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Show ' Where It Hurts Sociologists, criminologists and municipal authorities, gt nt rally, should be interested in Chicago's latest effort to raliu e her crime record "the cuckoo test." A fortnight or so ago, Police Chief Michael Hughes ordered his men to round up all the gunmen, thugs and stis!c.l,:; of Chicago. It was an exceedingly large contract ' and the "criminally minded" were brought in in great squads. P.ut, the policy of holding on. suspicion or putting through "The Third Degree" was not followed. The men with police records and those evidently "criminally hardened" were sent ' to a lunacy commission for examination. And droves of '.'bad nun" have been leaving Chicago, to the delight and comfort ; uf Chief Hughes. ' .... According to sacred history, the first great criminal, : after his father, Cain, the fratricide, received the severest of punishments. He wasn't imprisoned or hanged but was sent, free, i;tto the world, marked so that all men would, know him; and, it seems that to the modern criminal, the most dreaded punishment is hurt to the pride. The Chicago "bad man" has a certain pride in his "badness," cares little for imprisonment and will risk hanging as a matter of ordinary , hazard. Put. he will not stand for being officially declared "looney." I Among tho notorious Chicagoans run in was one Mc-i Mc-i Hrlane. lie fought, cursed, wept and plead, whereas he had i only laughed at three indictments for murder. "I'll" leave the city or do anything," he promised, "but I won't take that cuckoo test." Clearly dominated by pride in. i his "standing" in the world, the criminal world, in his case. The common skunk has the same pride. Of course, there may be a reaction against, justice in this Chicago experiment. A "bad man" officially designated , ! its "cuckoo" has a basis for defense in his trial for murder, later on. However, Chicago may bo able to clean herself,' i , somewhat, whatever other communities get of her sweep- ings. |
