The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-10-08
Hard for Criminals to Hide.

Hard for Criminals to Hide. ~
Several recent sensational homi.
oides and the aotiye pursuit Of the
alleged murderers by the police in the
cities where the crimes vess commit
ted. and Of the Law ofioer@ in the DIFF
tersat parts Of the eount9ys call up q
feet about the apprehension Of crim-
inals," said headquatsgs detective
sergeant.
ITO the ordinary observer one would
thins it would be comparatively easy
to commit crime, whether Of robbery
or Of homicide. and escape detection,
especially in large city like New
York. It would appear to be vory
easy in that whirlpool Of humanity
for man to secrete himself, lie low,
wait until the affair blew over aud
then seek safety in fight and oblivion
in some distant part Of the country.
To stranger it would seem that
man could be entirely lost from obser-
vation in New York, where one does
not know the residents Of his own
apartment house, or even those on the
same floor with him, much less the
people upon the block.
''The two grest reasons why such
an escape is not made by the culprit
lie in his lack OF nerve, once blood
hnst been shed by him, And, from the,
further fact that ne all have our little
worlds in which We live, and when
q stranger comes over the threshold
thereof we at once detect hie presence.
''Thus, while man who had COM,
mitted crime in large city would
shink himself safe in some small town
or village, he becomes on the con-
trary, Immediately gu object of sus-
picion on the part Of the residents,
who, though strangers 90 him, are
known to one another. Until this
suspicion is cleared up he is marked
man, and, 5eing stranger. he is as
readily picked out as man in uni
form upon a city street.
"But in great city, yDu say, he
would be safe. A great city is simply
an aggregation Of little worlds to which
refer. If man comes co lodging
house or boarding house or to hotel
in any quarter Of town, if he is not as
he represents himself to be, his real
identity is soon discovered. The same
is true if we 60 into the lower strata
| OF city life; in each little world he
shows himself to it's inhabitants to be
a stranger, and the suspicion speak
of attaches at once to g greater or
lesser degree.
"And thus are clues given to the
police. The stranger is discovered
and reported directly or Indirectly.
He is not one Of the regular frogs in
that particular pond in which he
thought he would b. secure from those
from whom he has fed. It is really
astonishing how quickly man is de-
tected out Of his regular environment
and sphere, and the first thought of
man who has committed crime is to
get out of his regular environment
and into new and unfamiliar one TO
him.
"a criminal who seeks the environ
ment Of tramp, as in several recent
notable cases, is detected by the men
whom he tries to simulate just ae
readily as man in the lower walks of
life who commits crime, obtains
money and seeks to float in an atmos-
phere to which he is not used. These
men betray themselves aud are caught,
and because Of this trait of human
nature, showing itself over and over
again. .the police are able to lay their
hands SO quickly upon offenders.
They have learned where to look for
their game. Like the hunted wild
animal, .hey run in the same paths
where pursued, and are quickly
brought 20 bay or shot down.
Each year u: catching of offend
ers of all degrees against the law is
being worked down to fixed science.
The chances Of escaping after
committing crime have been greatly
reduced during the past decade and
each ensuing decade they will be
still lessened. ."-Washington Evening