Evening star., 1923-08-25
NEW YORK MURDER
RECORD APPALLING
Homicides for Year 237, as
Compared With Only 10
in London.
By ROBERT T. SMALL.
Special Dispatch 10 The Star.

Special Dispatch 10 The Star.
NEW YORK, August 25.-The pub
lfcation of crime statistics in London
compared TO those here IN New York
shows that while London has a very
black mark in the matter of drunken
ness--particulariy among women
the score against American munich
pslities i'll the greater crimes such as
burglary and murder is nothing less
than appalling.
In London last year there We're
twenty-siX murders of persons above
one year of age. There We're thirteen
arrests and thirteen of the murderers
committed suicide Immediately after
their crime. Thus the slate was
cleared In 1921 sixteen persons were
tried for murder in London. Thirteen
were convicted and sentenced to he
ha anged. The other three were found
to he insane. Thus the slate once
more was cleared.
New York Has 81 Murders.
in New York in 1921 there were 237
murders. For these murders there
were Just thirty-four convictions.
The figures for 1922 arc not ayaila BILE
rs yet. because many of the persons
arrested year ago have not yet been
Brought to trial.
Within the last few years it has
become aXiomatic that murder will
out almost every place except here
IA the greater city. The police have
lust about abandoned all hope of solv-
,itg the most recent and most puZzlng
double murder New York has ever
nnown. They will not admit that
they have given up the chase. but the
SEials have grown so cold that only
some unexpected circumstances ca n
bring about a solution.
In this latest murder mystery thern
are no pink crepe de chine night
gowns. nor yellow silk pajamas. But
there was a woman's scream. What
%aS back of that scream may never
hR known. n came from a yellow
:sXica b. In New York nowadays, how
eyer, virtually all taXicabs are vel
tow. so there was not much of a clue
IN that.
Hear WOman's Scream.
Two New York policemen, off
duty. heard the scream. They com
inandeered A passing touring car and
started in pursuit of the fleeing taxi.
After d long chase across one OF
the city bridges, the taxi was over
hauled. The policemen hopped aboard.
The volunteer chauffeur. his mission
concluded. went his way without pay
ing further attention.
What the two police men saw in
the cab. when they leaped aboard is
the great unsolvcd mystery. By
with a policeman on either running
board. evidently bound for the near
est precinct police station. The cal
never reached the station. There
were two shots in rapid succession.
First one policeman fell from the
cab. then another. And once more
the cal of mystery was speeding
aWay-tfiiS time to be lost forever
in the maze of the city. When the
policemen were reached. both Were
u y, xxrif - i,, q l,
cab had fired with unerring aim.
Every one knows with what zeSt
the police of Il big city take ND the
hunt for murderer when fellow
But all of the zeal and all of the
cunning OF New York's highly trained
homicide scuad has gone for naught
In solution of this crime.
Mike ~, Hendway.
They have gotten nowhere. Many
been stopped and questioned. but
their explanations and their alibis
have been convincing No one
thought to take the number of the
yellow cab, rot even the driver of
the pursuing car.
Apparently there has as yet been no
plausible, no possible explanation of
what the two off-Ghlty officers, nefth-
mystery cab. Naturally there are
many theories. Possibly the woman
had been murdered and her scream
was death call for help. If the
woman had not been murdered or
badly dealt with why did the man
IL the cab--if there was one-resent
arrest to the extent of committing a
double murder in order to escapeo
If the woman was not murdered. why
was her companion armed and ready
10 commit the crimes which uncx-
pectedly followed?
The police naturally assume that
where cry of terror or dread comes
from woman there is a man in
Solved in the affair.
Many Clues F'izzIe Out.
woman's body found floating in
the river soon after the two nolice-
men were killed. gave further color
to the theory that the yellow mystery
cab was a murder car before the DO
Acemen boarded il. But the woman
was accounted for and this promising
clue went for nothing.
The police then began to ask them
selves II the arreSting officers would
have been so careless of their own