WHY DO MEN KILL?

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 187, 10 August 1925, Page 9

WHY DO MEN KILL?

CHICAGO ANALYSES MURDERS.

INCREASE OF THIRTY PER CEXT.

(From Our Own Correspondent I SAN FRANCISCO, July 13. America has been declared to have no equal in the world for the number of murders per thousand of population committed every twelve mouths, and in studying tlie records one might conceivably fancy that a continual warfare was in progress in these United States, so frequently arc lives taken and the ■ hangman so seldom is called upon to officiate at executions. j In Chicago, America's worst centre of murders, the question has been asked: "Why do men kill?'' The same query has been answered in the Windy City— in cold columns of statistics that represent red moments of passion, lust and fear, by Chief of Police Morgan Collins, of Chicago, who has compiled I data on the causes of all the 23S i deaths by violence which occurred in I that city in the first six months of this year. The death-rate in killings in Chicago increased 30 per cent, in that period over last year's figures and the police wanted to know why. One outstanding fact discovered was that out of the i total of 238 killings. 144 occurred in | homes, and killings in quarrels among | friends headed the list of murders with j 21 killings recorded. Fourteen of those | occurred ,inside buildings. j Murders in robberies came next, with I 15 cases, of which ten occurred inside j buildings. There were 12 murders for I revenge. 12 other murders were attri- ! buted to the " black hand." two killings j in tong wars and five in gang lights. Seven policemen were slain in the lino of duty. Two murders occurred behind the walls of «:io|s. one being the stabbing of Bernard Grant by hi? pal. Walter Krauser, in the Bridewell prison. ' Violent family quarrels had led to j ten murders and of t'/ase nine were , committed in homes. Lovers' quarrels ! resulted in nine killings, of which seven were in homes. Four men were killed in drunken brawls; one man was slain in a street quarrel with a stranger. There were six cases of infanticide, and six cases of deaths due to illegal operations. In cases of manslaughter listed by the police, the causes followed the same line, quarrels among friends, family quarrels. lovers' quarrels. drunken brawls. One case of manslaughter was attributed to a labour war. There were in all 40 manslaughter cases. In the s>s cases of justifiable homicide recorded, killings liv police ; n line of duty led the list with 2.1. There were 1 13 justifiable killings in quarrels among friends, eight in family feuds, eight in drunken brawls. five in burglaries and one during a lovers' quarrel. Twelve killings were listed as accidental homicide, and three involuntary manslaughter. Among these was the case- of a man killed by a stray j bullet. Ten persons, the list showed, had committed suicide after murdering another. Moonshine led to the majority of the murders of friends, in families and of lovers, Chief Collins explained, and in emphasising that a " man's house is his castle. - ' Collins pointed out that " most of the murders are done on the spur of the moment, and the police cannot do very much to prevent them." | =