The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1919-06-11
Four Years Of Carnage Rem
der Criminal Glasses Much
More Careless, Police
Commissioner Says,
tBy international News seryice)

10y 4NfNH 0'iNN'f
LONDON. (by mall)-"lhe war ~
undoubtedly responsible for incfeas-
ing the amount OF crime IN this coun-
try and for change Tor the
worse--in the criminal type"
This was the declaration made by
Sir Nevil Maeready. chief commits
sioner OF the Metropolitan police,
when discussing the present apparent
outbreak OF brutal crimes in Eng
land.
Before the war" added Sir NevlL
"when man Quarreled with his wife,
he would merely give her clip under
the ear and everything would he all
right next day Nowadays. he takes
III iron bar. or anything else handy.
TO her and there's no next day for
her.
1T is my opinion that the four
years ol war has rendered the Grim
iral claS,c, much more careless both
a. the taking of lives and TO his per
sona safety Four yeats ago q bur
glaf would flee from an uuarmed man
in nalamas; today he will resort to
violence and It necessary, commit
murder IN order to get away"
This opinion OF the chief commits
sioner is certainly verified by the re-
ports OF the crimes which are re-
ported daily by the press here There
has been a tremendous increase IN
the crimes OF yiolence-many OF them
being accompanied by brutality
which before the war was an eXcep-
tion, but which now seems TO be the
rule.
The Beckett Case.
One OF the latest horrors TO arouse
the country was the murder OF a
hlsa. his wife and two children by a
Soldier. Henry Beckett, under most
brutal circumstances Beckett who
was a distant relative BY marriage of
the murdered woman, was arrested
several dayS after the crime and in
the most ma,,er.oi fact way told how
"he Accomplished the murders, show
ing not the slightest apparent signs OF
remorSe
According to his own story, Beck
EFT called At the house OF Mrs. Cor
nish, where he had been living for
two weeks and from whence he had
been requested to remove himself a
few DAYS previous 10 the crime He
had a few words with Mrs. Cornish
and when She started to upbraid him
he-to use his own wordS-"hit her
over the head with a poker carried
her into a she'd anl INT her with a
pickaxc and then went back to the
kitchen where got carving fork
out OF a drawer which | took bach
to the she'd and stabbed her in tn,
throat with it"
Having started on his career, Beck
ett evidently decided to make thor
ough Job OF it, Tor he waited until IN
youngest daughter OF the family cam
home from school. She was gir
OF six years. and Beckett hid him
self as she entsreb-1lhe having ,lsl
the door unbolied 70 she could get II
As soon as she got inside he StrucI
her with hammer he had found
Two or three blows suficed TO xii
the little girl, and the murderer thef
threw her down the cellar stairs.
Set Trap.
Hc set a trap again by lcayins
the door partly open In the mean
time, a neighbor called and asket
for Mrs Cornish, hut Beckett tolt
her that she had gone out shoppin,
and the ncighbor-luckily for her
went away wi,hou, entering the house
The eldest grl--a child OF fifteen
then arrived and walked into tn
house. Beckett met her and struc
her with the hammer, She was harde
TO kill with the hamper so Beckett
got an axe and with this he manage