St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-28
A Kleptomaniac Habit Devel-
oped Among Well-Bred
Shop Girls. !
The Proprietor Hesitates Be-
tween Lenieney and a
Sense Of Duty.
An ARRAY Among Drivers in
Which Stones and Pts
tolls Figure.
A Troublesome Hotel Guest
Whose Cries Call the
Patrol.

Some strange cases Of youthful de-
large retail stores of st. Paul. Two
young girls of fifteen haye been doing
petty thieVing until the aggregated
amount of the property stolen runs to
several hundred dollars. The strange
part of the case is that the girls have
comfortable homes, respectable families,
all the necessaries, and many of the
luxuries of life and surroundings in
every way tending to make them quiet
and respectable girls. They are both OF
them employed in the Golden Rule, on
Seventh street. The first thing that led
to suspicion was the missing of a couple
of base balls.
An inquiry was made, and on the
same day the remainder of the box of
balls was misSed-a dozen in all. They
were worth SIS. After a thorough
search they were found hidden in the
girls cloak room. The box was left
there and watch placed to find out
who would take them. Presently one
of the girls, whose name is withheld,
came in, put ON her large cloak, and.
tucking the box of balls carefully away
under it, walked through the store to
the street. She was called back and
taken to the Office OF MIR. Elsinger.
While being questioned by him, she
alley. ran down it like deer and es-
capped. The window was fully ten feet
from the ground. Mr.. Elsinger
drove at once to her home and
found her there in Mysteries.
Her mother, WelLto-do widow, did not
know the cause of her agitation. but
she was told. and a thorough search of
the house was made. A dozen or more
dolls. some musical instruments and
considerable quantity of other goods
were found. 1t was also ascertained
that several fine dolls, worth twenty
five or thirty dollars, had been de-
stroyed. The girl was questioned the
next day. and it was aScertained that
one of her companions in the store had
been stealing also. By playing one Of
the cuipritS against the other a most
lamentable state of affairs was found
out The girls had been stealing with
both hands, not only in the Golden
Rule, but in other stores. They would
often bring in many rolls of
stolen ribbon and trinkets of various
sorts, and give them to their colnpanj
ions. From the Golden Rule they would
carry out things of all sorts concealed in
their blouses, under their cloaks and
elsewhere about their persons. What
they did with them cannot be ascerl
tanned. The most probable surmise is.
that they sold them to some of the
smaller shopkeepers about the city. :
III consideration of the youth of the,
culprits, their respectable families and
their freedom from other vices, the
Messrs. Elsinger are very 10th to prose-,
cute the cases. 20 do so would be to
force these young girls into intimate
companionship with the vilest OF their,
sex, prostitutes and criminals of the
lowest type, and it would probably iil-
sure their total downfall. On the other
hand, their employers feel that an ex1
ample should be made of them for their
own safety and for the good of their
other employees. Should the idea be
come prevalent that such cases would
be CLOSED over and the criminals go I'M
punished, an epidemic of petty thleving
would result. The dilemma is a delicate
one. and how it will be solved has not
vet been decided.