Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1898-07-09
THE KLEPTOMANIAC.
By RODRIGUBs oFToLENGUL
copyright. 1898. by the Author.l
CHAPTER L


years after / began 10 consider myself
successful, often found myself with
time unengaged. Medicine is a study of
a lifetime, never completely mastered
by any man, however assiduous. There
fore made it a rule TO devote as many
hours as possible Co reading. Thus one /
afternoon, never mind how many years |
ago, was sitting in my study engrossed |
with a new work on toxicology, when
patient was announced, and instructed
my man to admit her. She came in
timidly and appeared embarrassed as
to how she should begin the converse.
tion. Assuming my most encouraging
tones, 1 begged her to be seated and to
explain TO me what her trouble was
" 'Ohl am not i'll. doctor, she said,
sitting down. 1t is about my father
that have come. Then she was silent
again.
'She was young, but not beautiful,
and TO most persons she might have
been unattractive. / became interested
in her at once, because l detected in her
countenance the impress of serious dis
tress. 1 was therefore determined to
place her at her case as quickly as pos
sible that might gain her confidence.
- Now, then, miss, said l. have no
hesitation in speaking TO me, and re-
member two thiugs-firSt, that the
condolences imposed upon physician
are as sacred as the secrets of the
priests confessional and, second, that
if my advice is to be Of any value to
you it will be necessary for you to be
perfectly frank with me. You must
withhold nothing. Tell me the symp-
toms of your fathers diseaseg
NJ" oh, don't knowl don't know
what ails him, she replied. He was
always so good, SO kind, but now
She stopped abruptly and, turning her
eyes away from mine, sat gazing at a
picture on the farther wall for some
seconds. / remained silent, preferring
now that she had begun, that she should
continue at her own volition- Presently
she asked abruptly:
'''Tell me, doctor, can an honest man
suddenly become theft
81 should think it highly improba-
BILE, replied. except of course where
there might be mental disturbance.
There is such thing, you know, as
kleptomania.
She answered me quickly:
"Ahl You have said it-kleptoma-
mia. That is what 1 wish to know
about What is kloptomania? How dc
you distinguish between the kloptoma-
MAC and the common thief
"Now that she was fairly launched
upon her subject her manner changed.
Her vacillation gave way TO direct
ness of speech and close attention to my
words which showed me that she was
deeply stirred and that our topic was OF
immense interest to her.
'''The thief, said /, lis morally
depraved individual, abnormally selfish
who cares nothing for the rights Of 9th
ers where they conflict with the satisfac
ton of his own desires, and who, there
fore, does not hesitate to appropriate &
himself the property of his neighbors
except as his act might imperil his lib
erty.
Yes said my visitor. That is
thief. Now describe kleptomaniac.
"a kleptomaniac, said /, has
mania for appropriating property. II
also is oblivious of the rights of others
but he is not selfish. He steals regard
less of the value or usefulness Of tn
articles taken, and he is equally IN
mindful of the danger of mourning pun
ishment, except in some extreme form
of the dementia, where the element c
cunning is factor. Here the desire
steal is allied to sort of pleasure j
avoiding detection. 1t is this class {
cases which is hardest to separate froI
the regular thief yet the mania, as
have said, is more aggravated and there
fore more genuine. If the man happier
to be wealthy and steals, let us say, BIT
OF old junk, it would be easy to pre-
nounce upon his diseased condition
even though he carefully planned
avoid detection. But should he be pot
and steal something of value only
close study of the case by skillfI
physician and careful observer could
depended upon decisively.'
Suppose, doctor, said the your
lady thoughtfully, that the man cor
bined your two examples-that is
say, suppose he we're wealthy, that
carefully avoided detection and that
stole first many useless articles and the
finally something of great value, mon'
let us say, in fact, thousands of dollar
Would that man be-a-a-klept
maniac-or-or-a thief-e thief wi
method in his madnessF
''It was evident from the excited WI
IN which she asked this question tn
at last we had reached the kernel of t
nut. She was describing her fathC
Wishing to divert her mind for m
ment, reminded her that she had q
told me her name, and she at once ]
vealed her identity. She was Miss Ali
Milton, and her father was the VI
known merchant CThe doctor he
mentioned the real name Of his visitC
but it is too we'll known IN New 70
for me to use 1t. Therefore, as ha
elsewhere explained, the name select
Is substitute.) He was so wealthy til
&c seemed to me at once Incredible tn
be could be a thief. If he had be
stealing, then he must be q KEEP
maniac yet in that case the matter v
serious, for it would mean that one
-oock ~oe~,ooko1 o{kf,ona erxoo