Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-05-14

formed a ring with outsiders, and we
/ discovered them selling the best goods
and sending up checks for a nominal
figure, % or 80 cents, when the real
price might have been AS many dollars.
We get Information against the girls
sometimes from customers. For In
stance, the last case was that OF a person
who wrote that such and such a looking
/ girl. at such and such a counter, was
seen to drop a bill on the floor and send
up a check for Just so much less than
the real price. Whenever our attention
is directed against employees we general
ly catch them"
"Do the cash boys stesl?" he was
asked.
ave lose a great deal by boys, both
in our employ and from outside. You'd
be astonished il you knew the number
Of the sons of respectable peOple-often
little boys-that We catch stealing.
Among our cash boys there have been
some very ingenious thieves. One little
fellow tore leaves out OF his cash-book so
nicely that it was not discovered by the
cashier, although it might have been
that night. We suspected him and took
him into a private office, where We
talked TO him earnestly. He admitted
his guilt, and said he put the money in
his shoe. There we found Sl4, the steal
ings Of only a few hours, But there
was a smarter boy, although | suspect
he had adult accomplices outside. lie
carried on his person a little pad soaked
with printers ink, and an exact fam
- n Il A.. ...lsa.ta alan, .,,N ~, kIa
end Of a cork. Whenever he got the
exact price of an article sold from the
saleswoman he went away and stamped
his cash book, and brought it back as il
from the cashiers desk"
do NOu cause the arrest OF many
shopliiters?" the tradesman was asked.
ayes, a good many, but not all, by
n means. We don't disturb persons
unless We have the most positive proof
of their guilt. When the article stolen
Is a trihe we watch the woman so rs to
remember her face, but usually do moth
ing more. Not ~infrequently We see
theits committed by women that we
believe are not habitual trespassers, but
were urged on by too strong temptation
and poverty. Such women We take TO a
private room. We tell them our suspi-
cion. III they confess and give US what
prove to be their right names and all
dresses We let them go. But all this is
a very delicate matter, and to
make "A mistake is very dangerous.
You must know that shOplifters are
generally among the best dressed and
most respectable looking woman that
come i'm our store. | stood at the sec
onG-story skylight II day looking aim
lessly down on the first floor. saw two
acknowledgements woman putting away
rolls OF silk ribbon. | watched them
and there wasn't any doubt about it. |
fastened down and told the flo1r-walk-
or. lie was astoRished. | persisted,
and lee spoke 10 the women. They
were violently indignant AS they
walked toward the door We saw them
throw the rolls of ribbon among some
boxes between two counters. We had
them followed. They lived in an cle-
CANT brown-stone house on Forty-eight
street.
professional shopliiters," continued
the speaker, very often wear great
cloaks. They can put away a good deal
under them. by raising theit folded
arms under their cloaks they conceal
the added size the articles give them.
They have a pocket made in the front
of their dresses big enough To hold a
number Of large packages. Why, when
We unlOaded "A woman here one day we
took out Of that pocket all that a good
sized boy could carry in his Outstretched
arms. remember how indignant that
woman was when accused.
IL was walking through the store one
day when a clerk told me he thought a
woman he was serving had stolen some
Leghorn hats. | walked up to her and
raised one OF her arms suddenly.
Twenty-Five hats fell on the floor. You
know what l.eghorn hats are3 They are
made of a kind of grass and fold close
together. She had concealed $50 worth,
She said that she had picked them up
on the floor and was going TO put them
where the rest of the hats were kept.
We arrested her.
The hands of an experienced shop
| litter work faster than the eyes of an OBJ
server. A Central Office detective
standing in the store one day saw = wO-
men putting away silk handerchieis.
She would hold one up as II 10 examine
il, aud then she would suddenly pass II
TO the other hand, and then into a biz
front pocket with such lightning.like
rapiditv that the detective could not tel
what she was doing, but he thought
she was putting them back on the coun-
ter. He made a study OF the subject
and caught her. Shoplitters often steal
n yalises and BASKETS, and then "
around the store filling them up. We
know a good many OF the profession.
We sent a man To the trial OF Mr.. and
/ Mrs. Nolkener, who were accused lately
| of an attempt 10 poison MIR. Blair, ol
| Chatham, y. y. You remember II wa:
/ said that Mrs. NOlkener aud Mrs. Con
/ nelly. who lived with her, were shop.
lHhers. He came back and said the face
/ Of the big woman Connolly was q
| familiar one in our store.
THE worst thing shoPliiters DO, he
/ said in conclusion, lis To steal from oui
/ customers. They are very fond OF tax
ing pocketboOks and valises. We
would great deal rather they would
steal fom Us, for their victims are surf
to give a store where they are robbed 4
hal reputation. Not long ago q laly
Who had SI2S in a vahse rested Il on the
/ counter a moment and IL disappeared
/ She found an old one in It's place. W.
/ believe that the thieves who took II
/ knew that she had the money, and haC
/ followed her for a long distance.
nE