Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-05-06
CRIMINAL ANrHRopoLoaY.
OBSERVATIONS BASED ON RE
CENT CRIMES IN NORFOLK


CENT CRIMES IN NORFOLK
The Scaboard Medical and Surgical
College Journal in it's May issue. re-
Gently issued from the press. has the
following interesting article on "Crimi-
nal Authropology:"
The wave OF crime. which has over
spread some OF the Southern States
within recent weeks. embracing the
lowest to the highest offence. is but a
repetition of n cycle. which comes twice
and thrice in u decade.
Although Norfolk and vicinity has
had more than the general average
within q given time, the fact remains
that crime is rife throughout the coun-
try. Naturally the more dense the
population. greater inducements to
criminals are offered. 1t is notably
true that more crimes are perpetrated.
more manias manifested. more suicides
committed, more abductions take place.
more poisoning cases occur, more
forgery committed, more cases OF arson
manifested. more drunkenness prevails
and a greater amount OF vagrancy eX-
lists in the first months, of Il new year.
Especially Is this true in the South, and
Western States. A criminal is not al
ways born as such, for circumstances
and evil associates, have ruined their
untold thousands. The majority OF
criminals-apprehen those who
are the more successful I'm plying a ma
tural vocation are but the debris OF
confirmed hereditary faint. With the
latter class. the debauches of their avo-
cation is not mania, but simple pro-
position with them. Frequently 1t Is
the case that criminals by adoption can
be reformed, but relapses amongst
them Is not infrequent.
After theft. the most numerous
crimes may be mentioned Us homicide.
swindling, forgery, rape. conspiracy.
murder and incendiarisni. Thus In our
everyday life, as "Ferri remarks" as
in science I'VE very often find inter-
mediate types, for complete and I'M
mixed types are always the most I'M
common" And while legislators and
Judges, in their complacent psychology.
exact and establish marked lines of
cleavage between the sane and the In
sane criminals. experts in psychiatry
and anthropology are often constrain-
ed to place a prisoner somewhere. be-
tween the made and the born criminal
or between the occasional criminal and
the normal man. But when cpimi-
nal cannot be classed precisely In one
or the other category and stands be-
tween the two. this is in itself a suffi-
cient definite classification. especially
from n eociologic point of view
DIR. Holmes has wisely said: THAT
the time to begin n persons education
Is one hundred years before he is born"
Any person born of normal parentage
naturally, we presume, is free In a
measure from any criminal faint. and
should such an offspring be guilty OF
tfr,er ora r "
crime punishable by death. naturally a
mania herein exists. But the criminal
law Is powerless still against crime.
Recently tho editor OF the Journal was
permitted to make an examination of
dead multi-murderer in the local
morgue and the facts as evinced at this
examina tion proved unquestionably
that the man was n congenital GRIM
inal degenerate. The non-lobulated
ears. the low receding forehead. the
large occipital protuberancc. the heavy
sluggish set OF the neck. the contract
ed orbits. the obscureness in develop
ment, in the symphysis mentum and
thick. brutal curvature OF both the
upper and lower lip was most convinc-
ing of the extraordinary inferior class
of his kind. The brain upon the whole
was very small. especially the mental
portion. Physically the man was
Splenoldly developed, with the cxcep-
ton of spatulated digits. 1t is rarely
the case that you find non-educated
criminals quick of conception, for If
they were as apt In conceiving as they
are in concealing. criminal history
would not be as massive as 1t Is. The
color of the hair. of the eye. the shape
-ef the fHeat4,-the- fiese;-tiIc- ci1tr,- the
forehead and the ear often proclaim DIN
unmistakable terms the person behind
them. The worse criminals and the
most cruel are women. The peversity
of woman is so great" says Caro-. las
to be incredible, even to her victims"
To kill her enemy. does not satisfy her.
She needs to see him suffer and know
the full taste of death. After all, can
a normal mental man or woman Ia
found? II no mania exists, you are
more than likely to find an equally de-
moralizing idiosyncrasy, which requires