The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-09-28
A REMARKABLE
WAVE OF CRIME
SWEEPS BERLIN
THERE HAS BEEN A DAILY MUIR
DER FOR PAST FORTNIGHT, IN
ADDITION TO SEVERAL UNSUC-
cEssFUL ATTEMPTS TO KILL.
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS.


Berlin Sept. 27.-A remarkable wave
of crime has swept over Berlin in the
past fortnight causing one of the
newspapers to comment that Berlin
can now compete as the seat of bloody
crimes with darkest New York" There
has been a murder for nearly every day
during that period, in addition TO sew
eral unsuccessful attempts to commit
murder.
The crimes took various forms. A
house owner shot a tenant who was
moving out. The owner Of a hotel OF
loose reputation killed an indignant
father who came to complain Of hap
penings in the house. Two women OF
the working. classes were killed by
paramours. deceived husband shot
down his rival A man murdered his
aged wife with an axe as she slept. An
employe of a bathing establishment
killed the owner a woman, after a
quarrel about losses on horse races.
A seamstress was enticed into the
woods by a bogus matrimonial! AGENT
and murdered Still another man tried
to end the lives of himself, a wife and
grown daughter by turning on the gas
at night.
Murders have become so frequent
that the theory of the periodicity of
crime has been advanced to account
for them. A Berlin newspaper editori-
ally questions whether the city is not
growing permanently more criminal,
but finds some comfort in the fact
that a majority of the murdere were
crimes of passion, rather than pre-
meditated ones. 1t suggests that the
hot wave that passed over Berlin
about the end of August and the early
part Of September caused this remark
able increase in crime, and that men
give way to their passions more read
lily in hoe weather than in days of
moderate temperature.
Infant Mortality.
Statistics showing the great increase
in infant mortality during periods of
extreme heat, published by DR.. Lief
mann, chief bacteriologist at one of the
great municipal hospitals, in the latest
number of the German Medical Week
~, disprove the proverbiaI reference to
women as the weaker SEX so far at
least as their early life is concerned.
DR.. Lehman found that when the
death rate for nursing babies suddenly
Jumped during a typical heat wave
early this summer, the sexes were not
affected, the death rate for
boys being almost double that for
girls. The figures were 1872 deaths of
boys to every 100 of girl babies DR..
Lehman states that this percentage
is maintained in deaths from other
causes and that boy babies succumo
to ailments of all sorts more readily
than girls.
The same ratio has been noted in
other heated periods and there is no
doubt, according to DR.. Lehman, that
on scorching days boy babies are
taken i'll more acutely and in greater
numbers than girls. Long continued
heat waves, however, gradually in
crease the mortality percentages among
female babies and equalfZe the pro-
portionate mortality of the sexes.
The sword, the soldiers proverbiaI
weapon since the early days of his
tory seems on the way to disappear
ance in the German army. The six
cavalry regiments provided for by the
army increase law, passed this year,
will be without sabres, being armed
instead with carbines equipped with
the short infantry bayonet. The
change is made experimentally but
causes much headshaking among old
line cavalrymen, for it is recognized
that the experiment If successful may
cad to its general adoption in the
With infantry officers now
with the sword in actual
warfare to make themselves less con-
5picuous to opposing sharpshooters,
and cavalry going into action with
life and bayonet, poetical references
o the sword of battle may have to be
'evised.
LoophoIe in Law.
A German tax expert has found a
curious and amusing 1oophole in the i
lew armament taxation bills, by which |
taxpayer, by reporting a greater |
mount of property for taxation than |
le possesses may pay less taxes than |
f assessed on the correct amount |
rhe paradox is due to the fact that |
he new measures combine a direct |
tax with a higher increment |
ak and can be taken advantage Of |
,nly by a taxpayer who has reason |
o expect a steady increase in the |
-alue Of his property. If he discounts |
his and returns his property next |
at the figure which he expects |
t will reach in 1917, when the incre- |
nent tax becomes effective, he will, |
( is true, pay a higher direct tax but |
ave the amount of the increment tax,