In 1932 Williams Stole 2300, Earned 2 Years at Hard Labor

Students using Lamont lately have been complaining that some of their books are being stolen. However, the heyday of book thievery on a large scale, like horse thievery, seems to have disappeared. Back in 1932, the library robbers were not content to take an occasional book from a desk.

A graduate student of ten years duration, a man named Williams, back in '32, frequented Widener with punctual tenacity, spending long, fruitful hours in the stacks. The fruit of his labors, as he passed through the then unwatched doors, was a briefcase stuffed with books.

Years of this routine had passed without the slightest trouble until Williams tried to sell an old history book to a local book merchant. The astute salesman noticed the library sticker and reported him to the librarian who called Williams in later. However, the University police did not arrive at the office in time to end the thief's career.

In fact, Williams went on to attempt to make his crime more profitable by selling the books he had stolen back to their rightful owner, Widener Library. But this time the University Police, armed with specific evidence, made a quick arrest.

The police searched his house in Dedham and returned with a van load of 1500 library books, discovered in barrels in his cellar. When Williams was out on bail, the superintendent of Widener, John Shea, found what the Cambridge Police had missed: 800 more books.

Today, all the books are back in Widener, each containing a sticker on the inside cover telling of Williams' fate: two years at hard labor.