The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-02-13
Frederick Haskin's | etter
The Popularity of Crime

yer, and women are scarcelv s,
convicted for killing their bn.
bands.
Legal Killings Make Heroes
Curiously enough, this Iawv..
who believes that too much len.
ency is shown toward criminal.
does not believe in capital pupisS
ment for murder, because, ne saw
it simply makes hero Of the ds
fendant and is responsible for mo-.
acquittals than any other On
thing.
las the state authorizes hapgin.
or electrocution," he declares :
sentimental attitude is Great
from the beginning. The STAT
seems to be seeking a life, and ~
erybody has sympathy for wbs,
may have been done merely in Ia
heat of passion. 1t is an Old aa5
well known fact in criminal iuris
prudence that acquittals increasa
when penalties appear too seyers
and that a crime can often be mado
less frequent by reducing the nm
1Shment. In other words wban-
ever there is a steady increase N
acquittals, the first probable canss
of it is public dislike of the UeB.
atty.
1.-The spectacle of a man fightin4
for his life appeals strongly to the
sentimental character of our pao-
pie, and at every murder trial the
newspapers and the public abound
in such statements as He's making
a fine fight for his life!'"
Crime is also undoubtedly great
~ encouraged in this country nv
the practice of bonding criminals
and by the long waits that occur
before cases are brought to trial
According to Commissioner Enright
of the New York police department
the ease with which criminals Oh
tain bail is one of the greatest evils
the police must contend with. He
cites the case of a man who was
arrested three times during tbs
past year and every time had his
bail ready.
"All three cases. he said, were
awaiting trial against him. A few
weeks ago we again caught him
red-handed at a hold-up trick
Somewhat surprised, 1 asked him
what he was up to, trying another
trick while out on bail in three
cases. His answer was that ne
needed the money to pay his bail
bonds and his lawyer"
Hoard Gains for Bail.
It is this experienced type Of
criminal who Knows the ropes"
who is playing the most conspicu-
Gus role in the crime wave. The
first offender, who has yet to learn
the power of what the crooks call
fall money" is unable to obtain
bond and has to remain in Jail As
the law provides that those held
in Jail must be tried first, his case
soon comes up for trial, and it is
well known in the criminal world
that a speedy trial means a harsh
sentence.
When the first offender comes out
of prison after having served his
term he knows this. Hence, his first
act is to pull another job that will
bring IN enough money LOT DaA IL
case he is again arrested.
Every clever crook always has
this fall money slowed away to
provide his bail bond whenever he
needs it, Commissioner BnrighJ
says. The old-timer would no
more think of touching that money
than of flying, even if he wera
starving. That money, or possibly
the amount may be in jewels, is
often deposited long before "a trick
Is pulled Then if the crook falls
as they call it. he has his bail IN
at hand"
Commissioner Enright does not
believe that prohibition has had
any effect upon the increase IN
crime. Neither does he believe that
it can be cut down by arming the
police with gas bombs and air
planes. The New York police have
never been more efficiently armed
han at present, and there has me-
sr been a higher mortality rate IN
he service. The great remedy lies
n speeding up the procedure by
which the crook is removed from
private life into prison.