Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-20
VIOLATIONS OF LAW.
Total Number of Arrests in the Dis
trict the Past Year.

In connection with Major Sylvesters an
uual report of the operations of the police
department of the District for the past
wear. which was submitted to the Commas
sioners today, the following statistics are
presented relative to violations OF the laws
and REGULATE tons in the District:
For the twelve months preceding july l.
1903, the number of cases of arrest. Mine
District was % 500. 1t does not follow that
% S59 persons were charged with violations
of the laws and regulations, for the reason
that one individual may have been accused
of more than one offense, but the onset
from this source would not be over several
hundred cases. so that it will be safe to
state that about $4,000 persons had to make
answer under law during the fiscal year
While some of the crimes committed were
of greater magnitude, the large total was
mostly made up from arrests for VIOLATIONS
other than felonies and of the police regu-
Iations There were 1887 cases of simple
assault and LIT of cruelty to- animals
'.Of the whole number of cases HIT
were entered against white persons and
ID, 112 against colored, decrease of az IN
the number of colored compared with the
previous year and an increase during the
year Just closed in the total number OF
cases of both colors of 236 over the pre-
vious year. The percentage of whites was
.493; colored. .507. According to the last
census the white population of the District
was 1879 451; colored. SS,32J, or about 81
per cent of the whole. 1t should not be
forgotten if study is made of the foregoing
statistics that they represent cases of
actual arrest, and not all cases where ar
rests might have been made. The viola
tions, however, were not of that kind which
so much concern the good citizen as some
others yet to be mentioned
During the year there were eleven ar
rests upon the charge of murder and three
for mansiaughter. The prior year there
were fifteen cases of murder and two of
manslaughter.
''Housebreaking in the District is defined
as where one enters any premises, shops,
stables, she'd boat, railroad car, coal yard,
whether occupied or not. to steal, and it
need not be by breaking. Since the last re-
port was issued 434 such complaints We're
made to the police, 206 arrests were had.
which were followed by 146 convictions,
aside from eases where parties refused to
prosecute, and 81 cases which were found
to be without foundation after proper in
vestigation. The year previous there were
125 convictions for the same offense.
Grand larceny was reported in 3t6 in
stances; 40 WEE ascertained to be unfound-
ed and IA arrests were secured.
Petit larceny was reported in 1904 cases,
1S2 were learned to be groundless, 1,676 APP
prehensions were had and up to date of re-.
port 1,233 We're held. This character of
annoyance always has and always will pre-
vail in the community. Dishonest servants
and other employees contribute largely 10
this class of offenders, and the juvenile is
a factor, those under sixteen years being
arrested in 399 cases: under twenty zone
years in 1856 There was a decrease of this
offense compared with the year before
There were % cases of highway robbery
made against 16 for the year previous.
There was decrease in the cases of en-
bezzlement and remarkable increase in
the number of cases of forgery.
1.-THE carrying of concealed weapons con-
tinues and always will until the penalty
for such offense is made Imprisonment and
is rigidly enforced"