The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-19
h&, &,aaONCE |4 OYER ]: .R
The Facts Ahout .Murder

H 171S 9X.JEl:-,kE>1 >1 The Facts About Murder sf The tendency in America is for aflantit, rather than quality in murders Statistic just complied show there were 10000 mur ders in the United States during 1923. ar increase of % per cent. in ten years
 The statistics show America far in the leat as the greatest of uncivilized nations America had, for example, fifty times a, many murders in 1923 as England and Wales The pest these two countries could do was to run up total of 200 murders for the same period. This is a very low score. n barely enables England and Wales to qualify as Christian countries.
 The low rate is difficult to explain. There were probably nearly as many quafrels iu those countries. Presumably it is harder to kill Englishmen and Welshmen.
 One of the surprising revelations made by the statistics is that New York has one of the lowest murder rates in the country Its murder rate, 5.5 per 100000 population. is % per cent less than the average for the rest of the country.
 You stand far better chance of being murdered in Chicago, Boston, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Sa- vannah, Detroit, Cleveland or even Hartford, Conn; than in New York.
 In fact, man who has his mind set on being murdered is crazy to waste any time f9oling around New York at all. His chances are more than twice as good in Chi cago, where 12.7 people are murdered to every 100000. Philadelphia murders 8 per sons to New York's 5.5. In Cincinnati d man is practically certain of being mur- dered with three times the speed and dis patch possible in the metropolis, the Cincin- nati rate being 1893. ee
 No explanation is given for the high mur- der rate in Cincinnati. It is rumored the poor telephone service there has lot to do with it.
 For real service, prompt attention and maximum efficiency when man wishes to be murdered, there is no place like the dear old Southland. Memphis has the highest murder rAe in the United States or Europe For 1923 its rate was 631 per 100000. Jack sonville will do well by you in this respect, too Her rate was 61.7. She was barely nosed out for the 1923 season by Memphis.
 Memphis beat us out fairly in a hot fin ish." said the official scorer for Jacksonville today. "We made the mistake of holding her too lightly. We figured we had enough murders to win easily, but Memphis had lot in reserve and staged a whirlwind finish It was a case of overconfidence. We have learned lesson, however, and will cop the murder supremacy next year"
 Nashville, Louisville, Charleston, New Or leans and Savannah all had from 20 to 3S7 murders per 100000, or from four to eight times as many murders as New York, Chi cago Sand Boston. The figures are startling and very mystifying. What is putting the South in such a murderous mood is unex- plained. the uppermost theory being that it is rebelling against some of the road com panies sent there by American theatrical pro- ducers.
 New York is pleasantly surprised by the figures The average resident has been un- der the impression there had been about one murder per person of late Probably the low rate is due to the fact that when you get killed byNa taxi they don't call it murder there.
 NsHevep, while New York may fall behind ifhe- rest of the country in the gross total, it makes it's murders bigger and better,
 No returns are given from Long Island. It is known, however, that Long Island has had the poorest season for murders in years. All the wives had pistols and the necessary ammunition, but for some reason or other they showed unprecedented restraint and tired in only six or eight instances. s
 In each case the aim Twas bad, due to the synthetic gin in the cocktails.