Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1874-01-03
HOLIDAY KLEPTOMANIA
seasOaabs Manifestations Of Peculiar Crime
The Mol Elanders Of Respeetab.a los...1.

SeasOnaple manifestations OF fCCull7l lrifne-
The Mol Flanders Of Respectable los!-ty.
This is the season of small lircenies
A great many somen are runuil Z and
hiding about with well tilled purses, and
a gleat many Oibcr women 6ie ruuuiny
afer them iut-ht upon abstraction and
conversion. On the pavement, in the
cnrs aud stages and iU the shops the
feonlOus Industry goes On, with much
ehrill waiiiug from ihe plurdered rs vel
ss tue pluuderers, with Gee ,sOnai d tee
tiuns and afrests, and with no litle real
aud iucJnvtnlcnt loss. The shopkeepers,
If you ask them, Nill till you dO,eiul
story Of great deal OF property carried
oil Ia spite Of ngmefuus aud uniemifting
precautions, not the least of the trouble
being that innocent and honorable ladies
are now aud then accused Of 4 ching and
stupidiv ard cruelty arrested, only to be
summarily discharged aud restored to
their distracted homes. The ehopmeu
will further tell you, as tie result OF
their sad experience, that NO. all the
/ larceuies, by any means, are perpetrated
by experts that women Of respect bile
[ social position and under no pressing.
/ temptation OF want. will carry of goods
aud chattels fer which they have neither
! barg lined uoI paid, which they do MOI
/ need, aud which they might with easg
and honesty acquire il they did need them.
Mol Flanders is sometimes found, moi
in the stews and slums, the mistress Of u
thief or burglar, but in an avenue nu-
mer'cally respt ctable, with a la" ful hus
bIud to whom his good name is iutiulteiy
precious, and with half "a I'm children
perhaps with dOting f,tner wlosa
irdecib'lity becomes white hot, when told
that his darling, like the Arttul DodgeI's
twin brother has "unlawfuliy taken tC
priggiug" Pefhap, It is great consO
iatiOl to u husband OF father, however
little to the exasperated shopkceler, tt
be told that a fine q eek name has bees
Invented for this kind of Appropriation
that it is now mentioned in The medical
books as Kleptomania, ali colts of sini
being now Mania, that 1t is just as nuct
a disease MS dy-Tepsia, with which, in
deed, il is not seldom complicated tina
Madame or Miss steals because she can
not help It snd that the doctor, not tn,
Toiccman, i the proper pef-on to h
rsicd ia. Matters are often adjust,
upon the bases of this psychoogica
theory. Husband or papa pays for tn
stolen fairy. The slopseepcr prudeuii
holds his tongue and Keeps or acquires
good customer; aud the policeman goe
away wiuging with spasmodie facetlous
ness and pret, rnatural intelligence
Sometimes the affair gets into the heSs
papers, and somctimes II does rot bu
If IL shou ., whnt matterl Klel l3mant
is a very impressive AoIi. Tue real, pei
fettly sane Moll Flanders goes down {
the Island, Rrcally TO the grief becaus
greatly 10 The pecuniary loss of he
"man;" the amateur Mol, being
, kleptomoniac, returns to tie bosom q
society, which Is v,ry ample and full c
the mils Of ludciuus forgiveness. 6
much for word derived from he Greeks
SO much for soft hearted etymo'ogy IN
cousideta'e psychological science l--Ne
York Tribune.