New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-08
xLEPTOMANIA AS A PLEA.
TT rs RECOGNIZED AS VALID BY AMthl-
CAN DETECTIVES.
uuAr THE Rig NETWORK sHoPkEEfTH' ~

WHAT THE BIG NETWORK sHoPkEErH"' ~
.no,,r lr-pR HAMILToNs VIEWS
~. arrest IN London OF Mrs. Walter NJ. CAS-
,,o upon charges Of committing numerous ,,
ttefts keen Interest has been mahicse" - 49,.
country In the development OF the p'o..' a,,,
air.t her Her conviction too. has prous"' a.""'
- 49, ,ora tho question of the moral responsibility
:, orsora committing acts OF petty larceny wne'e
M motive can be attributed for the onehce. D' no
friends and by many other people oo.h j" ''''' 49,
,rv and in England Mrs Castle Is believed u oe 'e
true type OF a kleptomaniac. A..
In tho nopulnr mind Il cannot be denied tna' .ne
alteration OF kleptomaria as an excuse 10 'o
upon askancc The opinion prevails mat hiop'o
or,, holds GOOD as a defence only IN the case Vi
. r,ch man or woman and that such a plea o" oe
half OF n poor person would ne la"sneu o' "
cour, Tho reason that has probably led 10 TINS
widely expressed belief Is the difficulty OF d'sp'
the existence Of motive In the case OF poor P,ope
pu, IN Mr.. Castles instance. apart from the o'sor
drs from which she was suffering. the evidence ad-
duce5 before the court proved that she was worn
an NJ refinement and intelligence. with wealthy
husband who would deny her nothihs 'na' s"'
might desire in reason. In consequence l" was IN
possible to show a motive for the magpie haoi' she
had OF slowing away articles on shopping tours or
Of secreting spoons and other knickknacKs pe'one
tn, "a tho hotels where she stayed The Engl'sn
criminal procedure requires that the cases or per-
sons committed for trial shall nave the 'eru'c' Vi
fury passed upon them. but the tone OF the Judges
sentence would seem to indicate that they were con-
WINGED that Mrs Castle was an irresponsible woman.
KLEPToMANIA RECOGNIZED IN NE"-foHh'
pssnite the abuse OF the plea OF k.eptoman.a. In
ouirs. made Yesterday by Tribune reporter among
the detectives attached TO the large stores OF 'h'S
city and interviews with experts In mental Diseases
show that kleptomanla Is fully recognized IN 'n''
city at ieast and that due allowance Is maae ior
the little peccadilloes In which the keptomaniac may
DO detected.
Tho several detectives who were seen yesterday
all stated that with greater frequency than Is gener-
ay ina gined persons. particularly women OF wealth.
and social standing are observed TO take arucies
from the counters without Offering payment ior
Them although In position TO buy the Things
thousand times II was said that they are never
dragged into publicity. because the proprietor OF tbs
store ia content TO receive the value OF the stolen
goods either from the thief her friends when the
incident Is brought to their knowledge.
The chief detective attached to large Sixth-ave.
drygoods store said In relating his experiences:
before making arrests We always use a certain
amount OF discretion. Experience teaches US TO
dlrerentiate Immediately between the professional
shoplifter and the woman who yields TO sudden
termination or who steals things systematically
spnlv because her inclination leads her to do so.
During long experience as private detective.
whenever a woman Of apparent wealth mas neen
fol,owed 10 her home after being detected In re-
peated thefts have found that consultation with
her friends has led the discovery that her rooms
are literally packed with the spols or her depreda-
lions or course the victims have never Instituted
proceedings. In every case rese'u'o" has peeh
made
Eyes the kleptomania habit Is perfectly known
to all big shopkeepers. and Is recognized by them
as q sort Of disease. for which due allowance must
be made. That Mrs. Castle was not an ordinary
shoplifter Is easily shown by the fact that she
tara
found In her ROOM and that the hotel things were
stamped with the name Of the place from which
they were taken. / am aware that keptomania
Is often used a word to describe the doihgs OK
a thief who has rich friends but on the facts
Of Mrs. Castles case she would never nave peeh
convicted In this country.
Similar views were expressed by other detectives
engaged In the large stores who were also seen.
AN ALIENIsTs OPINION.
OF more practical value and Importance. how
ever is expert opinion upon the much-debated
question Of the mental responsibility attaching to
such cases as that OF Mrs. Castle DR.. Allan Nc
Lane Hamilton. who Is one Of the leading SCI
entists upon mental diseases In this city, when
seen at his house. No. A East Twenty-ninth-st.
expressed the belief that woman suffering from
certain nervous disorders might be held free from
accountability for the charges brought against
II have had occasion" he said. ito investigate
many cases Of this sort. and the popularity OF
them Is that there Is no one case exactly alike an
other. Different must be decided upon their
merits and upon the surroundings. There can be
no doubt however that in all forms OF insanity !
called kleptomania has always been looked upon
With q great deal Of suspicion. am bound to CON
OF moral perverson. as prefer to call IT, Is hrst
that which belongs to pure imbecility. where IN
bility: the second class includes cases like Mrs.
Castss where there Is a moral perverson, OF
ward Clarke's statement and the medical evidence
given a. the trial seem to show that Mrs Castle
Ssr 6eonSsd to tie latter class and that