The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-07-30
LATEST GRIMES
Many Of the Old Reliable Ones Are Now
Strictly 0ut Of Style.
SOME new ONES ON TAP

SUME NEW VltES VN lAl
Highway Robbery, Burglary and
Thuggism Has Given Way to d
Very Large Extent to the Slicker
Game Of Pickpockets, Forgeis and
Confidence Men.
In exact ratio to the ability OF
the law to discover and promptly
and efficiently punish certain class
of crimes, will the criminals who live
by them be compelled to seek other
fields of occupation" This is the
statement of Judge William ~ Cen
mill, Of the Municipal court, OF Chic
ago, man who has made study OF
crime and criminals during the long
and honorable career he has had on
! the bench in the Illinois metropolis.
There is no other MA in Chicago
that knows more about the under
world and its operations in that city
than Judge Gemmill, and he is re-
coguized as an authority upon mat
ters of this sort.
Criminal statistics prove that the
crimes have increased or decreased
just in the poportion that the pun
ishments therefore have heen swift
and cetain,'' Continued the judge.
Highway robbery, for instance, is
almost a lost art and one does not
have to seek far for the reason. II
the robber escapes death at the
hands of the victim he becomes an
outlaw ard is hunted like wild
beast. In Chicago arrests for rob
berry have decreased from 1900 in
1905 to 730 in 1909.
"Twcnty-flve years ago the bur-
glar was more feared by the public
than any other criminal. Today
housebreaking in the night is al
most unknown. l have or had a.
single case OF such housebreaking
in the 5000 criminal cases heard by
me during the past three years.
In Chicago arrests fer burglay
have deceased since 1905 from 1880
to 1858, decrease Of "a per cent.
in five years. What has brought
about the change? 1t is not that.
the burglar has become more honest,
but it is because he has found i the
business more dangerous and its
punishment more certain and swift.
Certain crimes, however, are on
the increase. We have in Chiaago
no. less than 500 professional pick
pockets. If the criminoligsts could
eralnine their heads they might be
taken for bank clerks. They are Of
the hest dressed and best looking
young fellows in the city. They
travel in groups Of three or four.
They haunt the crowds and ply their
calling with a skill scarcely eQualled
in any other profession. They hire
their lawyer by the year and send
him a Christmas present at Christ
mas time.
Their number is constantly in
creasing. Why? Because they know
that they have nine chances out OF
ten to escape punishment. Seldom
do their victims discover rhe loss Of
their pocketbooks before they have
made good their escape. 80
"Counterfeiting was once the be-
setting crime OF the nations. The
counterfeiter has become rare, but in
his place has come the smooth con-
fidence man. The number OF these
fellows has increased SO per cent in
Chicago in five years. 1t is the SAT-
est criminal business outside OF that
Of the pickpOcket.
The same conditions apply to for
gerry, and as consequence the ar
rests for that crime have increased
46 per cent in the last five years.
There have been reformed robbers
and burglars, but 50 far as know
never a reformed forger or conf
| QeuC6 HAL.
Much that is hopeful has been
accomplished in Chicago during the
last few years. Of the 202,92 Grim
ilal cases brought into the courts
OF the county in the last three years
50 per cent were tried within "a
hours from their arrest and 91 per
cent. within ten days from the ar
rest
while crimes based upon fraud-
ulent business transactions have in
creased, all Of the more serious
crimes have decreased. This does
not include homicide, which has re-
mained almost stationary. The num-
Der Of homicides in a city Is no
criterion of the crime Of city. They
are usually committed by men and
women who had hitherto been USE
ful and law abiding citizens.
Shoes Last 80 Years.