The evening times., 1897-06-29
THEY CAN'T HELP STEALING
KhptomaniaeS and Their Depre'
datiOnS i'm Large Stores.
SOME NOTABLE INSTANCES
A Cabinet Officers wife who Was
mcurahIy Possessed. and Whose
Husband Paid the Bills Suicitf.
Of a Clergyman VIM was Cnught
III the Shopltfters' Tricks.

Every large department store in Wash
ington inours a daily loss frosn petty pill
fpfing, which, when added up at the end
OF tlIe ycar. is equal to a large share OF its
general expense There is no subject So
fascinating to student of criniinology
az hat of klepUomania.
KlcptomaniaCs are dcgeneratcs. They are
usually of a nervous disposition, and. in
spite Of environment and breeding. when
once the desire for obtaining y goods with
otH pay gains possession Of theunfo HUnate,
tFsrre i S. .scarcely aay power abte ia prevent
ymnguoing. AS a rule these transgres-
sions are not prosecuted, but bin is rem
deHed To tae amount OF what has been
stolen, aRcTtlie woman-for ai1nossinvaria-
hIy il is a woman-is Informed emphatic
ally t,sar h,sr pressnee heucefnrtu will be
extremely undesirable on the floors Of the
establishments
A mast remarkable feature OF such eases
II what is staBlta- Articles lf No eHrutty
use Ia the thief are often taken, and what
has been lifted is seldom put To any
use, tut, like the parrot, which hoar,lS
silver spoons suTrcptticuIy taken from
the table. these women often hide their
sp0ilS and keep them outofsi gi1t-asld touch.
Neutrality-suspicious. VIII remember tie wife
OF a former Cabinet officer who entertained
on a mos, lavish scale, ami whose vii and
hrilliancy, together I'm her liberal chari-
taislc donations, renGeIed her CIFe Uf the
most popular women at the Capital. Yet
despite her oharita able disposi ton, her
social ram: and her family, She could never
enter a store without taking something
for which she never paid. After a while
her actions became SO flaEranb that her
husband was informed. But lie was aware
OF his wife's un nfmtmatc affIicton, and
during the remain irzs time he was in Wash
inziOn there was a standing order at
several large esta abliShments to allow
his wife to take what she wished and he
would pay whatever bills were sent.
Another instance of aeptomania, the
"details of which were not fmgntten for
years, took place heie early in the T0's,
when the most fashionable minister nf
the city committed suicide as a. result OF
hls kieptomania.
The divine in question was Of good
family aud CT q gentle and sCifeIa T5y DIS
position When at college he was always
OF near the leaders, and his honest, manly
ways made lam a. prime favurita with his
falio w-Stuteuts. He was an ornnivuFuu<
reader and had a Magnificent collection
OF bOuSs. So carried way by his hobby
WIS he that in time he seenIed 10 have 10
efi3er ambition than the collection of AZ
naany volumes as lie ceulIi acquire.
After ms graduation ne was gIyefr ciIaTzse
or "a congregation here. and soon after
married a Washington giri. One, SaturJimy
ana Tsu7su he entered a bookstore on Penn
syivduiSs ;avenHIP. near sixth street After
bT0W SIHZ around among the newly arrived
publ ICaJHnS lie was observed By q clerk
u secu'te a book un1ier his eIericaI vest
Hs. left tile store au once but tfle ynlIuls
-usl followed him. and before neifast reach
eft the conner he was 0vertalseR. and in
excited tones the boy demanded that he
utITn the book A crowd collected, and
a TeIlBTter gaming posse=sian sf the f:Icrs.
the story, complete wiufl names. appeared
the ne vt moTning.
The divine who was lust about to shave,
hapFEmsd "a glsInce Al a copY OF the Sum
day sheet before him. aud ch aHriTi q tzT see
has name in glaTinE headlines and the story
OF his shame following, he slashed his
threat and fell dead
But there : another class against whose
deppdafions the store6eeper must main
tain the closest vigilance. 1t is the profess
sion al shopiifter sharp and cunning.
daring and bUIzPH. sue takes every change.
aIId as q uessilt or her nerve is seldom
vHsF sp
the alert for some new way 10 hoodwink
the merchant. Sometimes she is young and
pretty, often she is Of mi driie age and as
a general rule snei is married
ShoplifterS prefer TO go in psairs While
tile one watches OF attracts the attention
OF The floor walker by m aking a rtint in
a false direction, her confederate manages
I'd seerRte what she desires, and af4er a
purchase or SO has been made II er1ser TO
aiiay any suspicion, the two leave with
their plumber Cases have been known
where mothers deliberately trained chIL
dTen eight and ten years old TO maintain
a watch while they stole.
The three best known dctIl-ps errrIioyet
hv ShoplfteEs are tlIe handkerchief trirk."
TIE umbrella Trick and the cape anil
bag trick The simplest and most eff
1ective is The fiTst-4ianetI The operator
makes snail purchase and places her
handkerchief down on the counter For
example. Sue is buying perfumeTy; when
she Hfts her handkerchief a battle Of per
fiiuery is concealed in its folds. In work
ing the umbrella dorire. the rain-protectnr
Is left swung over the arm. From time
To tine things are dropped intn il and
carried off
The shawl and cape are used to hide
orne bulky art1cIe, which is held under
the arm. The shopping bag acts in pretty
much the sarne manner as the umbrella