The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, July 21, 1932, Image 6
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THE CLINTON CHRONICLE, CLINTON, S. C.
THBRSDAY, JULY-21, 3932
CRIME SURVEY SHOWS STATE
HAD‘BOUNTIFUL CROP IN 1931
Prohibition Cases Furnish Only customs, and th«
• i . enactment of new laws.
About One-Third of Total In changed ideas of the public pe.
State Courts In 1931, Statis- irardinisr se>t offense^, violation of the!
Iks By I>r. Williams Show.
prohibition laws, and-lately, of kid
naping, were given as illustrations of
Colombm, July 9.—In an analysis was hrnuirht
nf crim. in South Carolina in 1931, by|;"‘'•>« « '•''S*' P^P^rtion of tho of.
Dr. G. Croft Williams, are li.fUd near- .•>«■»'>!' !>»bitual
Iv 4.000 criminal cases broufrhl to mminals .f the courts and prisons
trial in South Carolina durinir the past,,'*''^ tP/“nction more efficient-
year. and finds that “crime has be-.'y- •>»»■ ^bat a large number of
.-..me one of the principal crops of the offenders were menully irresponsAle,
Palmetto stateshould not be .»entenced to prison
“If our education und economic pro-**^
»rre8.s continues to increase as rega
in the survey of the crime reports
larly as crime increases, we need have i f*'*’ ^he various counties, it was shown
no fear for the future of our state,’
he said.
The survey of crime in J^outh Caro
lina for 1031 has recently been com
pleted in the department of sociology
at the university ftiid w^as compiled
from the 1031 reprirt of the attorney
general under the super\ i.sion of Dr.
Williani.s, known in this state and
elsewhere as a criminologist.
that the larger number came from
r'.inties in which large cities were lo-
is*‘ed. Gr«*nville county, with a total|
f -JOT ca.He5 was first, while Spartan-
■‘•jrg wa.s second with 482 cases. Char-j
'e.ston carhe third, but Richland coun-'
y, in which Columbia is located, had '
I report of only 174 cases. Berkeley
county had the lowest number of cas
es in the county record. It was thir-i
teen, and in this county it was noted
“While the analysis and statistical there were no prohibition cases,
calculations tell stodies that numbers i homicides; were
alone can tell,’ he went on to sa.v,' Bgain.st Negroes. Saluda
“we must go behind the prosaic array | <.ounty had next to the lowest record,
*»f figures and mathematical tables to j only 16 cases of crime brought
see the human elements at play. Fig- before the state courts,
ures do not show the glittering knife, \ complete record for the counties
or the head-splitting axe, or thei^jj, made from the reports turned into
double-barreled shot gun with its load office of the attorney general,
of hiK'k .«hot, or the contortions of the j follows:
victim drenched in poison.’’ | • A.hbeville, Til; Aiken, 138; Alien-
According to the survey, a total of dale, 36; Anderson, 248; Bamberg, 40; J
3.1173 cases were brought to trial and j Barnwell, 28; Beaufort, 57; .Berkeley, |
per writ convictions were secured.! 13; Calhoun, 42*, Charleston, 275;
The offenses were concerned with: Cherokee. 186; Chester,' 24; Che.-ter-
niurder, st4-Hling. housebreaking, as-(field, 69; Clarendon, 52; Colleton, 29;
'-ault, violation of the prohibition law,' Darlington, 155; Dillon, 52; Don hes-i
various crimi's involving sex offenses, | ter, 30; Edgefield, 33; P’airfield, 96;
and violations of game, fish an<l check Florence, 112; Georgetown. 48; Green-
! ville, 497; Greenwood, 80; Hampton,
laws. etc.
James S. Bennett
In Laurens
Prominent BusinesH Man Parises
After Critical Illness. Highly
Esteemed In County.
Violations of the prohibition Jaw 43; Horhy, 202; Jasper, 40; Kershaw,
a d in numbers of case^, being'1,357,! 65; l^ncaster, 56; Uurens, 95; Lee,
and of this numlK*r 1,279 convictions. 140; I^xington, 84; Mc(;;ormick. 22; jl
or a proportion of 94 percent, were'Marion. 91; Marlboro. 97; NewU-rry,, ||i
secured. Next in order was house- 61; Oconee, 167; Orangeburg. 193;
hn>aking and larceny which was 968. Pickens, 111; Richland, 174; Saluda,
with 8.33 convictions, or 95 per cent. 16; Spartanburg, 483; Sumter. 118;
Of the former, tho.se charged against Union, 94; W’illiamsburg, 31; York,
the latter, Negroes were charged with JOl.
the greater numlM*r of offenses. In | '
both kinds of offenses, the proportion
of convictions was the same wMth
white and Negro offenders.
I/easl of all crimes noted w'as con
cerned with fraud, wherein one Negro
was charged and convicted.
Of the entire number of dt-fendanls,
there were 244 under 18 years of age.
