The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-11-18
Figures For 1912 Show Rate
Is Still Very High.
THIRTY CITIES INCLUDED.
Rate Per 100000 For 1912 Is 81 Against
8.4 For 1911-Memphis the Worst,
With Advance of 11.6-United States
Homicide Ratio Is Highest In World,
Says Report.

The annual murder record for the
United States, while showing a slight
improvement over previous reports,
still suffers by comparison, according
to statistics of homicides published in
the current issue of the Spectator
Compilations made by Frederick L.
Hoffman show that there were 1,344
homicides in thirty large cities of this
country in 1912, rate of 81 per 100,-
600 Of population.
Similar records for 1911 were S.4 per
100000 There is a corresponding de-
crease in the relative number of sui
cides, equivalent to 0.S per 100000, or
Al per cent. The highest homicide
record reported occurred in 1907, when
the rate was S.S per 100000, and the
lowest rates were in 1891 and 1897,
when AZ per 100000 was the record.
OF the large American cities Mem
phis, Tenn, with S8 homicides, shows
rate Of CAB per 100000, an increase
over 1911 Of 11.6. 1t is explained that
suburban murders are counted in with
the city percentages.
New York Rate Increases.
The New York city record does not
show the same improvement that the
average suggests. There were 1913
homicides during the year, a rate of
6S per 100000, or an increase Of IA.
For the ten years ended in 1911 there
were 1884 deaths Of a homicidal ma
ture. with a rate of 5.4 per 100000.
The high rate of homicide shown by
Memphis Is carried out when the cities
are taken by geographical groups. OF
the thirty cities cited those of the
southern group reported All homicides
an increase of As in its rate of 2O2
per 100000. The eastern cities had the
lowest rate, 416, or 4.6 per 100000
while the western group showed los
and the central group 80 per 100000
All these rates showed an increase over
| the average for ten years.
OF special interest in the tabulations
I is the inclusion of a record kept by
the Chicago Tribune of the causes OF
homicides from 1903 to 1912. Accord
ing to this, 4S,9 per cent of the whole
number was caused by quarrels, while
unknown causes were responsible fol
14.1 per cent Liquor is given as the
cause of 90 per cent of the total, while
murders by highwaymen caused 81
per cent of the deaths. Jealousy, IN
cidentally, was responsible for the
same percentage.
No Homeides In Reading, Pa.
To Reading, Pa, is given the dis
tinction of having no homicides com
mitted within its limits in 1912, while
in Philadelphia there were only twen
ty-three homicides, a rate OF IA pc
100000 For the ten years ended IL
1911 Hartford. Conn, had the loves
number of homicide deaths, twenty
six, although Milwaukee showed tn,
lowest rate, 10 per 100000. The lar
gest number of deaths from homicid
in the ten years is shown by Chicago
with a total of Ito.
In support of It's comment on the IN
favorable record of this country, com
parisons are made with the homicid
records in foreign cities. In Italy es
pecially, where it is generally assumes
that human life is held cheaply, tn
rate for the latest year available, 1910
Is 34 per 100000. A five year averag
shows a rate of 80 In other words
10 every 100 homicides in the Unite
States there are only sixty-six in Italy
London, including only the city pfoI
er shows a five year average Of 1.3
per 100000 as compared with the sam
average for New York of 60. In Pari
in 1910 rate of 3.6 was recorded. TIL
city of Copenhagen, Denmark, is show
as the safest European city, with rec
! ord in 1910 of only one homicide and
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