The Meeker herald., 1890-11-15
NEST OF kLePTomANiAcs.
A Chicago Detective Hetsiis = vsry In
tsrrsting "Reminiscences.


tsrr.ting "Reminiscences.
"Kleptomania," said detective at
the Central station to u Chicago Mail
reporter the other day. "is an aifiiction
that is as widespread rs II Is peculiar.
never could understand why women
who have comfortable homes and ARC not
In actual want-whose husbands would
give them money To buy things with II
they asked for it-should. for the mere
love Of stealing, purloin articles often.
times such as they could never use.
But III tell YOU" the officer continued,
there il not as much kleptomania ~
there Is alleged to be. The fact Is tho
disease Is, nine times out of ten, plain
larceny. II becomes klep,omania only
when tho thieves arc detected and turn
out to be ostensibiy respectable. people.
was called into case once which led
70 train of the most peculiar circum'
stances ever uncovered
"a certain retail store on State street
had been missing articles for y long
time. Ladies' gloves, hosiery. velvet
ribbon and other objects of feminine
uss had been disappearing by Wholesale.
Tho proprietor~ suspected . woman who
We . Ro<A4 CuntOaCu W kaGtEh, 0uos -
far 81 her appesrsueo was concerned.
should have been above suspicion. She
WAS Of middle age. dressed richly and
lived In n fashionable boarding house.
Before proceeding against her 1t -ss
necessary To have proof. and engaged
board At the house ~hero she stopped.
Besides tho suspect, the boariers in
clgdei a Hoard OF Trade man OF sixty, .
thin. old lady Of the same age. who had
. son o! twenty. and a spinstor daughter
who taught kindergarten school; .
commercial man and his wife. and
clerk In . Wholesale coal oiiico who ~As
. nai;y dresser.
II, took m. only . few days to get
tho bearings of the house. Tho suspect
had room on the third floor. She was
downtown all day. though sh. had
nothing To keep her unless 1, ~aa her
occupation Of shop-iif,in.. Sh. had
m cans Of her own evidently from hor
room and ds-ss. In iess than week
discovered ,ha, she was selling as,io lee
" tho other ladies' In ,h. house. sho
would drop into tho room Of tho CON.
mercial mans ~i.o and display Dol, Of
trlvc, ribbon or several pairs o! gloves.
She said sh. had fos them very cheap.
and that though sh. could no, war them
shc bad bouTh, ,hom b-cau., they ~cr.
such . ss-as bargain. Then sho would
inquire u tho commercial mans ~if.
did not ~Aa, 10 buy the articles. ! 50,
enough evidence 10 convict her ani took
her 10 tn. aioru.k.op-ss. OF course she
played tho ki-p,omanla dodge. and ,hcy
10. hos of.
"No~ got 10 tho hos, par, Of my
story. discovered ,ha, In that board.
tns.hogs1 there ~-ro ,~o other klop,o-
manlas.-n you shoo,o Ia call ,Lon
that. Ono Was th. old LADY whose
daughter taught = kindergarten. I'll.
other ~a, tho youns man In Tho coal
Office.
Tho old iady's daughter treated her
vcry badly. because sac was no. . ral.
usAs~d person. while hor daughter
made great prcsontions To culture. In
fAaa sao often struck boz. Though tho
daughter received . su"d salary and ono
son living In tho hoasr go, SIS or go pcr
week. and tao other rrowa .ons ucr,
prosperous. ono receiving $500 and tho
other 5000 p1f y-a-. the old lady vas
never e,scn any ready money. why7
because she elung with . mothers
fcs,or ,o Aarani-n. soE,hl-s. older >on.
~ho ss-Ak-i 10 the hoas, ~h.n his sis.
tor Vas a9ay and 'hl-,i' h,r Tor all h-s
srafr change.
''sho had Ia steal 30 keep ,ha, black
sheep In a magiiln state. Tho other
iaiios missed ll,,l- articles from ,imc 10
,lmc. bg: tho bpar'.ins.h .hausr -as
swell one. yos kno~. and they coglI no;
voice ;h-i- suspicion. The Board %
Tfa,ir man missed half dozen collar.
one day. and shortly af;rr~a-d he sa~
Tho son o! the old lady wearing ono.
Tho boy had given his mother money 20
buy collars. which had conc into the
s,omsoh OF his brother in the shape OF
whisky. Tho larrcni.s ~crc brogsh;
home 10 ;hc old lady by tho discovery Q!
. LOT Of towels. tho property o! tho
board ing .hogsc keeper. hioh ~uro found
wrapped up In ono o' her y-;,icoa,s.
Tho daughter ,rarsslly said ,hs, sh"
~As il"p,amaniaa and sought another
boasiins.hogsn. Underwear missed by
tnA!o boasicrs ~as found In tho trunk of
tho young man who worked In = coal
once. and with both those dl@cov-
cries came tho explanation Of tho all.
scaeo Of many things. Tho clerk
!os Tho coal ofIloo declared that hc
couidn'. help IL. ;ha. hc vas klcp.s.
maniac. and he. too. disappeared. I,
~as tho mos, interesting nos. Of kicp,o.
maniaes that I ever struck. and was
tho only person who los, nothing In my
weeks s;ay there. because I took moth
Ing with me. The house Ia now filIcd
with . SGT Of entirely now boaricrs"