Ninety-nine of these w’ere white and
145 .Negroes. Within this age limit, J
the chief offense charginl w'as house-j Laurens, July 19.—James .S. Ben-
breaking, with larceny second and vio-inett, for many years an outstanding
lation of the prohibition law, third. and highly esteemed bu.siness man of
In proportion to the numlier of ca»- this city, passed away at the laiurens
es tried, the ratio of convictions wa.s[hospital shortly after 10 o’clock Sun-
g)\en a: 86 per cent. The proportion day morning following an illness that:
of c ase." W'as 2,104 for the whites and' had lasted for several months. On Fri-.
l.''6i* for .Negroes: convTctions were day priK'eding his death an amputa-j
g;ven at 1.8t»6 for whites and 1;719 tion of his left leg was made as a last'
for Negroes.,/rhis .‘<ituuti<»ri show.s not resort to .sav<‘ his life, but his strength
only a larger proportion of crimes by had .so far deserted him sis to make
wh.les but reveals a laiger number the operation in vain,
of crimes in relation to the white pop- The funeral was held at the First !
ulation. it wu.< brought out. Bjiplist church Monday afternoon at
In I'.rUi th»' jiopulation of the'stafe“Ti\e o’cbu k and interment followed inj
\\a> given at 1,7.38.76.5 and at that the family plot in the Laurens ceme-
time !h( Negro pofmlatioii was about NMy. The-services were conducte<l by
equal to that of the w hiU'S, although his pastijr, Kev. W. I). .Spinx, of the j
ten years jireviou.sly the latter was Fir.^t Hapti.sl i-hurch, assisted by Kev. | jl
the laigest. Graves L. Knight, long time friend of j |2
The offenses in w hich the whites the family. Rev. (ieorge H. Hodges, | j|
oulMUinliered the NegrcH*s. were con-^ pastor of the First Methodist church,, li
i-eined w ith violations of the prohi-j and Kev. E, 1). Patton, pastor of the i ||
bitiun law. which showed '.*56 cases Kir.-t Presbyterian church. A large J [1
against whiU'S and only 407 against assemblage of sorrowing friends and j j|
Negroes. The cases in which more relatives attended the last rites at |
whites were involvid tha'n .Negroes both the church and the cemetery. | ||
were coiK-erned w ith violation of the The active pallbearers were B. L. i t
prohibition law. fish and game laws, ('lardy, E. J. Collier, E. T.'Babb, W.[ l|
chei’k laws, ar.son, malicious mischief, ('. Wharton, J. R. Murff, A, L. Ma-
forgery, re.sisting officer, certain .sex haffey, John W. Bolt and Herman
iaw.s and other miscellaneous crimes Boyd. The honorary escort w-as com-
not lii^vd. The greater num4>er of de- ^ posed of the board of 4^acons of the
'fendants who were Negroes appeared First Baptist church, members of his
in cases concerned with murder, bur-j Sunday si'hool class, court house of-
glary, larceny, hou.sehreaking and lar- ficials and the following citixens: T.
ceny, receiving stolen goors, assault, j D. Darlington, R. E. Babb, E. 1). East-
fraud and certain .-ex crimes.
TAi«h<A>gh, according to Dr,
Wil-
erhy, H. J. Martin, Dr. R. R. Walker,
Dr. R. H. Ariail, J. F. Burton, Joe F.
llama, tiiere - is. gene-rally thought to | Smith,. Casque* JY.„ l.s._G^j[’,__JL
be a decided partiality toward white D. ,Sexton, J. C. Shell, Freeman Burns,
criminals as compared with Negroes,' L. L. Moore, R. B. Childress, J. D.
the situation in the South ('arolina ^ Culbertson, R. E. Boyd and J. B. Cul-
courts showed that with approximate- bertron.
ly an equal division of the population j Mr. Bennett was a native of Allen-
between the two races, as was the' dale. In 1892 he and Seth Wijliams, a
case in the llkJO centus, there was a! young friend, also of Allendale, came
larger number J)f whites brought>^10! to I^urens and opened a retail gro-
trial. There was very little difference U*ery store.-Later the business was
in the projiortion of convicitjons, it ] carried on by Mr. Bennett for a num-
was brought out. there being 86 per 1 her of years. Subsequently he engaged
cent for whites and 87 jier cent for! in the wholesale grocery busiiiess
Negroes. Th ehomicides showed that' which had been cmftinued, with the
140 were charged to the latter race a-^sistance of his son-in-law, L. S. Me-
while 99 were charged ‘to the former. Millan. He was considered as one of
This wa.s in keeping with the gener- the town's leading business men, and)
jtliyL jfecoenized situation regard!ngj_w-as a man of unfailing courtesy andj
the prevalence of homicides in the, cunsiderateness tbwa'rld “ others. He!
Southern*Negro population, it was ex-iKerved as a deacon and Sunday school:
plained. {officer in the First Baptist chunh for'i]
There was an increase of crime inj more than a quarter century and for:
the state over the year previous andia long time taught a 1 men’s class in'
for the past few years there has been'the Sunday school. . {|
0
0
i!
i!
0
0
i
0
0
0
0
0
0
I
I
0
0
0
a steady increase. Five years ago, in
1927, the report showed a total 'of
2,642 cases brought before the courts.
At that time the prohibition cases led
all others, and housebreaking came
next as was the case in this report.
Howrever, there were more offenders
under 18 years of age in that year
Mr. Bennett was married May 25,
189.3, to Miss Nannie Boyd of this
city. She survives him, together with
a son and daughter, Thomas W. Ben
nett, Laurens county clerk of court,
and Mrs. Iceland S. McMillan, also of
this city. There are three grandchil
dren, Thomas W. Bennett, Jr., and
than are shown in the 1931 report, Mary Catherine Bennett, and Nancy I
being 414 in 1927 as compared with. Powell McMillan. Mr. Bennett is~ also:
244 for Uat year. 'survived by one sister, Mrs. J. R.|
Relative to the general increase of | Weaver, of Augusta, Ga., and a si.ster-'
wore tluHi^jthownd cases. Dr. Wil- in-lawj^ M rs. Magye Bennett, of .\1- j
liarat snggeated five reasons: the gen-' lendale. /
eral attitude of the people regsTrding j /
certain offenses, the failure of the j Saturday Bvenipg Post $2.M
in convicting and the prisons Country Gentleman, 3 yearn .... ...$1.00
in pi'oprriy influencing the inmates,
de^eet 9f offenders, certain
Ladies Home Journal „S1.00
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