Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-17
What the State Has Spent In
Trial and Conviction of
Its Criminals
POLK COUNTY LEADS IN CRIME
Thirteen Per Cent Of tho Convictions
for offensea in This State Were in
That county-MarshaII County Well
UP in the List State Criminal
Statistics.

Des Moines, April 17.-Iowa spent
nearly half million dollars last year
in prosecuting its criminals, and with
that sum it secured the conviction of
Not all this sum was spent upon the
conviction Of this 1901, a. part being
used also in The trial of persons found
not guilty. The exact cost of the
states prosecutions in 1904 was $4S3,-
OS4, or practically 1911 for every con-
viction secured.
The distribution Of the convictions
furnishes an interesting study of popu-
lation and morals. Polk county leads
the entire list with grand total of
16S. of about 13 per cent. There were
seven other counties with thirty or
more convictions each. the list being
as follows. Woodbury.. "A: Wapello,
AZ; Pottawattamie, SO; Marshall, IS;
Clinton, 50; Linn, So; Boone, "a. IL
might be expected that large cities
would be found in all these counties,
but that Is net true as to Marshall and
Boone, while Dubuque, Scott and Des
Moines counties, all with cities OF from
25. 900 to 10000, are below the thirty
convictions mark.
or the 1901 persons convicted last
year only 472 were sent to the state
prisons for their offenses, the re-
mainder being sent to county Jails
or fined. TIE Az persons sent to
states prison were sentenced for an
aggregate term of 1928 years, an
average of about two and one-half
wears each. Only Ode person was
sentenced to be hanged, and only 229
were sent to county jails, the great
majority of criminals being subjected
merely to fines. not less than half OF
which were collected.
More than a hundred different oc-
equations and professions were repre-
sented by the persons convicted, but
in the entire list there was not
single newspaper man, only one
printer, one preacher, one lawyer and
one bank cashier. Laborers headed
the list with 300 representatives.;
seven were farmers, nineteen were
druggists, twenty-five miners, sixty
saloonkeepers, twelve schoolboys
twenty eight liquor dealers, and
thirty-nine restauranteurs. The other
occupations were represented by
smaller numbers. The large number
of liquor dealers, druggists and sa-
loonkeepers may be traced to the
enforcement Of the state mulct law.
A few Of the 1901 confessed to Pc
culiar ocupations; for instance, two
recorded themselves as professional
thieves, one as a confidence man,
three as burglars and one as a crook
Woodbury. county, while having
only about third the number of con-
victions Of Polk county, paid it's county
attorney much more money than any
other county in the state. The GRIM
inal prosecution fees in Woodbury.
county nettel the attorney there s3,-
962, while in Polk county he received
only $2,6S3 and in Pottawattamie coun-
ty s2,72O.
The annual reports Of criminal pros
ecutions and convictions filed with the
secretary Of state are becoming more
and more valuable and interesting each
year, and they afford a unique field
for the statistician. The report for 1904
has just been completed and tabulat-
ed.