River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-12-18
A SAMPLE OF MODERN METHODS.

with the understanding that the police
department shall know nothing about
his release. Nevertheless, in practice,
this system overruns the city with the
most dangerous of criminals. But you
ought to ask Capt Evans, of the
bureau of identification, about that"
1T is reported that the railroad and
express companies have offered to pay
1000 hereafter to any trainman who
shall kill train robbery. What effect
do You think that will have? viii it
decrease the number of train robber-
ies?" Chief O'Neill was asked.
"No," was the reply. THE fact that
they would have to stand up and be
shot at did not deter men from crowd
ing the enlisting offices for permission
to fight in the Philippines. No more
are criminals deferred from their en-
terprises through fear of bullets.
They have the first drop on their
victims, and that is what counts most;
they are willing to take the chance on
that basis"
When seen at the Harrison street
station, Capt. Evans turned back over
his books and announced that from
November l to November "a 25 young
fellows who had been in reform school,
had been brought before him for iden-
LITIGATION. The crimes with which they
were charged included the boldest rob-
berries and the shooting of policemen.
These young fellows" said Capt. Ev-
ans, "are the worst criminals we have.
They have absolutely no regard for
life. They don't realize the enormity
of the crime of killing human being.
They will hold up man. and perhaps
shoot him or anyone that interferes
when they don't know whether the vic
TINS got so cents or not. The profess
sional robber doesn't do things that
way. He may shoot a man; but he's
got to know that there's something in
it for him worth while. [ think, on the
whole, that criminals have degener-
ated III their policy and methods. 1t
used to be that only robber who was
a master mechanic would attempt to
open a safe. Now any ordinary GRIM
inal can do the job with a little soap
and some nitroglycerine. To be sure,
he ruins the safe and maybe blows
hole in the side of the building, but he
gets the booty, which is the main thing
he is after 1t used to be that when
farmer wanted to dig out an ugly
stump he hitched several teams to it
and tugged away until he brought it
out. Now he puts in a little piece of
dynamite and does the work good
deal quicker. The same thing is true
of the criminal. The building of great
public works is one thing that teaches
all classes the use of explosives and
the criminal profits by the knowledge
along with the honest man. The build
ing of the drainage canal, for example,
taught idlers the use of dynamite"
In summarizing, it may be said, then,
that the old-time highwayman of the
plains, while he was almost sure, if
captured, to get in the pathway of a
bullet or run his head into a moose,
committed his astounding feats Of
lawlessness in comparative safety, be-
cause he had a good chance of evading
the sheriff. The modern hold-up man
fiourishes. under exactly the opposite
conditions. Capture sooner or later
is pretty certain; but punishment is
less severe and, if we may believe what
we hear, in some instances even invit-
ing to a man weary of the vicissitudes
of robbers existence.
MILTON MARKS.