Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-01-09
KLEPTOMANIA.

A Woman Whose Shopping is Matter
of Much Embarrassment.
Boston Corr New York World.
A handsome equipage, with a fur
capped and silk hated coachman on the
box, ratified up to Houghton & Dutton' s
store Yesterday while the Christmas
shopping was at its height. A refined,
richly-dressed lady alighted, and leav-
ing her maid in the carriage, disappeared
into the crowded store. As she entered
an argus eyed hoor-walker, woman,
followed her. The Hoor-walker's eyes
never left her for an instant. The lady
belonged to that class of criminals who
are called kleptomaniacs when they are
rich, but thieves when they are poor.
As she is of the former class her name
is not given, and thus the Back Bay
minister who is her husband, escapes
the public scandal her wrongdoings
would occasion if he were somebody less
important.
Inspector Knox has looked up her
record. She is about As years of age,
thin and OF a yellowish complexion, in
dicative of ill-health Thieving with
her, so they say, is undoubtedly dis
ease and incurable. 1t is SO recognized
by her husband, and also by the many
doctors who have been called upon to
L
by the various large houses of the city,
and she is allowed to steal small things
without direct opposition. The clerks
are told to watch her carefully, notice
what she takes, and then bill is sent to
her husband, who is wealthy, and
be settles it without a murmur. A maid
has been employed to personally &C.
company the lady, whose sole duty it is
to watch her and see that she does not
get into trouble. Should there be any
interference by hoor-walkers who do
not know her or by clerks who are not
posted, the maid relates the facts, tells
her name, gives the address and in
structs them to send bill for the goods
to the husband.
For three years this kleptomaniac has
haunted the large stores of the city
almost every week and never goes away
without having taken something for
which she has not paid. She always
goes in her own carriage and with her
maid The maid, it would appear, is
not always as watchful of her charge as
she should be. When the lady called
Yesterday at the Beacon Street entrance
of Houghton & buttons store the maid
remained in the carriage. The klepto-
maniac visited the book counter and
pulled and hauled over lot of books,
with the declared purpose of buy
ing something. She managed to
but was SO clumsy about it
that any one could have detected her,
and detected she was. She stole anoth-
er book worth 80 cents. Then she
made an excuse that she did not have
money enough in her bag to pay for what
she had purchased by five cents, SO she
made that an excuse to go out to her
carriage, carrying the books with her.
She returned, stole a third book and
then made off with a satisfied look in
her eyes. The foor-walker, however,
had watched every movement, and by
this time her ministerial husband has
doubtless paid the little bill
Her pet hobby, however, is not books
but cheap jewelry and she spends hours
at a time around counter waiting for
favorable moment. While notas clever
as the professional shoplifter, her meth
DDS are not far different. For instance,
she has been known to drop her hand
kerchiet, as if accidentally, upon a tray
of jewelry, and, IN lifting it, to use it as
a veil to conceal her real act. She man
ages to steal a large amount of property
year by year, and the settings of the
bills costs her induIgent husband a
small fortune.
She has an immense necklace made
elimination rubies, sapphires. diamonds,
ETC., and it is said she never takes the
necklace off. In her Back Bay home
she has a room set apart for a half
dozen dogs, who are her constant COM
panions when indoors. A physician
attends her daily, and often rides out
with her. She is given to hallucina-
tons, the chief one being that she has
been robbed of cheap jewels, of which
she has large and varied collection