The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-02

criminals are the foreign and the negro.
Togther they furnished 54,250 of the
S2.329 criminals reported in 1890, or
about sixty-six per cent. although they
only constituted forty-flve per cent. Of
the population. To put 1t in ratios,
there was 1 criminal for every 5lS
negroes and persons of foreign parent
age; 1 criminal for every 1885 white
native-born persons; or, 1881 criminals
for every million of negroes and per-
sons of foreign parentage; 796 crimin-
ais for every million of white native
born persons.
WHENCE CRIMINALS COME.
What countries furnish most of the
foreign born criminals? The ratios Of
foreign-born criminals to foreign-born
population are as follows:
3l2 Italian criminals to every 100000
foreign-born Italians.
297 Irish criminals to every 100000 for
eign-bOrn irish. 49,.
POS Hungarian criminals to every 100000
foreign-born Hungarians. al, ooo
1O7 German criminals to every 100000
foreign-born Germans. $4,000.
10l Polish criminals to every luO,VUO 1Or-
eign-born Poles. .. al.
81 Bohemian criminals to every 100 900
foreign-born Bohemians.
According to ratios, the Italians are
the most, and the Bohemlans the least,
criminal of all our foreign-born popu-
lations. 1t is an interesting fact that
all of the 81, ,329 criminals except 2,O66,
were returned as speaking the English
language.
Information as to the individual ages
of criminals is classified in several val
liable tables by half decades, beginning
at five years and under, and closing
with ninety to ninety-four. Fifty
eight per cent. of all the crimes were
committed in the range of twenty
years between the ages of twenty and
forty. Taking It by decennial periods,
the worst decade is that between twen-
ty and thirty. More than forty-four
per cent of all the criminals were of
ages belonging to this period. Our GRIM
inals are chiefly young criminals. This
is true of whites and blacks, native
born and foreign born male and fe-
male, and for all groups of crimes.
The negroes show a strong tendency
to crime in early years. The prevail
ing tendency among prisoners under
fifty is to crimes against property;
above fifty it is to crimes against So
ciety.
Turning to the marital relations of
prisoners, we find that the great ma
jority of them-5O,6S9, or about 1000
less than a full two thirds-were single.
The single prisoners tend more largely
to crimes against property, while
crimes against the person are relatively
more frequent among the married, es-
pecially married women.
AS TO EDUCATION.
The illterates among the prisoners
number 1851, or twenty-four per cent.
This is about eleven per cent greater
than obtains among the whole popula-
| ton. The relatively large number OF
negro criminals raises the percentage
| of illiteracy. More than half of the il
| literate prisoners are of that race. The
| illiterate criminals show tendency tC
crimes against the person; the literate
| to crimes against the government and
| society. OF the literate prisoners, 3,59;
! had received an advanced education
1,1OS having been through college oi
university, and 1904 through high
school or academy. Six We're graduates
of theological seminaries, "a of scienti.
fic, G3 of medical, and IS of law schools
|
chanics, 1O,S49 apprentices. 54,285 hav
ing no trade The occupations of the
| prisoners prior to arrest were varied
| The chief divisions are thus indicated
Unskilled labor, 23. .16O; manufactures
i 17725; agriculture, 1850; personal ser
vice, 1885, transportation, $3.50. Up
ward of $500 had no particular occu
patton. At the time of arrest no fewe
than 2i1O9 were idle. This is nearly {
third. 1t carries its own lesson, anC
illustrates the truth that Satan find
some mischief still for idle hands t
do" Three fourths of them were con
victed for crimes against propert!
and society.
One fifth of all the prisoners We're re
turned as drunkards and nearly one
half as moderate or occasional drinker
in all, 56,054, or more than fifty-eigh
per cent. The remaining forty-two pc
cent includes 1876 total abstainers an
also 1859 whose habits are unknown.