Evening journal., 1918-06-12
WAVE Of CRIME
\ Sweeps GERMANY
DepredatioDs Increase 900
Per Cent ARMED Robbers
Terrorize Country
NO POLICE TO CURB
TIE CRIMINAL HUNS
lax Newsparer rdlerprIse AssooIalion.l


PARIS June i2.-Amazng facts con
cerning the unprecedented outbreak o.
crime among civilians in Germany art
gradually coming 10 light despite tho
efforts OF the Hun authorities to sup
press them.
It is now possible to quote the actua
facts Of the lawless wave from th'
German press itself. as revealed "
copies Just made available
That juvenile crime IN a typical In
dustrial district OF Germany has in
creased COO per cent during the war
that the number Of thefts IN Berlin
are averaging 300 a day. and that many
cities at night are terrorized by armed
bands Of robbers, are among the facts
: shown by German newspapers.
This orgy Of violence and 'pillage Is
all the more startling because Of the
reputation which the Germans had
claimed. before the war Of being law
abiding people II seems that the prec-
edent set by the prussians in their
assault upon Belgium and France has
been used as a model by the civilian
populace. and that the largc-scale reign
nf vandalism, brutality and robbery in
sugurated by the Hun army In con
quered territory is now being followed
on a smaller scale by the women and
children in Germany itself.
According 20 the "Deutsche Tageszei-
tungr Of April i6, 1918. 10 was declared
az Berlin in a report by Prosecutor
plaschke TO the association for the
betterment Of prisoners that the iails
which were practically empty in 1913
are now crammed with prisoners, and
that women and children under IS
form the greater portion Of all per-
sons convicted Of crime
The sch-Westfaelische Zei-
tungH OF April % saws.
Among the consequences Of this long
war, which If they are easily accounted
for are none The less profoundly de-
plorahle. may be cited the great in
>crease OF child crime In a conference
recently held at Hamm, statistics on
this subject were given which reveal
Q really frightful state Of affairs.
From these documents It appears
that the number Of convictions OF
Young people made by the lower court
ip The Judicial district OF Arnsberg was
s. for the FIRST quarter Of 1916 and
had reached 2G5 in the third quarter
Of 1911 In The district Of Biolegeld
the number leaped in the same period
from i17 to 507 In the district OF
Bochum the figures were respectively
6s5 and 2.069
The figures are all the more alarm
ing II the whole period OF the war is
taken into consideration. In the dis
trict OF the superior court Of Hamm
the number Of convictions OF Young
+ people was in 1914. i,227, in 1918 6i9i /;
In 1916. 1881; and for 1917. 25,OO0.
Juvenile crime has thus increased 600
per cent. in four years Of war
The nature Of the crimes reflects the
conditions Of misery and food shortage
m the central empires. Boys and girls
often organized In bands. plumber cloth
ing stores, steal food from shops and
private homes, hold up passers-by at
night, and often start O small reign OF
Terror in the quarters where they
operate. The police are powerless be-
cause so many Of them have been
called to the colors
German papers tell Of various efforts
being made by the authorities TO handle
the crime menace. such as the patroll-
ing OF the streets at night By military
police the better lighting Of the streets, ]
and the reinforcement Of the police 1
by agents Of the other public services.
The "Berliner Tsgeblalt' declares in
surance statistics reveal that there are
now an average Of 800 burglaries a day
in Berlin
In Austria, according to the "Neue
Freie Presse." the number Of crimes
committed in the streets was twice az
-, r4a . in,
The same period Of 1917. The "Fremden-
these crimes are committed 10y boys
and girls between IS and 10, ard that
even school children are found among
the bands Of thieves which lnfest the /
streets and stations In Vienna. as in |
Berlin, the police force IS insufficient |
TO restore order.