SOME OF THE YEAR'S TRAGEDIES.
FROM the Chicago Tribune, of January 1, to which the press of the country is indebted for its careful record and compilation of statistics and events, we take the following facts: There were of legal hangings or executions in the country, 123, the same as last year. Of these 35 were in the North, and 88 in the South; 45 were whites, 76 Negroes, and 2 Indians. The crimes for which these victims were hanged were murder, 115; rape, 8. The number of lynchings for 1906 was 69, 3 more than last year. Murders, reported by telegraph last year to December 26, were 9,350, 138 more than 1905. There was a large increase of "hold-up" murders, and double murders; 19 of the murderers were women. Double murders number 280; triple murders, 96; quadruple murders, 44; quintuple murders, 30. And there were three cases where even more were killed at a time. The steady increase of suicides continues. The record runs from 5,340 in 1899 to 10,125, almost double in 1906. Of these 7,242 were men and 2,883 women. Nearly one-half of these—4,561—were caused by despondency, and 2,338 from domestic troubles and love disappointments. Among professional men physicians head the list, numbering 39. In embezzlements there was a large increase over 1905. That year it was $9,613,172; in 1906, $14,739,653, by far the heaviest of any year since 1894. The fire losses greatly exceed those of 1905. The amount for the year is estimated at $352,000,000. In 34 of the larger cities there were 134 persons killed in automobile accidents, and 494 injured; 159 smaller towns add to this 75 killed and 337 injured; a total of 209 killed and 831 injured. There were killed on steam railroads during the year, not including employees, 3,295, and injured 9,561; on the electric roads, including employees, 674 killed and 2,953 injured. An appalling record. The loss of life from various disasters is reported as follows: Fires, 1,184; drownings, 2,985; explosions, 623; falling buildings, 483; mines, 599; cyclones and storms, 719; lightening, 205; electricity, 176; earthquakes, 2,452 (probably nearer 5,000). The Tribune says that "it may well be known in the future as the year of disaster."