The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-11-02
PETTY PILFERING.
Small Thoes Committed bR -Wom-
On About Town.


When man appropriates unto himsel
something which does not belong =
him IL II generally something vel
worth the taking. while . woman Il
taking possession Of another's propert,
usually takes something entirely val
ueless and not worth the rlsk run. A
least that II the publicly expressed
opinion Of good many men.
Last winter when the cafeterias AND
help-yourself lunch rooms were opene(
the proprietors were hor1ihed to Ant
that whenever . shortage Of cash GO
CURED It could IN nine cases out Of tel
be traced to Q woman. The ones whs
would thus commit petty theft woult
simply eat their lunch and help them
selves to Q check fifteen or twenty-five
cents smaller than it should be, and sai
outin the most dignihedm manner. Atsev
eral cafeterias number Of women have
been requested to bestow their patron
age elsewhere, while one of the best
''help-yourself'' lunch rooms, which WA
centrally located, was compelled
through the unusually large numbe,
of women who frequented it and neg
lected to pay the amount due, to finally
close its doors
The women in charge Of the comfort.
able reception and toilet rooms which
most OF the large Office buildings and
dry goods stores possess nowadays are
at their wits ends to find some means
by which soap may be kept. Many Of
the firms have their name stamped in
full on the cakes, but this seems, how
ever, to have no effect; the soap goes
just the same. In many Of tho toilet
rooms ordinary bath soap IN used, which
is cut IN small cubes, but even this does
not save it, for it, too. slips away.
Women who, though well provided
with this worlds goods and who cer-
tainly should know better, have been
heard to boast that they never buy
towels, but keep their linen closet sup
piled with pieces from the hotels at
which they stop and from the sleeping
cars in which they have travelled. and
will laughingly tell how each one was
obtained. The pilfering of towels from
sleeping cars 10 decidedly the meanest
mode of all, as the porter OF the car is
compelled to pay for all missing linen,
the same being counted before his trip
and also at the return, when he must
produce the original number Of pieces,
either soiled or clean. The salaries OF
these men are exceedingly small, and
the payment for few dozens of "lost"
towels makes quite hole in their earn
ings.
A society girl was lately heard to
boast that she had the largest collection
of souvenir spoons she had heard of.
On being requested to show them she,
entirely unabashed, produced case in
which reposed dozens Of spoons which,
on being examined, showed the names
OF well-known hotels. dining cars and
soda fountains. They were Of not the
slightest use to the girl and nothing
could convince her that she had really
stolen them, a. they were "only
spoons"
A very amusing story il told on q
woman who visited cereal exhibit
She was well dressed and had an air Of
On leaving one Of the
counters she suddenly exclaimed that
some one was picking her pocket. Her
pocket being examined, she discovered
the spoons she was trying to take were
tied to the counters by strings. Dur
ing the laugh which followed she made
an escape.
In these petty thefts women certainly
are worse then men. though probably
not one Of them would steal money,
however good the opportunity. Men. it
IS said, never do such things, and yet
in London . well-known clul,
submitted q proposition to the club
to pass rule prohibiting any
person from leaving the building with
more than one umbrella or overcoet In
his possession. Forks and spoons arc
disappearing, soap evap-
orates in the most mysterious manner.
md newspapers walk away with read
.rs who could well AFFORD to buy them.
out who prefer to pilfer. Matters have
cached such . crisis that the financial
officer Of the club has been debarresl
Lrom cashing checks which exceed twen-
,y-flve dollars in amount, it being ad- |
to draw that sum once week |
,nly. This state of affairs 10 said to !
lrise from most Of the clubs being Rnan- |
tally embarrassed and opening their
loors unfortunately to new mem-
oers, and incidentally to new money.
should b done. though
What it is hard to ray. to show and Inn
,ress upon these particularly con-
emptible thieves the enormity Of their i
Tribune.