Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-01-24
From the Detroit Free Press.l
POLITE THIEVES.
How Merchants are Made their Vie
tims--HOW the Thieves escape Pun
ishment.

/ How Merchants are Made their Vie.
tims-.HOW the Thieves escape Pun
ishment.
II you have any curiosity on the
subject step into dry goods store and
ask the merchant or clerk, Do
thieves ever come in here ?r Nine
times out Of every ten he will answer,
Why yes that's our greatest trOu-
ble.n So a merchant answered Satuf-
day, and then proceeded to explain
what he meant. In law there are
only two grades of thieves-the big
thieves and the petty larceny ones.
Outside of law there are several grades
Of thieves, and the worst ones to
guard against are the criminals with
white fingers, the ones who "shop y
for two hours without purchasing
fifty cents worth of goods.
Take an instance which occurred
i'm Woodward avenue store last
Thursday. A lady called in and
asked to be shown some yelvets and
some laees, and the gentlenanlF and
obliging clerk soon laid large stock
before her. She turned over the
goods, held them up TO the light,
=
viewed them over and over and finally
went away without making any pur-
chases. She had scarcely closed the
door when cash boy Informed the
clerk that he saw the lady pocket two
pieces of velvet trimming and lace
collar, and an examination showed
that he wss right. But the matter
ended right there, or 1t went no
further than TO report che Occurrences
to the proprietor. He had q hundred
reasons why he should not arrest the
lady, or charge her with the theft,
the most prominent being that she
was a regular customer at the store,
sometimes buying a bill Of goods
amounting to two or three hundred
dollars. .
1t is a fact, of which all people are
aware, that merchants aud their clerks
are invariably on the watch to detect
these |" kleptomanlaes, "but an arrest
seldom followsa detection, nor is there
a word to give the thiefa suspicion that
she has been discovered. Suppose
that lady sits down to a counter and
has the space before her piled uD with
valuable notions she has wished to
see. Be she ever so sly. she can sell
dom pocket an article without some
one seeing her. But no one says
word and she goes out, feeling that
she has escaped with her booty with
out anyone being the wiser. Next
time she comes in the clerk will be
just as polite and just as prompt, but
she will find that he does not hand
the goods down as before, merely
handing down one box or one artiele,
at time, and, if convenient, another
clerk will stand near him and give
the lady to understand that he has
nothing to do but keep watch Of her.
She has feeling that they are watch
ing her, but yet she doubts IL they
suspect the former theft. and Is too
prudent to commit another offence.
A few days ago merchant standing
at his desk, saw q woman roll up two
costly lace wells and secretly work
them under her cloak, having called
the clerks attention to the top shelves
FOR moment that he might not see
her. The merchant knew her well
as a good customer, but yet did not
want to lose his costly property.
when she had finished !
her trading, he approached her and !
insisted that she should take look
Rt some new dress goods, and after
that, some clOakings, and then finally
asked her opinion Of some clothes I
ready made, and he thus kept the
victim in the store for an hour, mean
while giving her the history of clerk /
who had been discharged from the
store a short time b5fOFe for stealing
goods. {" We always detect every I
.heft, no matter how small ~ headed,
md excused himself and returned to
he desk. The lady went back to
pile of dress goods, hauled them over
i little. and then departed. The mer-
.hant went to the pile and found the
NO wells crushed in between some of
he bolts Of cloth.
The easiest thing in q store to steal
s q pair Of gloves. A lady Is not con-
ent with seeing ten pairs, aud some
lines not with seeing ifty. She must
ave the whole stock down, and with
Ter own gloves pulled down of the
land to the finger joints, she has thus
wo little pockets where she can store
way a pair of gloves.
Not long age, after a merchant had (
'orne for a whole year with the ap- I
Of certain female, he
to frighten her out Of D
making any more thefts in his store.
he came in, q clerk began waiting
II her, when the merchant crossed y
yer to the clerk and said, d Harry, ]. i
ave reason TO believe that one Of the |
Idies back here is q thief. aud Is here
D rob US. wish you would step up !
D the City Hall and ask the Chief OF I
'ouce to send down q detective
He made splendid hit. She was l
D frightened at the idea Of bis having G
lspicioned any lady that she pur-
hased $50 worth Of goods TO avoid I
lspielon, her general purchasing 6
ever going above a few shillings z
efore,