The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-17
BACHELORS IN LEAD
OF CRIME IN CITY
Court Report Also Shows That
Glass Of All Prisoners Is
Getting Cheaper.
OLDER PEOPLE BETTER

Men. women and children arraigned
In the curt Of General Sessions are
getting poorer each year. according to
the annual report Of the chief clerk OF
the District Attorneys office Just is
sued for the year during which Charles
A. Perkins wac District Attorney. A
comparative table accompanies the re-
port. which shows that In 1906 S31 per-
scns appeared In court and had counsel
assigned to them. In 1915 there were
1895 such assignments. Judges agree
tina the class OF men brought into court
10 getting cheaper year by year. and the
lawyers who make a practice OF han
dling criminal cases are necessarily find
ing II Just SO much harder to make a
living.
The records show that nearly every
old offender. even " he has a little
money, invariably says In court that
he IL penniless. ON such assertions the
Judge assigns n lawyer. In New York
the state does not pay for the lawyers
services. Only In murder In the first
degree cases does the State pay the law
yer assigned. Then he may get up TO
$500 and such lawful disbursements as
the court Will allow.
Last year i.495 prisoners were sup
Dlied with counsel. and Of this number
1.34S had been convicted before. In ten
years 9.4e2 married men got into trouble
and last year all records were broken
when OF the defendants arraigned 1.2&i
were married. Single men are leaders
In crime. as compared with the married
mon. In ten years 22.331 single men
were convicted. In ten years 30.115
men were convicted and LII women.
Last year ia women were convicted
and 1864 men. The average for ten
years is 95 per cent men and g per
Crime Decreases with Age.
More crime was committed last year
BY persons between the ages of 81 and
30 than any other age. Between the
ages Of Is and 20 there were 1915 con-
victed between II and 30. 1890 and
oetween 81 and 30, 62s. The figures de-
crease as the age comparison goes up.
One man past 20 was convicted last year
n in 1908 six men who had passed
threescore and ten were found guilty
Of crime.
OF the foreign born persons who got
INTO trouble. the Italians led. Last year
there were SOS convicted OF various Of
ICnCeS. Russia came next WIN Ss6,
And Austria contributed ia persons who
were sent TO prison. Greece was repre-
scented by IS and China gave 10. Japan
had only one of its subjects convicted
n that for bribery. There were 2,152
persons giving their birthplace as the
United States who ran foul of the law
last year.
During last year the Court Of Special
Sessions disposed Of a.4e' actions. Of
which number $3.50 defendants entered
pleas Of guilty. In ten years the court
has disposed Of 1906 cases.
In ten years there have been ii9
homicide cases disposed Of, with no con-
viction Of a woman for murder in the
first or second degree, There have been
s: men convicted for murder and sem
tenced to die in the electric chair. In
ten years II women were convicted OF
granddaughter in the first degree and in
the same period 10 for m~anslaughter IN
the second degree. Two ONE were
convicted last year for ~manslaughter IN
he second degree. Only one woman
was convicted Of assault in ten years.
e121,I1O Forfeited Bonds.
During last year the bail department
a. the District Attorneys office col
lected on bail bonds that had been de-
CiAIeu IOlIelIe III tie various courts
$1c1,110. OF ate years many defend
ants have failed to appear in the Spe-
cial Sessions Court for trial and the
bonds were forfeited. There were Ija
such last year. The large number of for.
FIXTURES are in the Magistrates courts
and in ten years l.i57 defendants have
failed to answer TO their name there
when called for a hearing. Assistant
District Attorney Layelle. who has charg.
Of the bail bureau. passed on bail last
year TO the amount of SO. tsS, 200. and
out Of this sum he accepted as being
good surety s2,47s,ooo. The balance
he rejected.
Every witness appearing in a crirnina.
case who has been served with a sub,
p9na demanding attendance. except ir
Cases of police officers and public OH
cials. gets at the rate OF s cents a mile
In addition tho witness gets 80 cents q
day for being IN court. During last veal
witnesses travelled 1886 miles. and IL
ten years it has cost the taxpayer,
eel0,137.9S to compel tho attendance o.
witnesses to prosecute criminal actions
The House of Detention, where man,
witnesses who show an inclination I,
disappear after being found by the no
lice are kept. IL "A costly adjunct to thu
criminal procedure OF the county. There
were 356 such witnesses committed las
year. and their cost was $24,s75. wit
Yeescs so confined are paid by law up Il