Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-01-06
1903 DONATIONS
BROKE RECORDS
Leading Public Benefactions
During 1909 and the Donors

The statistics of gifts for the benefit
of humanity as compiled by the Chic
ago "Tribune" for 1909 shows the
greatest givings ever.
The year 1909 has been characterize
ed by extraordinary beneficence, the
total donations and bequests amount
ing to $3.50, ,Gl1 ,253. OF this sum SO,
63G, 4S7 represents gifts and ST., ,G0l, =
$50 bequests. The whole amount has
been distributed as follows: To char
ity, S67, 4l6, 42l; to educational institu-
tions, SIG, 122, 241 to religious insitu-
tiOns, $22, ,443, $50; to art museums,
galleries and public Improvements,
IS, GIG, 40; to libraries, S3,0l2, 293.
In the distribution of this handsome
beneticience women have played no
unimportaut part Their contributions
by gift and bequest amount to S13, =
293, $50.
The largest amount of gifts hereto
fore We're made in 1907, with an
amount slightly in excess of $40, OO0 .
600.
In the life tragedies of the wear
there shows a small decrease over
1908, the number being 10, 23O as COM
pared with 10, S52. The proportion of
suicides as between men and women
remains about the same as last wear.
the record this year being 7,2Ol males
and 3,029 femals Physicians head the
list among professional men, though
the number is smaller than for many
years past. Ten prominent attorneys,
nine clergymen, seven college profess
sors, six journalists and four artists
also committed suicide during the
year The suicides arising from bust
ness loses have greatly decreased, he
ing but eighty-one, as compared with
over 600 last year. OF these ST. 80 were
bankers or bank employees criminally
involved. The cause of these suicides
are as follows. the classification, as in
the case of homicides, being a general
one: Dependency, 4,760; unknown
cause, ,4S7; insanity. 559; domestic
infelicity, S34; i'll health, 936; business
losse, 81; liquor, 1870; disappointment
in love, 243.
The significant feature of the above
figures is the large increase of those
who commit suicide because of i'll
health.
The number of legal executions,
which for few years past has been
decreasing, shows an increase, being
l01 as compared with % in 1908.
The number of lynchings in 1909 was
81, a falling off of 10 as compared with
1908. In 1892 the high water mark, 235
was reached in 1905, the low mark of
GG.
The number of deaths by all kinds
of personal violence in 1909. except
suicides and lynching, as reported by
telegraph and recorded in the various
States and Territories, was s, lO3. u
decrease Of $40 over 1908. 1t must be
born in mind that this record does not
include merely those cases which are
usually claSsed as murder or suicide,
but every form of death by personal
violence, and that the subjoined
classification is a general one III some
respects, particularly as to deaths aris-
ing from quarrels.
\ significant feature of these figures
is the increase of murders by highway
men and thugs, being 1S5 more than
in 1908. During the year there have
been fifty double, eleven triple and one
quadruple murders, ten murders COM
mitted by Highbinders and twenty
eight by the Black Hand.
On the innumerable base ball fields
30 were killed in 1909, and "A serious
ly injured On the foot ball field 81
were killed and 24G injured These
include both amateur and professional
players.
By automobile accidents 562 persons
have been killed and 2,553 seriously
injured during the year.