New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-01
RECORD OF CASUALTIES AND CRIME.
GRATIFYING DECREASE IN MANY PARTICULARS
FOR THE YEAR-FBwER KILLED IN
WAR THAN IN 1897.


Chicago Dec 3l-Accordirg to the statistics COM
nued bv "The Tribune" the loss OF life from varl-
ous disasters In this country between January l
and December 81, 1898. was 73i5. The casualties
occurred az follows: BY fires, 1870 droWnings,
BIO; explosions go: mines. $50; falling buildings
etc 500 tornadoes and storms 5O2 and lightning
Oh The loss OF life by railroad accidents OF var'-
ous kinds was $500 in 1898, compared with 2I64 In
1897.
Notwithstanding the war between the united
States and Spain the loss Of life upon the battle
field in 1898 W.. smaller than for several years
before: the total roughly estimated. was only
about So 600 compared with lO3.45l in 1897. The
loss of life by epidemics and famine shows graft
fying decrease. Famine In the province OF kansu'
China. swept away 900 victims. The plague In
India destroyed over 1000 and in China about
2 600 persons Exact statistics OF this kind are
hard TO procure but the total is probably ss than
Is 900 compared with I'D 902 In 1897.
The list Of marine disasters shows that 1865
lives were lost upon the and IS on inland
waters a total OF 3.730. compared with 2426 In
1897 The total number of persons who committed
suicide In the United States in 1895 1920 COM
pared with 5000 in 1897 Among professional men,
physicians lead the list. 81 having taken their own
lives and Al in 1897. In the year IL persons en-
gagged in the banking business ciergymen, Z
Journalists 6 attorneys, actors and artists
committed suicide The causes Of suicide were as
sanity 43s liquor 1875: ill-heath. 2ss: domestic
infelicty 1877 disappointed love. 1876, and business
losses. 10
In the cases Of suicide. 1926 persons took poison,
203T shot themselves. IS7 hanged themselves, 452
cut their threats 35i drowned themselves, 30
Jumped from windows or housetops, 30 threw them
selves In front of railroad trains 26 burned them
selves TO death, % stabbed themselves. starved
themselves and 3 blew themselves up with dyna-
mite.
The total number Of murders committed in 1898
shows decrease-a phenomenon often witnessed
in a war year-being $40. compared with $3.50 In
1897 1862 in 1896 and 1880 in 1895. The causes
of murder may be roughly classified follows:
Quarrels. 1867; unknown. 2,G7s; jealousy. 2o5;
liquor, 2OT by hghwaymen 3D.; infanticide 24s;
resisting arrest. M; highwaymen killed. 49, In
sanity 50; sef-defence. 80; strikes. 90; outrages,
: and riots. q.
The losses by fire in the United States in 1895
aggregate s133. 13. i6s compared with Sl2Dool ~
Those where the loss in each case 100000 and
upward amount 10 $6+.0l5400 and the losses by
mob murders throughout the country decreased
in 1895. compared with 1897 being smaller than in
any year since 1885. except 1890, when the number
was the same. Judge Lynch executed III persons
in the year. l22 men and womer OF T., these ts
North. or the total number l02 were negroes. %
whites and Indians; - .,.,
and bank wreckage for 1s9s shows material de-
crease. being only 1851 2's3. compared With 81
since 1855 out Of the total number of cases Of
embezzllng reported nine persons stole over $4,000
Zach nine over 100000 each. over 100000.
one over $500 900 over 100000 and two over
s5un.OOO 100 40
The number OF legal executions in 1895 l09.
compared with l2s In 1897. There We're y hanged
white. 4s blacks and | Chinese The crimes for
which they were executed murder 100 and
rape. y. 400. -. -, 49, -. 81, .
records Of former years. The gifts amounted 70
s,3 Ost 900 compared with S33.6i2,6l4 In 1887. or
fhe total amount there given TO colleges Sl3
ose 10. TO charities Sc $50 300 to churches. 81 02
oyO. TO museums and art galleries, Sl4i2ooo. ana 10
81 ltt, 800