CRIMES OF VIOLENCE 



129 



Anhxtai Number of Deaths by Homicide in Various Cities during Nine 



Years— 1898-1906 



New York.... 



Chicago 



St. Louis 



Louisville .... 

 Philadelphia. 



Eoston 



Cleveland .... 

 Baltimore ..,. 

 Indianapolis . 

 Providence ... 

 Milwaukee ... 

 Los Angeles. . 

 Lexington...., 



Newark 



St. Paul 



San Francisco 



HUM-, 



253 

 187 

 63 

 48 

 62 

 18 

 36 

 26 

 10 

 11 

 ? 



20 



6 



9 



1 



? 



and many other cities. If the number of homicides, in proportion 

 to population, was much higher in 1905 and in 1906 than in 1901 and 

 1902, such an increase is by no means unprecedented, nor are such 

 annual variations from the average unusual either in Chicago or else- 

 where. Already in 1888, the proportion of murders to the number of 

 inhabitants was almost as " alarming " as in 1905, and the ratio was 

 even then higher than it was to be as late as 1903, being 8.09 in the 

 year 1888, and but 5.88 in 1902. As late as 1904 the ratio was only 

 6.72. Again, while the ratio was 9.17 in 1906, it was 8.38 as far back 

 as 1893, and 7.24 in 1886, which is just about equal to the average for 

 the six years ending with 1906. Taking a period of thirty-five years, 

 the increase in deaths by homicide has been as follows : For the period 

 1872-79 (eight years), the annual average ratio was 3.20; for the 

 thirteen years 1880-1892, 5.55; for the fourteen years 1893-1906, 7.19 

 homicides per one hundred thousand of population. The maximum 

 ratio for any one year of the three periods was, 5.00 in 1873; 8.09 in 

 1888, and 9.26 in 1906. Of grave crimes in general, the increase of 

 arrests was from an annual average of 243.0 per one hundred thousand 

 of inhabitants for the three years 1901-03, to 269.1 for the three years 

 1904—06, an augmentation during the latter three years of 26.1 in each 

 100,000 of the population. This increase consists almost entirely of 

 arrests for assaults with a deadly weapon and for assaults with intent 

 to kill. There has been little or no increase in the proportion of arrests 

 for burglary and robbery. 



That the increase in crimes of violence in Chicago is due to the 

 presence of a large foreign-born element of an inferior economic and 

 social status is amply attested by the available statistics. For instance, 

 the police records for 1905 show that whereas the ratio of arrests per 



VOL. LXXIII. 



