The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-06-20
NEWSPAPERS OPINIONS
NORTH cARoLINA'S CRIMINAL CASES


Analysing the biennial report of the attorney
general, covering the criminal cases reported to
that office during the period from July l. 1880, to
July 1, 1882, the University News Letter brings
out fact which must excite curiosity.
The data covers a total of 61,4O4 cases tried IN
the superior courts and in courts below the SUI
perior courts of North Carolina or yearly aver
age of 3O7O2 cases; and the News Letter says that
the negro criminal rate is higher than the white
rate although there were SO, 457 white and 1859
negro cases disposed of during the >two-year pc
riod. Further, "for every female criminal case
there were thirteen male cases." The percentage
of convictions was high the 61,4O4 cases tried re-
sulting in $4,000 convictions One-third of all the
cases had to do with violation of the prohibition
laws the Other leading crimes numerically being
larceny and receiving assault with deadly weapons
violation of motor vehicle laws, assault and Dat
terry, and passing worthless checks
But the curious thing is the great variation on
the basis of population in the number of crlmnal
trials reported from different counties. Taking 1--WE
of the counties which include larger cities, Gull
ford, Buncombe, Forsythe Durham and MeckIen-
burg there is not such wide divergence as to the
first four named. Guilford, with yearly average
of GOT criminal cases, had PIG inhabitants per
case; durham with 4Uo cases ,fldu LOO hihaplloNS
per case; Buncombe, with COZ cases, had 162 in
habitants per case; and FOrsythe, with 772 cases,
had $50 inhabitants per case. Mecklenburg, how
ever, with yearly average Of 1926 cases, had
one case for every 1916 inhabitants Stanly county
and Haywood county "are close together in popu-
lation," but Stanly county reported yearly aver
age of only Al cases. one case for every $50 m
habitants, whereas Haywood reported a yearly aV-
erage of 779 cases, or one for every 1868 inhabi-
tants.
The News Letter attempts no explanation of this
remarkable discrepancy "Why one county should
have rate nineteen times as high as another coun-
ty, we do not profess to know" it says. But the
figures as reported raise questions which invite
dependable answers. Can it actually be that Burke
county has a yearly average of but 50 criminal
cases, or one case for every 316 people, while
Vance county has yearly verage of 587 cases,
or one case for every 46 people? We cite these
two counties because they cannot be far apart IN
population, yet one is pictured as having more
than six times as many criminal cases than the
other. Why? Is it that the reports from some
counties have been complete and from other coun-
ties incomplete? Is it that the authorities are more
vigorous in bringing prosecutions in some counties
than in other counties? Is it that there is actually
more crime in some counties than in other coun-
ties, and if so, why?
The discrepancies revealed blythe News Letters
study of the figures are certainly extraordinary.
There is need for further study which will throw
light on the situation to which the News Letter has
called attention-Asheville Citizen