The New York Times article was largely anecdotal. The peg on which the story dangled were the impressions of a Cleveland, Ohio, police officer, in his mid-60s. By the way, another explanation offered for the decline in the homicide rate (in which adults did the killing) was the improvement in emergency medical services: fewer victims died of their wounds. David M. Fahey History Department Miami University Oxford, OH 45056-1618, USA tel. 513-529-5134 FAX 513-529-3841 e-mail: <[log in to unmask]>