Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-12-12
RAGE FOR STEALING.
Ladies' OF Standing In 6ociety VIC
tins OF Kleptomania.


II beg yOur pardon, madam, this 10
clinging to the fringe Of your wrap"
The speaker was the hoor-wolker in one
of the large retail stores Of tho city, and
the person he addressed was fashion
ably-dressed lady. He had oSught.her
in the act OF seoreting cheap purse
under her wrap, and only took this
means Of letting her know that he had
noticed her. The lady blushed. and
murmuring something walked to another
counter, but all the time she was In the
store sharp eyes wero Watching her.
When she secreted some lace in her
pocket nothing, was said about it, but
the amount was added to the bill her
husband paid at the end of the month.
"Are there many kleptomaniacs In
this city2T asked an Indianapolis News
reporter Of q detective.
"Abeut fifty" was the astonishing an
swer. ''They are we'll known to the
merchants, and as soon es they step
into store they are watched, and no
matter how sly they work, they arc
always detected. It il not very
often that they are called upon to dis
gorge. If their husbands are not able
to pay for the articles taken, the lady 10
asked to step into private room,
and there female clerk relieves them
Of the stolen goods. It is seldom that
any information concerning the theft il
lodged with the police or gets outside
the store. The merchant never prose-
cutes them To do 80 would. ruin hia
business, The bill is always settled,
and that ends it. A foor-walker told
me recently that when the theft of an
article is noticed q bill for double the
value Of the article is made out and all
above the selling price Of the article
goes to the person who detects the theft.
In some stores young ladies are en-
plOyed who are ready detectives, and
whose business u simply to watch for
pilfeTers.
"There 10 o woman here who every
Wednesday puts on an old sun-bonnet,
and taking basket goes out begging
for bread. If she can steal loaf, or an
ear Of corn, or any trivial thing, she will
do 90. Yet this woman is far above want
IN . financial sense. Another recently
stole seventy-hve yards of silk. Another
took two hundred yards Of Lace. An
other will pick up buttons and all sorts
OF insignificant articles. They do this
believing themselves unnoticed, and
take risks that professional thief or
shop-lffter would not think Of taking.
One lady has such penchant for pilfer-
ing that she has q companion with her
at all times. This companion sees that
stolen articles are either returned or
paid for. Whenever q new store strikes,
town the 'kleps' all flock to it, but there
Is generally sor ono employed who,
knows these people, and they do not get
away with very much before they are.
caught"
Major Carter, OF the Secret Service,
relates this instance: cat . country
church down South gourd was. used at
the fountain. An old lady walked up to,
the fountain, took drink, and. in the
presence Of the entire congregation, se-
GREETED the gourd under her shawl and
walked back to her seat, fully satisfied
that no one had seen her take tho
gourd. That is the worst case OF kleptoe
mania I ever heard Of"
Scientific research has az yet failed to.
fully explain the reasons and causes Of
this peculiar disease-for disease it,
surely is. It is one Of the mysteries of
poor human nature every locality
has its full share Of kleptomaniaes,' y"
said DR.. carp at is not tnfRequent
that some OF them receive sentence In
police courts, while q large majority of
them in the higher walks Of society ana
protected by friends In Order to-
spare tho feelings OF their Eela-.
tives, and ID is often understood that
q settlements Will be made for goods
purloined. These persons, arc moro
often women than men, which is I'm,
questfonably due to the peouliarities OF
the sex, prone to conditions thatinyite
strange demeanors They are not gem
orally known in q eommnnity ss insane
persons, and yet there sometimesseems
that tendency. Insane persons have de-
feetive power of the will. IL tt be-
mental alteration I'm the sans degree
eases OcoHu where there Ia o negversion,
Of morality, intense jealousy, sssspicion
which may, Id not at tho timaA eventual
~ lead 10 n disturbance Of tho snseRlect.
YehiA would be extremelS unfortunate
iEthe Rleptomaniao was considered TN