The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1873-06-27
E&lepiOlilania.

Prom an interesting article under
the above heading in the forthcoming
volume of McClintocll and Strong's
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological
and Ecclesiastical Literature, published
by Harper & Brothers, we take the fol-
lowing entertaining anecdotes:
Kleptomania is usually exhibited by
persons who have no motive to steal,
and is frequently satisfied by purloin-
inc articles of no value. A baronet of
large fortune stole, while on the Con-
tinent, pieces of old iron and OF bro
ken crockery, and in such quantities
that tons Of these collections were pre-
sentetl to the customhouse. In the
second volume Of the Medical Critic
the case of Il female Is detailed who
could not resist the impulse Of appro-
priating everything within her reach.
In searching this woman on one occa-
sion there were found 10 bags upon her
person, in which there were 1852 arti-
clcs, mostly worthless, viz; l0i bits of
paper, 81 sewing needles, Is old gloves,
II moulds for wax leaves, 10 buttons,
80 feathers, S parcels OF dried fish, 1875
bits of ribbons, 0 bottles, I'll lozcnges,
and Il variety OF other articles, the re-
fuse of the place, to which she had ut
various times taken fancy:
Another case reported by high medl-
cal authority is that of a rich but &C.
centric gentleman living in Al old
manor house in Lincolnshire, Eng
land. He was good business man,
and managed his estate with care and
prudence, auditing his stewards yearly
accounts with the skill Of an expert.
His neighbors were all kindly disposed
toward him, and he was charitaDly dis
nosed toward the poor. Even the ser
wants who saw him every day, nifhouEh
they confessed that he was certainly
very peculiar at times" never once
dreamed of impugnlng his intellect
He was insane in one direction only,
and one might have passed lifetime
with him without discovering 1t. lie
would be seized 10y a sudden deterinl-
nation to travel, and on such occasions
no would travel in state, witt retlnue
of servants. After II fortnigllt's or per-
hans a months absence, he would re-
turn home. Invariably, on the morn
inc of the next day after his return,
towels, which had been taken from an
omen portmanteau, were lollhd scat
tered about the room. Altar. break
laEt. his custom was TO retire 10 tnc
library. and write the addresses of all
the hotel keepers at whose houses he
had slept during his absence on so
many slips of writing paper, WIN a.
rcctions TO his servants to inclose 70
eoch address the humber of towels
snecified upon each piece OF paper,
and to copy such other writing as they
might find there, and send tiiis III
letter, with the towels, to the hotel
keener. This gentleman was one or
the unhappy race of kleptomanlacs
whose particular MANN impelled nm
to nurloin towels. He subsequently
goye TO n friend history of his ease,
and said he was goaded to these Jour
neyings and pilfcrings by an irresisti-
HE IMPULSE, which he insisted was me
result of dcmoniacal possession. lie
was never impelled, however, second
time on the same journey, so tllal,
while no hotel keeper would oe llkeiS
TO suspect. during his visit, i gentle
nan of his rank and style as one-who
would steal his towels, it never trans
PRED publicly, so far as is known, thA
he was thief, although his own CON
scio,,snes, of the fact cmbittered his
existence. e
Sometimes, in the ease of tins form
of monomania, there exists Ill .he
mind of the sufferer the deltlsion thai
what he steals is his own properly, or
has been stolen from him, and that ne
merely reclains his own. sometimes
he imagines that God orders him TO
steal. The case is recorded of Il scotch
CLERGYMAN. distinguished for his learn
ing, piety and charity he. stole Bibles
with a special view to the glory OF God
Inv the propagation of the Gospel. His
manse was a little "missionary of sto-
len Bibles" and he was as much Ill
earnest in the conversion OF souls by
the contraband process as the most en-
thusiastic foreign missionary could be
i'm his calling. He was at last detect
ed in Wholesale Bible stealing. Ii was
further discovered that he had organ
lied a wide missionary district ana
left a Bible or Testament at every
cottage where it was needed along the
route. The most touching fact III the
story is that he was arrested while on his
knees by the bedside of u dying old man
with stolen Bible lying wide open be-