The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-19
BOOKS AND CROOKS.
A study of People Who Steal from
Public Libraries.

Philadelphia Record.
While 1t may be taken for granted that
the great body of readers who frequent any
and intention, there will always remain
certain number who are conspicuously the
reverse. In all public libraries a large num-
Der OF volumes disappear during the twelve
months of a year; a few of these may have
been lost through carelessnesS while in cir
culation, but the greater number of them
have been stolen. This fact being freely ad-
mitted In the reports of all librarians, the
question naturally arises: Who are the
thieves? Do they steal the books in order
TO sell them, or does their dishonesty arise
from diseased love OF literature?
Melvil Dewey. who may be regarded as
an authority on the subject, has truthfully
declared that it is almost impossible to tell
a library thief at sight. He may hide his
dishonesty beneath an exterior as SNUG and
sanctimonious as that of Pecksniff. A prom
inent lawyer of Brooklyn, of distinguished
appearance and fine manners, made regu-
lar practice of stealing the periodicals in a
well-known public library. Being caught
at il one day and accused by the librarian,
he put on an air of great dignity, holly de-
clared he was insulted and walked out.
But the magazine the lawyer had stolen was
found thrown down in the entry, and he
never again reappeared in that library. AT
the New York Mercantile Library a young
woman was discovered leaving the rooms
with one book. which she was entitled to.
in her hand, and five others hidden under
her cloak. She proved TO belong TO Well
TODD family, and was amply able TO buy all
the books she could need.
The late DIR. William +. Poole. who had
charge of the Chicago public library, de-
clared that many clergymen had. as regards
books. imperfect appreciation of the
laws of meum and tuum. He had found
ministers more remiss In returning books
than any other class OF men. He did not
intend to reflect on noble and sacred pro-
fession by charging the derelictions of the
few upon the many. but he believed the
truth about the matter should be told. He
had had unpleasant experiences with men
of that calling who. after stealing books
from the library, had removed the book
plates and library stamp and covered the
volumes with heavy paper. carefully pasted
down inside the covers. This statement
seems TO he borne out by the record of the
Union Theological Seminary, at New York.
in its dealings with ministers. and theolog-
ical students. According to the librarians
report the seminary has lost thousand vol
umes, taken out and not returned. This. OF
course. included what were charged out.
but could not be recovered.
The long history of the Mercantile library
of Philadelphia furnishes many strange
cases of this form OF petty larceny. At a
certain period In the somewhat checkered
career OF this time-honored institution a
number of valuable books were missed from
its shelves, and means were taken to detect
the culprit. This led to the discovery that
the thief was a physician I'm the most re-
spectacle rank I'm society, and more than
fifty volumes were found upon the shelves
of his private library and recovered. Other
examples of kleptomania in persons OF ac-
custodians of this library from time to time.
but the means OF preventing such thefts has
not yet been discovered.
IL may be gathered from these many cases
of library depredations that they are very
common. that perpetual vigilance Is neces-