The Red Cloud chief., 1889-07-12
DRoPrlxG GOODS OK TIE YIooR.

sum, perhaps fiv hundred dollars, rather
than appear In court. Two thousand dol
lars was the bail fixed for Q woman who
recently stole several rolls Of silk Nothing
Is too valuable, naturally, for these people
to steal, and at the same time nothing IL
TOO small or triflin9. Whepever their
homes have been searched. articles Of
every conceivable description have been
found. All is fish that comes to their nets.
The organized gangs have their head.
quarters at some place down town. They
60 out by the dozens every day, and then
seport at night. Some Of them when they
start out on their days expedition 90 down
10 the ferries or to the Grand Central do.
pot and station themselves there until they
spy q victim-some lady possibly with u
weil-fl!ed pocket-bo0k. who Is bound on u
shopping expedition. This person Is fol.
lowed from store to store until the pro-
fessional has either possessed herself of
the pocket-book or found out that sh0 has
met some one who is too clever for her
wiles.
A . rule these people arc not well
dressed, for whatever money they may
make in this way they spend In drink and
~carousals. II they steal . dollar article
and pawn it they seldom get over ten or
fifteen cents for it. At the holidays all
stores double their force o. detectives, or il
they are not accustomed to employ one ut
any other eason Of the year they usually
engage one or two then
Fully nineteen-twentieEhs Of the shop
lifters are women. 1t Is seldom that q male
.shophfter attempts to ''work'' . retail store
alone, and the instances where women arc
assisted by men are not frequent. Male
shoplifters operate mostly in wholesale
stores. They 60 in couples and generally
drop into q store soon after the porter has
opened the doors, and while one of them
engages the attention Of b reporter the other
makes OF with q package of goods.
Tho usual pretext given by this class Of
thieves is that they have lust come to town
and thought they would stop on their way
to their hotel" One Of the men carries q
hand-sachel, into which the stolen property,
Of course, finds its way.
Professional shoplifters were formerly in
the habit Of affecting the "kleptomania
dodge" when detected, but since the store
keepers have become SO exacting in their
demands for proofs Of good character in
such cases the thieves have abandoned that
subterfuge and now depend upon their skill
and luck to escape detection. :
{ The increasing experiences Of the store
keepers and tho improved facilities fof
thief-catching have driven the bunglers out
Of this branch Of the rogue's profession.
and it II now an even match between
sharp and experienced detectives and smart
and ingenious thieves. There arc plenty
Of evidences that 1.-The smart and Ingenious
thieves are numerous and that they operate
In all the large retail stores with . fai.
average Of success.
Kler:omania is an evil familiar to all, and
Il is regA-ded v~sriously by different shop
keepers. Those who profess to have con-
fdence In medical science, or who possess
charitable natures, frankly avOw their be.
lief in the theory that kleptomania is q dis
ease of the mind which its victims can not
resist or throw OF. To such kindly disposed
merchants kleptOmaniacs are objects Of pity
and tender consideration; but to another
class Of merchants they are simply pr0voca-
tive Of wrath. It IL generally conceded that
kleptomania il . standing compl int, which
is constantly manifesting itself in Q moder.
ate degree. It does not appear to increase
or decrease, but remains about the sam
from year to year..
'There is . lady w4o often comes in
here" they said to me at one store, ''whom
we know to be . kleptomaniac. She Il well
known BY all q clerks, and the bill Of tho
goods she takes IL sem to her family, who
pay 1t without . question"
Some OF the people afflicted with this dis
ease are women, but occasionally men who
are able TO show that they move IN respect
able society are caught stealing. Instances
are narrated where men Of wealth and high
social prominence have been detected con
cealing about their persons articles for
which they could nave no possible use. Not
long agoa man was caught in . bungling
attempt to steal . couple Of cheap cotton
handkerchiefs in . Broadway store. His
Rentiemarly appearance and unfeigned agi-
tation when accused Of the theft prompted
tho managers Of the store to invite him
into . private room and ask for An explana
don. He acknowledged with much chagrin
that he was periodically seized with an un
comfortable impulse to steal something. He
insisted that while subject to the mania he
had no realization Of where he vas, or what
he was stealing. He easily established his
identity Is . prosperous business man, and
displayed . welLflled pocset-book. In con-
sequence he was allowed to depart, and no
publicity was given to his case.-N. Y. Nail
and !EXDress