The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-03
LYNCHINGS IN 1904
REVIEW SHOWS DECREASE IN LE- GAL HANGINGS AND HON.
 ICIDES.
Falling on in Donations for Educa- tiOnal, Philanthropic and ReIig. ious Purposes-400,O0 ,O00
 Killed in Battle

Killed in Battle
 Of much interest and significance are the figures contained in The Chi cago Tribune's annual review of the year 1904, issued Saturday. Especial ly satisfactory Is the showing that there were fewer lynchings than in any previous year since 1885. There was a marked falling off in the az gregate of donations for educational philanthropic and religious purposes. There is a decrease in the number of legal hangings, in the total of defal- cations. forgeries and bank wreck ings and in the number of homicides. Fire losses show small increase. In a general business, manufacturing and commercial way the better half of the year was a decided improvement over the first six months.
 Lynchings for the year number S7, as compared with 104 the previous year. 96 in 1902 and 135 in 1901. Mo- vember was the one month in twenty years during which no lynchings was reported North or South. Of the S7 lynchings S2 took place in the South and five in the North. There were S3 negro victims and four whites. Two women were among the number. The high water mark for lynchings was in 1892, when mob vengeance was wrecked on 235 persons.
 Mississippi heads the list of State with eighteen lynchlngs. Arkansas and Georgia divide dishonor with seventeen each. Kentucky, Virginia, Texas and South Carolina each has fewer than a half dozen cases to its credit. Every State of the Upper Mississippi Valley escapes without a blemish.
 The alleged causes of the lynchings were:-Murder, 36; race prejudice, ,19; attacks on women, 2O murderous as- sault, 4; conspiracy to murder. 2; un- known, 2; insults. 2: threats. l: and robbery. l.
 100000 Killed in War.
 Naturally the number killed and wounded in the war during 1904, greatly exceeds that of 1903, because of the sanguinary conflict between Russia and Japan. The total loss of the year is about 0.00O. as compared with S6.oOO in 1903. 5000 in 1902, and 5000 in 1901 Of these losses approx imately 370,000 were on Russo-Japa- nese battlefields and sea. Other loss es have been:-Armenian massacres, 3.239; Sumatra. 2.379; Africa. 3,714; Domingo. 24O; Bulgaria. 239: Morocco. 50: Arabia, 40.
 Legal executions numbered 116, as compared with 12S the year before and 194 in 1902. There were sixty-two executions in the North and fifty-four in the South, of whom sixty-nine were whites. forty-five negroes, one Japa- nese and one Chinese. In 110 cases the victims were convicted of mur- der. Six were put to death for at- tacks on women. Pennsylvania exc ,-N- eight. Missouri. three. Alabama six. Arkansas seven. California five and Indiana two. There was a marked falling off in the last three months of the year.
 Leaving out the operations of Mrs. Cassie Chadwick, the extent of which has not been ascertained, the record of the year shows that men intrusted with public and private funds are be- coming more honest. At any rate the total defalcations. enR,ezzlements, forgeries and bank wreckings is $4.- 742,507, as compared with $6,562,- 1s5 in 1903. The figures for the year are smaller than for any year since 1900, one-s.xth of those in 1904, and less than half in 1895. 1896 and 1897 The tabular statement for 1904 shows:
 From banks. .. .. .. $2.424,S74 Stolen by public official .... e28,794 By agents ............. 75S,S79 forgerles. ............. 1S3,49O From loan sociations..... 311,00O By postal employees. 14.500 Miscellaneous stealings .... 637,97O
 While there was a decrease of sew eral hundred in the number of homi- cides, 1t is a significant fact that there has been a great increase in the number of murders committed by highwaymen. burglars, "hold-up'' men and all that class of criminals. Chi cago in this particular makes a gloomy showing. The growth of this variety of crime has been steady for several years. There were ASA in 1904. against 406 in 1903, B in 1902 and 193 in 1901. Encouragement has been given to this kind of human slaughter by the great percentage of guilty men who escape capture and conviction. The hanging of the boy bandits had apparently no deterrent effect.
 Causes for HOmicIdes.
 The principal causes for homicide follow:-QuRrrels, 4,1S1; unknown, 1851; jealousy SIS; liquor, $40; in- sane, 271; infantcide, 1858; strikes, 55; f; self-defense, 3S
 In this list of great disasters the burning of the steamer Slocum, when 1,031 lives were lost, was the worst Six hundred were lost in a storm on Lake Balkal, 500 by the collapse of a dam in China, 1Oo by an avalanche at Pragelato, Italy; 100 by a hurricane in Cochin, China 100 by a storm at Santiago, Cuba; 22o by GCrryboat wreck in Russia, 200 by flood in the Philippines. The distribution follows:
 Fires. 1,OOs; drownings, 2.74s; ex- plosions, 55e; fhlling buildings and like casualties, BOG; mines. 5sss storms and cyclones. 24S; lightning. ISQ; elec- trfcity. 12e.
 steam railroad accidents ceased the