchist, Fenian, Nihilistic. and Socialistic
business. Under Mr.. Anderson. however. a re-.
arrangement took place. and you now have
something like $50 men employed on espionage
duty. Some OF the cleverest men in the Yard
are employed in this work. not only in London.
but al the leading English ports, and ON the
Continent-men who could give q good account
OF themselves If engaged in the detection of or
binary crime. My belief is that the decadence
of our detective system is mainly due to the
fact that of late years Scotland Yard has to q
great extent been transformed into a bureau Of
political mouchdrds."
Whatever the reason may be, the result Is that
scarcely any one who has not been in jail beft>e
is ever caught for a grave crime. The detectives
cannot detect and, instead, they go over q list of
released ~convicts and patiently exhaust the
names in 1t until they learn what each man was
doing at the time Of the crime. Sometimes they
catch men in this way. But the clever GRIM
inals who have never been laid by the heels
are sure of immunity. On all sides they are
exhorted to learn something from the French
system-although that is nothing to what it
was once for brilliant and successful work.
The evidence seems to be that the best men
are largely turned on to political and secret
work and that the ordinary citizen who is
the prey OF the common violent criminal suffers
in consequence. In view of this state of things
the Londoner Is demanding outside aid. He
points out that in Paris it is not the police alono
who are engaged in detective work. In difficult
cases the services of skilled crime investigators
outside the service are requisitioned and it is
quite n customary thing to employ postmen,
cabraen, hotel and boarding house keepers and
trade men. not to mention women. for purposes
of observation and detection. 1t is remarkable
that the ineffective personnel and want OF sys-
tenn In London has been tolerated for SO long.
The present deadlock is strengthening the pub
lie demand that the Chief Commissioners of Po-
lice should have better detectives than pro-
NOTED policemen. and that men of proved capac-
ity shall be released from the existing barrnck-
room regulations. ii. Il. q.