The San Francisco call., 1903-09-23
WIRE CUTTING FIENDS.

X City Hall Monday afternoon the evil re-
- suits of that form of crime have been brought
close home 10 the people OF San Francisco. An i'm
mediate consequence of the act was a long delay in
obtaining assistance from the Central Emergency
Hospital for a woman suddenly stricken with Sc
we're hemorrhage Fortunately relief was obtained
after long time by teephoning through the private
line OF the police office Had that line also been cut
the criminal would have been directly responsible for
the death of who had done him no harm
and against whom he could not have had even in the
malice Of such mind as his any grudge whatever
Crimes OF this kind are now becoming aarmingly
frequent. To a very large extent social organ
ism is dependent for its orderly working upon the
service OF the telephone. The wires are made use
Of for calls Of all kinds and people rely upon them
in every emergency that requires the prompt sum
mOnng OF the police, OF hospitals Of medical aid
cessation OF the operation OF the wires therefore
entails danger to life in many instances while inhct-
ing in every instance gross degree OF inconvenience
upon both the business and the social life of the com
munty. The maintenance of the telephone service
in an unimpaired efficiency is therefore matter of
prime necessity to the community, and accordingly
severe and summary punishment should be provided
for all criminals who may be convicted of the ofense
of cutting the wires or in any other way interfering
with their operation
Along with the advance OF civilization there has
been provided for the criminal number of new
methods Of attacking society, and he has been
prompt 10 take advantage OF them. The invention
OF dynamite and other powerful explosives had no
sooner been made known to the general public than
the criminal made use OF them with a reckless ma
Lightly that was startling Plans were laid for blow
ing up steamers at sea- for wrecking tunnels while
trains laden with passengers were passing through
them, and for destroying buildings crowded with
people So too the discoveries OF the terrible ef-
fects Of vitol opened way for the preparation OF
some Of the most malignant atrocities known to the
records OF crime Thus the criminal has watched the
progress of civilization only to see in what way he
could increase his ability to kill or to torture with
impunity, being utterly careless who his victims
~isht be
The dependence OF a community upon telephones
has put in the way OF these malicious criminals
new means OF injuring society By the comparatively
easy feat Of cutting important wire it is possible
for malicious to expose many thousands to
inconvenience and some death itself, as happened
IN the case of the woman stricken with hemorrhage
on Monday afternoon. The criminal has also the
delight OF medtating upon the fact that if fire were
10 break out while the wires there might be
a further damage done 10 the city and possibly
good many lives might be lost as well as great deal
OF property destroyed
The criminals who commit ofenses of this kind are
strictly OF a malignant temper They desire to work
evil for its sake It is quite possible that the
first thought OF the criminal may be that of inuring
the telephone company, but if he possess particle
Of intelligence he soon perceives that the cutting OF
the wires Of the company Injuries the company less
than the public. To the really malignant mind how
ever II does matter much who is injured so long
as some Is injured. Hence when once the idea
Of uterrupting the telephone service by cutting the
wires is thought OF a feasible project the crimi-
nal carries it out reckless of the consequences.
Confronted by species OF crime that makes use
OF the appliances of civilization to nfict harm with
malicious recessness, society must set itself reso-
lutey to the task Of crushing out the evil by pur-
suing the perpetrators with the energy of the
law In this the telephone company has offered
reward of $1,000 for the of the guilty party
The action is commendable, though no such in
ducenent should be necessary TO rouse both the
police and the public to the task of detecting the
perpetrator and bringing him to justice II is to be
borne in mind that person is safe against such
criminal this, for his malice large against
the community as a whole He who has cut tele-
phone wires will not need much in the way of an
impulse TO set him cutting the fire alarm wires
or even TO starting incendary fires Society in fact
has dangerous type Of malignant to deal with
and should see to it that his career is short