The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-12-09
KLEPTOMANIACS.

Happy and well at Christmas tide,
And we will bless thee.
KLEPTOMANIACS.
Curious Experience or llerchants with
People Who "Can't Help" Stealing.
There are some people born into the
world with etching palms." They
have a perfect mania for. stealing, be-
ginning when they are very young and
continuing until old age. Their family,
position, or occupation makes the de-
sire none the less strong; but wherever
and whenever an opportunity presents
itself, the propensity seeks to be graft
fed. As class they are termed "klep-
tomaniacs," although many of the
shrewdest observers of human nature
declare the term q misnomer. Promi-
nent business men and skillful detect
ives who have seen and learned the
ways of such people often assert that
the idea is an entire delusion, and the
cases of actual disease in the direction
of theft so rare as to Danish the notion
of any such thing. Still the majority of
mankind are convinced of the existence
of such maniacs, and storekeepers and
managers of exhibitions can recite nu-
merous instances corroborative of the
belief. The wife of a prominent New
Yorker, who is said to have been
caught stealing a ten-cent cotton hand
kerchief during the Centennial, evil
IDENTIFY belongs to that class, and there
are plenty Of well-authenticated cases
in the annals of Philadelphia's large
business houses. Chats with floor
walkers, special detectives and the
heads of leading firms in this city yes
terday disclosed many of these,
although oftentimes the manner of
the thefts and the actions of the
thieves almost obliterate the bound
ary between maniacs and professional
thieves. So shrewd are many of the
notorious shoplifters that they try to
pass themselves off for kleptomaniacs
when detected in their work. A very
sedate, matronly-looking old lady
walked into store, at Chestnut and
Eighth streets, not so very long ago,
and made several minor purchases.
Before she left the counter silk hand
kerchief was missed, and word to that
effect communicated to one of the floor
walkers. He asked the old lady for the
return of the article, and she handed
it back at once, exclaiming: ''You
mustn't mind what I do; my heads all
wrong. I'm Just out of the hospital
and amt altogether right yet. Just
excuse my way, won't youp" The old
lady talked SO piteously as to throw most
of the clerks off their guard and they
were about to excuse her when one of
the gentlemen who has been connected
with the establishment for years and
up. He pretended to believe the wom-
nr nd ocbnA kav 10 cfx 80 h. -
the store. She did so, and then he told
her he would like to have the other
things she had stolen. 1t was her turn
to be surprised, and without further
thought sne said: 'sYou won't send me
down for very long, will youP' A
dozen handkerchiefs, gloves and numer-
GUS other articles were found about her
person. Several similar instances were
given where the parties had pleaded
brain complaint.
The disease. if disease it is, exists
mostly among people of affiuence and
high social standing. The wife of a
very prominent citizen several years
ago had a proclivity for purloining laces.
Other goods, which were easy OF access
and might have been readily stolen,
were passed by and only laces slyly con-
fiscated. She was aliberal customer at
a well known Chestnut street store, and
the idiosyncracy was always overlooked.
A memorandum was made of what was
carried away, the item was appended
to the bill and. always paid without COM
ment. A widow lady of means and fine
family boarded several years ago at the
Markoe House, in this city. A large
portion of her time was spent in shop
ping and two or three of the stores rec
ognized her as one of their best patrons
She ran up large bills and promptly paid
them. but she had a mania for petty lar
ceny. The thing soon became familiar,
and her movements were carefully
watched. She asked to see some Irish
point lace collars one day at q store.
The box was placed before her, and the
clerk being busy with other things did
not notice the widow. The floor walk
er did, however. and he soon saw her
slyly look all around, then put her hand
in the box, crumple collar up in
her hand and make a move toward
her pocket. just then he stepped
up to her and made some remark about
the beauty of the collars. She changed
color and stammered q reply. He kept
up the conversation for. q few moments
and then pretended to move away. As
ne dld SO she slipped the collar back
into the box, under the rest, and then |
made an additional remark about the |
elegant quality of them. A nice, re-
lined lady, from one of the best families |
IN the State of Delaware, used to be
afflicted with the same trouble. The
missing Of several small articles in q
certain store excited suspicion, and q
very little scrutiny discovered her to be
he wrong-doer. Being well known by
he firm nothing was ever done about
he matter other than to notify her
friends. The value of the goods taken
vas small. as she generally took articles
If very little worth. The same story Is
rue of the wife of a prominent physi-
ian, who grew fairly reckless in her
mania, carrying off things when the
yes of the clerk were upon her. She
vas taken to an asylum for a while, it
$ said, and placed under medical treat