Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1920-01-01
A
Kleptomaniac
Copyright. 1919. By Western Newspaper Onion,
BY T.B. ANDERSON

vas H'tAA tAAs f'tA '''N''
the discovery Of regular and persist
ent shopllfter In the Modern Idea de-
psrtment store There could be no
doubt as to The identity and guilt Ut
the suspected one. She was a pretty,
graceful girl OF about twenty Her
winning smile and kindly eyes at once
attracted the good VIII of the various
sales clerks with whom she came in
contact. For days before detected
her In her systematic pllferlngs / had
casually. and then interestedly, OBJ
served her. and / could not get her
ont 81 10Y mind and was duly shocked
and sorry when | saw her one after
noon slip a dozen lace collars off the
counter into mufr she carried.
Peculalions at the Modern Idea had
| become so fragrant that its manager
came TO the detective agency where |
was employed and stated his case. He
had IN his hand an array of figures
showing a long list Of goods missing
from inventory and certainly never
/ sold.
ut Is only occasionally that our
house man catches a shoplifter," said
the manager Those detected are
| generally poor persons. novices in the
| line, and rarely repeat the act of
stealing. Their system is clumsy, the
| goods taken are Of little value and de-
lection and detention give them a
good scare and they rarely trouble us
again. II is the bigger thefts that give
us concern. When three or four rings,
or bracelets, are lifted in our Jewelry
department reaching high values,
when five fur coats are found missing
in week and not the slightest clew 10
the thief is discovered, IL Is then that
we wake up aid take serious notice.
These higher-ups in thieyery are the
pests we aim To eradicate. II Is a
! question with us II they do not belong
to Il skillfully trained, organized band.
and TO break them up is our great pur-
pose in view"
don't know how II was, but al
though | was hardened against the
professional criminal and consistently
severe with such. there was born in
my heart a sympathy and an interest
in This fair keptomaniac that led me
through strange mental perturbations.
II got 50 that | began to look for her
daily, not as a person was employed
10 run down but as might u lover for
the object of his devotion.
She came to the store regularly
three times a week and always at the
same time, remained nearly two hours
ana made regular business Of her
peculations. There was nothing
steulthy in her methods Her pretty
face and bright pleasing ways dis
armed all suspicion on the part of the
clerks. ON one occasion | noticed her
transfer from box half dozen pairs
of gloves to her capacious nun right
before the eyes of the clerk whilst she
was chatting pleasantly with the floor
manager. and then, as she turned
away safe with her spoils. there came
10 her face a smile of such supreme
satisfaction that It appeared as though
the zcSt of theft was to her the keen
est enjoyment
1t had become my duty long before
the end of month to report and ar
rest this clever and apparently pro
fessionni shopliftrr ! had jotted down
"details Of over twenty specific pecula-
lions running from bolt of priceless
lace 70 package Of needles My mind
had become so hllcd with the girl and
her doing~ that there was a sort Of
fascination about it all | Swallowed
her to her home one evening She had
"a room IN q rSpectahle apartment
house, when | guurdedly explored
her status there nll that / learned was
thnt She wa, Miss Alice Leslie, that
She had ua Jrieud~ on associates, poid
her way reliably and spout most of her
time at home reading and writing
one doy I had followed her from
floor to floor of the big store and she
HuS talking with "a clerk ut one of the
counters and had incidentally sccreted
srlerul articles in some secret pocket
ion her skirt when am alarm of fire
rang through the place, Almost lmme-
dufnly dense clouds of smoke filled
the room where We were There was
u rush for the stairway. She was
caught in The whirIing mass OF fright
cucu human beings, borne OIL her hul- |
mce ANA stunned hy the fall saved /
her from lwmWug feet cur'icd her /
hcyuud the peril OF -uirocatuu aud re- |
rcjvgl har grateful thanks when she |
Ind recovered. ! cultivated the uc. |