Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1892-11-14
SOCIETY THIEVES
Swell Guests Who Prey Upon
Their Hosts at Banuueta.

Eieme," the professional fourteenth
person" at dinners. There were men in
Paris not so very many years ago who
made it a business to serve at short no
! tice as guests at banquets where the
accident Of thirteen at table occurred,
thus satisfying the superstitious by add
ing one to the number. The individual
thus called In was introduced as a friend
invited to the repast, and there was
nothing about his appearance or de-
meanor which could arouse suspicion
hat he was o present on the same
footing with the others
1t seems surprising to find u a ems
tom, in O modified form, newly intro
duced into New York society, says a cor
respondent in the st. Louis Globe-Demo-
crat- The fashionable hostess now-a-
days, in giving a dinner commonly en-
cages u detective of gcntlemanly aspect
n address to take h part of a guest
at her table. He is invited, not for any
supcrstitious reason, out to protect the
tableware and other household proper
ty from being stolen by the other
diners. Most strange does it appear
that the entertainer should take such q
p~recaution against possible dishonesty
on the part of the people hon she
knows well enough to rcgale with init
mate hospitality, but experience has
shown that it is very necessary. Such
articles as solid gold spoons are very
likely to be pocketcd, and the fact has
long been notorious that no small and
costly piece of bric-a-brac is safe in the
most exclusive dr~awing-room. "Klcp-
mania" is the term charitably applied
to a thieving habit which is not SO very
rare among persons of good social
standing.
1.-The other day at Newport" said the
chief of the principal detective agency
in this city, lone of my men was en-
ployed to look out for n large reception.
lie saw a handsomely-dresscd woman
deliberately AXE and secrete the top of
n beautiful vase. The object could have
been of no use to her, but the loss of it
would nave spoiled an ornament worth
$4,000. He stepped up to her and said
pleasantly: Madam, I presume that
! you want to have a duplicate of that
vase?' oh, yes,' she replied in some
confusion. Well he replied, Il guess
you had better put it back, and you can
get a duplicate by sending your artist
here OF course she gave it up at once.
! IOLIlllk ulOTC WIS Sdlu SuSC LIllU IcT
name was reported to the hostess, who
dropped it from the list.
""Thatis the way we always manage.
Exposure does no good in such cases.
The same method is practiced at a din
ner, where the detective keeps n quiet
watch upon things, only eating and
drinking enough to keep up appear
ances. One lady of my acquaintance
has all of her most valuable bric-a-brac
fastened securely, SO that the articles
cannot be removed. She has given up
having silver-hacl1ed brushes and other
precious n~ppurtcnances in the DRESSING
rooms at her parties, because they were
stolen so frequently.
"But 1T is at weddings chiefly that
the society kleptomaniacs get in their
work. At large affairs of the kind we
are sometimes called upon to furnish as
many as three men-one to walk about
in the room where the presents are ex-
posed, another to stand by the dia-
monds and q third to remain outside on
the sidewalk, for the purpose of keep
ing professional thieves from enterinr
the house. 1t is a fact that thieves in
the regular line of business carefully
VOWEL bhC announcements Oh swell
weddings with n view to robbery.
MY observation has shown that
kleptomania is actually n disease. 1t
is much more common among women
than men. Furthermore it is in a sense
inherited, and the investigation in
many cases has tended to show TINT
longings on the part Of a mother will
thus affect her unborn child. So thor
oughly am I convinced that victims OF
it are not responsible that I always try
to protect them from exposure. They
steal not from any necessity, but from
morbid fancy. At the same time they
come under the head of opportunity
thieves'--they only yield to the .tempta-
ton when good chances offer, and they
think they are ecure from detection.
Not long ago / caught o woman of the
highest social position in the act of Sc
GREETING q diamond brooch at n jewelers..