The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-04-20

T r011I tiIc -NtW OrK Sun
Indications of KIeptOmanIa.-
Queer lnCfdcntS--The MaIady is
hereditary Whole Famiiies
subjected TO it-.The Symptoms,
!. Physiology, and Extent,

"ssUfe tamDlleS
sunJecied TO it-.The Symptoms,
!. Physiology, and Extent.
The propensity to steal is about as
common as any that exists. Not to
steal, with great many persons, and
even whole families, would be a depri-
yation extraordinary. There are born
thieves, and thieves. professional; but
the worst and most incurable one is the
natural one sE....
THE KLEpTOMANIAC.
If there is any doubt of the state
ment, we have onl Y to refer our readers
to those cases which must certainly have
come under their observation within the
course of life, whether Of long or lin
tied duration. That the disease is q
hereditary one is admitted by every per-
son of scientific attainmcnts, particular
" psychologists, and those who have
regarded attentively the construction of
the hand, which is one of the most sub
tie indicators of character of the whole
human ply siology, mot excepting the eye
and mouth.
! THE KLEIToMANIAC INDICATIONS
In the first place the hand is long, but
mostly the fingers. which are usually
thin, and, where the disease is partiular
| ly pronounced, crooked at the first joint.
giving this indicative feature talon
Ion appearance; the nails are almond
shaped, and inclined to turn downward
at the fingers ends.
Aside from this, we have the very op-
positc-a broad palm, broad, square
shaped fingers, whose clasp leaves upon
your own an unpleasant adhesiveness, a
clammy sort of sickness that almost
feEery one has noticed from contact with
certain hands, denoting not only pro-
pensity to take hold of things, but a
strong disinclination to let 90 of them
when once laid hold of. These latter
kleptomaniacs never allow any thing to
drop, for the thing sticks after the muscles
have relaxed; in the former the relaxa-
ton of the article stolen A second
difference between the two is, that the
one IS inclined to filch small things, the
other large, such as the whole hand
would be exercised in laying hold of =
OF the two, the adhesive kleptomaniac
is the least dangerous to those persons
wearing or carrying valuables about
their persons, being addicted mostly to
shoplifting, or such more enterprising
thefts as come under the bolder and
perhaps broader name Of robbery The
crooked fingered class are usually pick
pockets, frequenting cars and omnibus
lines, whose adroit manipulation extri-
Gates the jeweled pin from its fastening,
or extracts the plethoric wallet from the
pocket of the merchant prince.
WHOLE FAMILY STEALING AMONG THEM
-..t. . SELVES.
Not only is the disease hereditary, but
unlike other diseases of like nature,
such as dypsomania, where only one
drunkard is found in family, it not un-
frequently involves father, mother, sons
and daughters. AS an instance of this
kind, we recall case where whole
family found indulgence for the propen-
sity in stealing among themselves. First
the mother would lose her earrings; the
daughter her brooch; the father his
shirts and trowsers, though of too am
pie proportions for the sons wear, and
so the things changed hands. They
went from one to the other-thev swung
around the circle (the family circle in
a mysterious manner; and sometimes,
where one member had more chances
than the others, the whole seven (of
which number the family consisted }, all
save the successful one, were without
ornament or wearing apparel.