Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-03-07

department officials, have at last
solved the mystery of the hair
thief" of the Near East.
A man who has ravaged the
locks of girls and women from
Lake Van to Trabzon on the
Black Sea, but otherwise left
them unframed, is under arrest
in Arpacay.
ut was all just an innocent
hobby" Steve Pappas, the young
prisoner, told police.
But hundreds of his highly in
dignant victims, who have lost
long and short hair alike in one
of the strangest series of crimes
ever to puzzle Turkish police,
think otherwise. The most vim
dictive of his shorn ladies don't
want his hair in reprisal. They
want Pappas' head.
For six years, outraged women
have kept the files of many town
and village police stations filled
with reports that the hair bandit
had struck again. Traps were
set for him everywhere in the
area where he operated. But he
always managed to escape after
entering the bedrooms of sleep
ing girls and shipping their
crowning glory right down to
the roots.
The first victim TO report the
offense was lovely Taisa Nicho-
las. an 1s-year-old belle Of Oltu,
whose long black tresses reached
below her hips. Pappas, in this
particular theft, found Taisa so
violent in her struggles that he
was forced to chloroform the
girl before he could snip off her
billowing hair. After this was
done Pappas shaved Taisa's scalp
as clean as a billiard ball.
Before fleeing with Taisa's gor.
geous tresses, which weighed sew
eral pounds, the scissors man left
a note which warned all Of the
women of Turkey against fight
ing him off or making any out
cry.
IL never use chloroform or
shave the scalp of any woman
unless she resists me-" the letter
said. I'm the future / advise
women l visit at night 10 lie per
fectly quiet and let me shear
their heads artistically. ! won't
harm anyone. / just want the
hair"
The curious warning continued
with a postscript of an apparent
afterthought: Anyway" 1t said,
isn't 1t better TO have some hair
left than a shaved head p
This audacious note threw half
of Turkeys Mortified feminine
contingent into a panic. No one
knew when the thief OF Arpacay
might select her or where ne
would strike next.
Pappas always made good his
promise 10 shave the head OF
anyone who showed resistance.
He kept his word in this respect
so religiously that finally he was
not forced TO use chloroform al
all. Most women who had heard
of him and knew his habits lay
naralyzed and trembling when he
stole into their rooms with his
scissors.
Only one woman ever managed
20 talk Pappas out of the pur-
pose of his mission. She said she
fell violently in love with him
when he climbed into her cham
Der from an open window and
instead Of showing fear, embraced
him passionately. Pappas, she
said, not only didn't respond bu'
seemed TO turn pale and fled hel
quarters much faster than ht
entered them.
"Oh, he was terribly romantic
this girl said. He can cut my
hair any time he wants to-
wish he'd come back. Any cir
who wouldn't want him 10 have
her hair hasn't any heart"
Many of Turkeys newspaper
readers thought the hair cutting
epidemic very funny, and laughed
every time a new foray was re
ported. But in one case it caused
real tragedy, and no one laughed
when Pappas' visit to the bed
room of Sonia Tresndas resulted
in her suicide.
Sonia, who had won man!
beauty prizes since early girl
hood, was especially proud'of he
long hair. which fell in beautiful
wavy curls several feet long.
Each time she appeared on tn
platform before a group o
Judges, Sonia loosed her tresse
over a brief bathing suit and pa
raded confidently with other con
testants, always grabbing OF
first honors.
| p.,.o,,-o of copia's fine figllr