Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1897-03-05
Kle7roMANIA IS a DISEASE.

Medical Men ISciiovo tho Practice L. Due
GO UnhcnIthfuJ Mental Conditions.
The weight OF high medical opinicu
IS 20 the effect that kleptomania Is a
form of mental unSoundncss that does
i'm some eases actually exist About
six years ago n man was arrested in the
act of stealing a pocket handkerchief
| from n lady i'm Vienna. In his sane
days he had been prosperous baker.
but n mania for the acquisition of cam.
oric pocket handkcrchiefs seized upon
him and proved his ruin. -.tfirst twas
his habit to uccos: adde's IL the street
and offer 10 buy their pocket handlSer-
chiefs. II they refused ne used TO get
angry and offer them higher end higher
prices, until n bargain was struck.
Many women traded upon his madness,
until at last all his money was spent
and he became n bankrupt Then. NJ
longer having money TO buy pocket
handkcrchiefs. he took to stealing them
and was soon sent TO prison. 1t was
thought that his Imprisonment woul-l
cure him. But when he was again
caught i'm the act. i'm 1890. hundreds Of
cambria handkerchiefs were found CON
cealed in the room where lac lodged. AS
ne had never been known to steal any
thing else. the court before which he
vas brought promptly adjudgcd him
insane and sent him to a madhOuse.
This is only one Of many cases that arc
to bc found in the medico-legal books.
I'm the city OF Newark, \. j., recently.
lady WAS arrested for shoplifting, and,
overwhelmed with shame, refused 10
give her name. When she was arraigned
many respectable citizens. including n
clergyman. appeared TO vouch for the
fact that she was woman of good fun
lily in prosperous circumstances, well
able 10 buy anything she needed, and
having no need whatever for the artl-
c;es she had stolen. She was stubborn
T. determined 10 conceal her name. even
though she were cent to prison, and tho
respectable citizens sustained her in
that resolution, obviously for The sake
Of shielding her family. The court inn
posed fine of SIS upon her, which was
many times the value of the goods
taken. The fine was promptly paid by
the highly respectable lawyer who APP
Pcnred for her, and she left the court
room with her identity undiscovered
Again, IN n dry goods store on Sixth
avenue. New York, woman was ar
rested on q similar charge, and It. APP
peared that she was visitor TO the
metropolis from the town of Port
chester. Residents Of that town werc
ready 10 testify in large numbers that
she had heen stealing things from the
local stores for three years past. al
ways taking articles of small value. and
for which she had no need. She was.
moreover, well-to-do person, owning
considerable property, and the Port
chester tradesmcn, IL seemed, had all
tacitly agreed TO regard her rs n de-
mcnted woman, whom it would be Il
shame TO prosecute. She. too, will prob
ably be discharged with o cautionary
fine.
The whole problem of k7eptomnnfn
in the courts resolves itself into q Ques-
ton that must be answered according
10 the proved facts I'm each case as II
arises. Whenever H. appears clearl
that there was no motive for theft, no
object in IL. and that the accused per-
son has shown signs Of unmistalablc
mental arrangement. the case is Prop
crly one for the lunatic asylum and not
tor the prison.-Raltlmorc Sun.