Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1891-01-11
NEST OF
A Chie.Eo Detective R.t ala q Very In
IareatInr RamInI.r.nrA

tsrs.tirE ksniuisesnes
"klcptomania." said a detective a.
tho Central station to o Chicago Mail
reporter the other day, sis an aflictior
that Is as widespread as 1t is peculiar.
l never could understand why women
who have comfortable homes and arc not
In actual wnnt-whoso husbands would
give them money to buy things with II
they asked for it-should. for tho mere
love OF stealing, purloin articles often
times such as thcy could never use.
But I'll toll You," tho officer continued,
"thcro Is not as much kleptomania as,
thero Ia alleged to DO. Tho fact Is tho
disease Is, nine times Il Of ten, plain
larceny. 1t becomes k~lcptomania only
when tho thieves arc detected and turn
out TO DO ostensibly respectable people.
l was called into q case once which led
to n train OF tho most peculiar circum-
stances l over uncovered
"a certain retail store on State street
had been missing articles for u long
time. Ladies' gloves, hosiery, vclvet
ribbon and other objects Of feminine
use had been disappearing by wholesale.
b proprictors suspected q woman who
was n good customer Of theirs, and, so
Tar as her appearance was concerned,
should have been above suspicion. She
was OF middle ugc, dressed richly and
lived in n fashionable boarding-housc.
Before proceeding against her it was
necessary to have proof, and 1 engaged
board ut tho house whore she stopped.
BESIDES the suspect, the boardcrs in
Guided Il Board of Trade man of sixty, =
thin, old lady Of tho saine age, who had
n son Of twenty, and n spinstcr daughter
who taught q kindergarten school; n
commercial man and his VITO, and =
cicrk iii . wholesale coal Office who was
q na.ty dresser.
1T took mo only n few DAYS to get
the bearings Of the house. Tho suspect
had n room on the third floor. She wis
downtown all day, though sho had
nothing TO keep her unless it was her
occupation OF shop-lifting. Sho had
means OF her own evidently from her
room and dress. In less than n week |
discovered that she was selling nrtic les
to the other ladies in tho house. Shc
would drop into tho room of tho COM
mcrcial mans wife and display \ bolt of
velvet ribbon or several pairs OF gloves.
Il said She had got them very chcar,
and that though she could not wear them
she had bought them because they were
such a great bargain. Then she would
inquire ii tho commercial mans wife
did not want to buy tho articles. / got
enough evidence to convict her and took
her to the storc-kcepcr's. or course she
played the kleptomania dodge, aud they
let her of.
Now get to tho best part OF nv
story. | discovered that in that board
lnS-hoISc there were two other klcpto-
maniacs-if you choose to call them
tnat. Ono was tho Old lady whose
daughter taught 4 kindergarten, the
other was the young man in tho coal
Office.
Tho old lady's daughter treated her
very badly, because she was not n Gull
tivated person, whilo her daughter
made great ~prctcntIonS to culture. In
fact she oftcn struck her. Though tho
daughter received \ good salary and ono
son.living In the house o SIS or SO per
week, and two other grown sons were
prosperous, one receiving 81, 900 and the
other $4,000 per year, tho old lady was
never given any ready money. Why?
Because she chung with n mothers
fcrvor TO drunken, worthless older son,
who sncaked to tho house when his sis
ter WAS away and 'hicd' her for all her
spare change.
"Shc had to steal to keep that black
sheep in n maudlin state. Tho other
ladies missed little articles from time to
time, but tho clearinghouse was n
swell one, you know, and they could not
voice their suspicion. Tho Board of
Trade man missed half 4 dozen collars
n q. a. n,.l HI,1. .-- -
the son of tho old lady wearing one.
Tho boy had given his mother money TO
buy collars. which had COMO into tho
stomach OF his brother in tho shape OF
whisky. Tho %larccnics were brought
HON" to the old lady by the discovery OF
= lot OF towels, the property OF tho
clearinghouse keeper, which were found
wrapped up in ono OF her pctticoats.
IN daughter tearfully said that she
was a klcptomaniac and sought another
clearinghouse. Underwear missed by
malc b0ardors was found in tho trunk OF
tho young man who worked in n coal
Office, and with both these discov-
cries came tho explanation OF tho alb
scncc OF many things. Tho clerk
for tho coal Office declared that ho
couldn't help 1t, that no waa n klcpto.
maniac, and he, too, disappeared. II
was the most interesting most OF llopto-
maniacs that ever struck, and | was
tho only person who lost nothing In nv
weeks stay there, because | took moth
ing with me. Tho house Is now flied
with n set OF entirely new b~oardcrs."
Siopt In n Lifc-rrcsorvnr.
An amusing instance illustrates the
cXtromc Of orcrcarofulncss which some
persons exhibit in their cagcrness to
avoid tho danger OF drowning while on
steamboat trips. A young woman who
was u passenger with some friends on
one OF tho steamers leaving Boston for n
Maine city was asked In tho morning
whether she had a comfortable night,
and sbo replied that her slcop was dis.
turbcd because sho had not got used TO
tho lifc-prcstrvcr, which prevented her
getting into an easy position. IL turned
out That She had fastened ono of these
bulky contrivancos round her body on
retiring for the night, and, imprisoned
In It's folds, she had become black and
blue from tho pressure Of It's hard can.
vas covering upon her. ,Tlis example
OF extreme prccaution in tho uso of lifo.
prcscrvcrs is n striking commentary on
tho need Of amplor directions for thoir