WILFUL MISSING

Evening Star, Issue 18021, 15 July 1922, Page 14

WILFUL MISSING

PICTURE GALLERY OF CRIME. LAWBREAKERS AT LARGER The stories of the crimes depicted in the posters which form an imposing array on one wall of the local detective office would fill half a dozen volumes, and, if recounted in gruesome detail, would install in tho mind something of the horror aroused by Poe's famous stories of rapteries and crimes. The posters, mostly come from New York police headquartera and international detective agencies, and they throw a hind sidelight on crime in the big cities of the North American continent. Their object, of course, is to seek the perpetrators of serious felonies and to warn the police of all countries to which they are distributed to keep a watchful eye for the miscreants. Seldom, however, do the American “crooks” come to New Zealand, though every zealous detective always has tho picture of them in his mind’s eye. On one occasion & local detective thought he had located a man much wanted in America, and carried ill© with him in his pocket till next time he the suspect. There was certainly a striking likeness, but the man who was wanted was fully a foot shorter than tho man suspected, whose bona fides was established. Perhaps the most significant feature oi the bulletins is the large proportion of murder cases, mostly of a violent nature. For instance, one man who is wanted shot his wife, and then killed his mother-in-law with a hatchet. Shooting cases are very frequent. In another instance a man strangled his wife, packed her body in a trunk, and sent it off on a railway tram. Truly horrible, but real! Several cases are given of thefts of such largo sums as 20,000 dollars and 15,000 dollars. The crime of a picture theatre manager is thus described:— He buncoed a man out of 50,000 dollars by means of a faked stock deal.

The translations of some Swiss bulletins make rather amusing reading “ \rrest This Man?’ “Wanted For Murder,” “Wanted For Grand Larceny,” “ Wanted For Forgery/’ are a few of the larco black-type headlines that catch the eve in this criminal gallery. _ Then is given a photo, front and side view, of the person wanted, and in most cases a full description. If he has served a sentence in gaol before, a more minute description is given, of course, and hie finger-prints are reproduced. The crime that had been committed is then detailed, and an indication given of where the perpetrator is likely to flee and the type of company he is likely to join. To the person interested in the study of criminology the posters would provide much food for thought. A few of the faces show evidence of more or less refinement and intellect, but the majority are of a very marked criminal type. Here we have the heavy jaw, the sloping forehead, the eyes set at an abnormal angle, the peculiarly shaped eare_ and noses, and other features characteristic of the criminally inclined. But in a I civ cases appearances are deceptive, and it is hard to imagine the good-looking, well-dressed persons one sees being capable of heinous crimes. The occupations represented are varied,’ comprising cowboys, lumbermen, clerks, a picture show manager, wharf laborers, and tradesmen of all kinds. Liberal rewards are in many cases offered to anyone giving information that will lead to the criminals being brought to book.