In 1870 Sefer Hamidot of Rabbi Yaakov of Duvna, the Dubner Maggid was published with commentaries by his disciple Avraham Berush Flahm. On the last page of book, he placed an announcement, offering a reward for the return of a manuscript of the Dubner Maggid's writings that was stolen from him. He writes, "I have heard that it is now in the hands of a Maggid in the vicinity of Vilna, but I do not know his name, city or place. Therefore, I beg .... to please notify me and I'll repay the man the price he needed to pay for it..... The merit of our Rabbi should protect the man that helps me...
In a related note, in the not so distant past, even the biggest Chasidic Rebbes went to the Mikvah with the masses. The story goes, that the Bobover Rebbe in his first years in New York, used to go to the Mikvah with his Hasidim. At times, if the Gabay was not watchful enough, Hasidim would steal his undergarments, convinced that they held special powers.
Today, no respectable Rebbe can be found in a public Mikvah, rather they use private ones built for their personal use.
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