The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-19
WOMEN SHOPLIFTERs.
Revelations of French Doctor
About kIeptOmaniaes.
From the london Mail

About hleptOmaniaes.
From the London Mail
The problem of the kleptomaniac-so
far, at least, as it concerns the women
who apparently steal without motive
articles they can scarcely require-has
been closely studied by French doc
tors and criminologists, and DR.. Paul
Dubuisson, one of the best, as he is
one Of the latest, of the investigators,
has just published some extraordinary
revelations of the ways in which this
madness for theft arises and develops.
Scarcely a day passes in Paris when
one of the courts has not to consider
the case of a woman accused of theft
at the Bon Marche, the Louvre or the
Printemps. The interest of these
cases is increased by the fact that all
though a few professional thieves and
some persons who are driven to theft
by poverty may be among their num-
Der, by far the majority of these shop
thieves are ladies in easy circum-
stances. Some of them, indeed, are
rich.
DR.. Dubuisson reminds the public
that this curious trait has been called
instructive monomania" because it
leads to the preparation of deeds
which neither reason nor sentiment
encourages, which the conscience re-
proves, and the will has not the power
to repress. The actions of such KEEP
tomaniacs have been held to be invol-
untary, irresistible, instructive.
Other scientists disagree, and M.
Lasegue, with whom DIR. Dubuisson is
in accord, has declared that every
thief, even the strangest of klepto-
maniacs, has a motive. DR.. Dubuis-
son, in his capacity as one of the ex-
perts attached to the Tribunal de la
Seine, has encountered and examined
numerous instances of shoplifting by
women in good social position, and he
comments in his book, which is just
published in Paris, on some 120 picked
cases.
Here are some leading facts from his
Investigations. The women only
thieve in the large shops and stores.
The majority of them are in easy cir
cumstances, and many of them are
rich. The articles they take are often
of no use to them, or they do not need
them, or they have already in their
homes similar articles, and often more
than they require. Another point is
that when arrested at the door of the
shop they readily distinguish from the
rest of their possessions the stolen
article, and many of them admit pos
session of it with an expression of re-
lief as if they had felt burdened by
its weight.
Many persons, again, go a step fur
Their. Anticipating their questioner.
they accuse themselves of former
thefts committed in similar circum-
stances and describe the stolen articles
they have in their homes. On search
ing their houses these articles are
found in out-ofthe-wa COR
ners and cupboards, and, indeed, so well
hidden that the women themselves
have to lead the search. AS a rule
the goods have not been worn or used,
and they frequently still bear the
ticket of the shop.
Finally, the same explanations are
given in nearly every case. ut was too
strong for mel lost my head-I thou
ght that everything belonged to me--if
l had not been detected 1 should have
gone on always"-and so on. Out of
the 100 cases which DR.. Dubuisson has
studied specially eight women were
found to be suffering from general
paralysis and three from softening of
the brain. OF the remaining 100 cases
no fewer than 100 proved to be suffer-
ing from disease. Without protesting
to have discovered the cause of each
case DIR. Dubuisson holds that a rela-
ton does undoubtedly exist between
disease and theft.
The great majority of these thieves
suffered from hysteria in one form or
another. The next Harges class is
of those affected by brain
disease. and the third by women who
are suffering from some form of de-
bility. Sexual troubles and phenomena
a considerable number of
those arrested for shoplifting. Morphia
and narcotics enslaved a few.
The whole question is reduced to two
shop and the woman.
1t is held that as many women only
thieve in large shops and stores these
shops and stores must stand for some
thing in the matter.
Secondly, IL is contended that since
every woman who enters a shop does
not thieve it follows that the woman
who thieves must be affected by some
special conditions.
DIR. Dubuisson does not hesitate 20
say that the beauty and attractiveness
Of the shops and the sight or thousands
Of goods displayed here and there and
everywhere in the greatest profusion--
free to the hand to touch and feel and