UNPUNISHED CRIMES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1023, 12 January 1911, Page 5

UNPUNISHED CRIMES.

AMERICAN JUSTICE INDICTED. Murder is practically an unpunished crime in the United States, so states Judga G. C. Holt, of New York. Writing m the "Independent" last year, Judge Holt said:— "The Chicago 'Tribune,' for some years past, has' published statistics of the lynchings which have occurred annually, in this, country. For many years, according to these statistics, there occurred between 200 and 300 lynchings in each year. During the five or six years past, the . annual number has steadily diminished. Last year it was stated to be 67; It will bo a conservative estimate to put the average number of lynchings- which have occurred in this country in the last forty years at 150 annually. This would ina"ko 0000 lynchings occurring in that time. Tho number of persons who en-, gage in lynchings differs very greatly in different cases, varying from as low as ten or fifteen to hundreds-and thousands of persons. It may be roughly estimated that tho average number of persons concerned in each case is not less than 50. It would thus appear that about 300,000 persons have taken part in lynchings in this country for the last forty years. If two-thirds of this number is, "deducted for persons who are-..dead or who -havebeen engaged in more than one lynching, we have. 100,000 lynchers still living. Every person wilfully taking an . active part in a lynching is guilty of murder. No person lirs ever been convicted of murder for taking part in-.a lynching. It, may therefore bo roughly estimated that there' are approximately 100,000 unhung murderers, of that particular type, living at present in this country, mostly in the Southern States.

THE NIGHTRIDERS. . "For several years,past, in.a-large part of Kentucky, and in Southern Indiana and Ohio, : persons called liightridei's have organised' in bands and 'ridden about tho country, principally at. night, destroying, property and 'assaulting, . and in miiny cases, murdering people. These, bands'are usually not ordinary brigands, but are made up, for the most part,. of. persons w,ho consider themselves' .'and who would usually be. ranked as citizens of ordinary decent reputation.. Their object is to keep up tho price of .itobacW or. cotton by restricting the. output. To accomplish this result they desfroy tobacco or cotton, when. more has . been, planted oiy raised than' the nightriders consider desirable, and assault'and kill those who have.planted or raised it. "For some years past a great many assassinations have taken place in this country, which so far have been committed almost exclusively by criminal Italians upon respectable Italians, ■ and which ere commonly .known -as Black Hand murdefs. The- assassins first write to their victims demanding money, and sign themselves as members of the Black Hand. If the money is not paid, the victim is killed, or his residence or place df • business blown up with dynamite! In many cases also persons have been murdered for attempting to detect the criminals, or because they have some knowledge which might lead to their detection. A few persons have beon convicted in such cases for attempts to extort money; but so far as I am aware, no person has ever been convicted ,in this country of any murder of that kind. "A special form of 'unpunished crime which has arisen. in : recent years results from the reckless 1 driving of automobiles. Many hundreds of persons have been killed and many' thousands seriously, injured in this way. No punishment,', except a trifling fine, .or, in very rare casps, a short imprisonment, has been imposed in such cases. The usual fine has been five or ten dollars, imposed on the owner of a machine costing perhaps SQCO dollars, and on which a new tire, costs, about fS dollars.