The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-24
POLICE FORCE FAR TOO SMALL.
Confined from First Page)

1
that here is located the seat Of govern
with its workshops, directors, employees,
and patrons, making it a rendezvous for
| not only the learned scientist. the states
man, the diplomat, and visitor. but for
| that unfortunate class who labor under
various halucinations incident to political
and other excitement
Large factories and furnaces are not
| extant. but how difficult must be the task
to preserve a city and surroundings beau
tiful, with everything else different than
exists elsewhere.
The District an Exception
The District Is a Southern territory
geographically, and largely so socially
It is usually free from crimes OF greater
magnitude. such as murder and highway
robbery. and which are, when committed,
generally confined 10 the lower and Igno-
rant class. By reason of the general free
dom from such, when they do happen the
greater the shock to the community The
frst-na nd crime occurs in ten or twelve
| instances a year in the District. b;.5 when
other localities are heard from, VIA daily
| occurrences the District rating i low
IN 1909, 20 arrests FOR murder. q Tor man
! slaughter, aad III for assault win intent
TO kill were made in Philadelphia; - ar
| rests for m Irder were made in San Fran
/ cisco during the same year, while in
/ Cleveland - arrests for murder and 3 Tor
/ granddaughter were chronicIed- and IN New
Orleans 50 FOR murder. u for accessory,
AID 8 for manslaughter were recorded
Statistics of Crime.
/ ct is not made manifest by the Stats
| ties pertaining TO arrests OF complaints
i that crime in the District has increased
/ in ever. respect. The number Of cases
1 Of arrest exceed those OF former years,
/ but this is result Of the more stringent
| enforcement of the police regulations.
F.. Authorities differ as TO whether crime in
/ creases generally IS the world grows
! older, bit it can safely be asserted that
F.. 1t keeps pace with population While
I porerJf Prompts violations OF lax. pros
/ perity seems TO unite action on the part
Of the criminal classes Poverty oper-
ates q 2 cause for dishonesty; prosperity
opens q more inviting fe1d for The opera
tor The individual wEo steals through
inability to obtain employment IS not SO
numerogs when times are good. but he
who makes 1t business, Uho is known
as professions finds more opportunf-
+ ties than when they are hard. Losses are
/ UnquestiouabIy greater during the sea
soEs OF abundance. money and yaIua5Ies
being more plentiful and more exposed
/ IN this jurisdiction there are fever thefts
OF greater magnitude than eIseRhere with
an equal population, but petit larceny has
aIyays prevailed on an extensive scale
D5sboGesl employees ard children are the
/ factors which contribute largely 20 this
condition 10 remedy has yet been found
whereby TIE practices msy be eiiHlinted,
s'zt it IS believed that if the former were
required to produce books with entries OF
character from each and every. employer
i would IN . measure check the ceuGf-
ton. while compulsory education, coupled
! with = law restricting children to their
I. ho9asS= after hours. would further modify
the situation. Social surroundings in this
community are such as TO prompt strfn-
gent measures with respect to their con
troll
Assaults aIsd Whipping Posts.
Cases OF assault occur more Frequently
iben formerly, and the whipping post
might Be applied without infringing upon
The law OF humanity. Women and vouBg
girls are often Tic victims o. harsh treat
meat. while the brutal offender has but to
undergo season OF confinement. Wife
heaters, and those who assault females
10 not repent through jail sentences.
IN 1888 IN seventeen cases defendants
were held on the charge OF murder; in
1890, Tor The same offence, there we're
/ fifteen; while during tie fiscal year Just
closed there were only eight convictions
On preliminary hearings. Grouping tie
number o. murders since 1881 the fol-
loving table Is adduced: 1851, 8 1885. Q:
1855 Is: 1857. -: 1888. Is: tsSa- L: 1880
l.; 1871. Z; 1892, II: 1888. II: 1893. 10:
1885, II; 1885. s; 1897. 10: 1895. -: 1893
Il; 1850, Is: 1901. s
Ia wiU 5e seen that IN 1888 the mum
her WAS - ard IN 1855 the same. In 1889
The rusaber vas Il. and the same during
1929 While 10 particular conclusion fol
lows the citation Of these periods. the
correspondence IS at once interesting.
Assault with intent to kill was recorded
in q cases sustained en- preliminary
hearing during the year just closed s.
n 1e50. and a in 1899 Cases Of assault
ana battery held in 1889 reached SIS; for
the year 1860 there were 722. whiIe. 1861
chFoRicied SCI. On the principle that VIC
lations against tie peTsan are more NJ
neTous il hot weather than cold weather.
the increase over the prior year is iustf-
fed, but as TO murder and assault with
intent to KIN. the same IS not sustained.
but favorable decrease IS noted.
Crime Against Property.
''Reverting to crime against proDertv.
petit-iarceny eases made n 1899 numbered
1913; IN 1890 they increased to SIS. and
in 1901 to 1,425. Only 80 cases CT grand
larceny were sustained during 1889. 81
in 1900 and 1G0 in 1861 Housabreaki King
by day. which in this Jurisdiction means
where premises Of any kid are broken
into in the daytime, numbered % in 1889.
Is the next year. and 80 in 1901 House
breaking by night, a separate offence here,
recognized as such even If person en-
tiers premises at night without breaking.
vas the charge In 81 cases held in 1899. ~
during 1860, and 76 in 1891. OF the latter
class 205 complaints were made to the
police.
While considering the number OF cases
Of arrest, the Increase OF population, ex-
pesure of slot ma chimes and merchandise.
and Increased noIiee forea Will, Increased