Relatively few of New York City's 19th-century homicides resulted in significant punishment. A fiscal conservatism dominated the political economy. Costly revenue-funded activities were de-emphasized. Activities that could be supported by fees or that involved legitimate debt funding went ahead, but activities with high operating costs were restricted. The cost of high-volume prison commitments would have involved a high annual outlay, as would have the prosecution of serious felonies. The courts' behavior thus did not mirror society's values, but rather the needs of the State in a complex political economy, one sensitive to voter opinion. Police arrested most murderers, but an active county and State government sided with fiscal conservatism by dropping costly criminal prosecutions of murderers. Rather than reflecting the seriousness of the homicide problem or the demands of citizens to punish such offenders, court outcomes reflected the needs of the local political economy. 1 table, 5 footnotes. (Author abstract modified)