Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-14

flow They Operate Described by the
Chief OF Detectives.

Chief OF Detectives.
The st. Louis GIoJe-Denocrat publishes the
following:
see the merchants are under the impression
that that there is very little snOplifting done in
the city. "What do you think about it," a re-
porter asked Detective Watkins at the Four
Courts yesterday
The detective laughed and smiled. Eyes,
have read the Interviews he said. ''Shop-
lifters are the wOTsttheves that we have to deal
with. Their work is going all the time.
There is no use saying that it has been stopped,
or that it will be- stopped. You can't stop it.
I'll bet you that if YOU ask these merchants they
will tel you they get the money for many a
parcel Of goods that no bill is issued Ior.
- How is that
''Vhv YOU see there are several classes of
shopliftefs and one class belongs TO the best
society and carries money enough to pay for
everything they take: but. YOU see. the instinct
To steal is so strongly developed that they can't
help it. 1t seems to do them good to steal.
although in nine cases out 0f ten they or their
husbands or fathers pay for what they get.
Such people. you know. are usually we'll known
in the places they frequent. | now refer to the
klcptonianiac. who is generally q woman.
These. il they have money. are watched and not
restrained, note being simply taken of what they
carry off "
DO women ever make shoplifting profess
sion =
Yes; but the female thief who plumbers for
revenue Is very different character. She gen
orally goes where she is not known often chang
Inc base. that is moving from city to city as
fast "a discovery is threatened She generally
has pal or conSOrt IN the person of a man. In
this case one does the talking and keeps a look
out while the other carries off the prize.
''Do men ever appear i'm the role of shOplift-
ers:r
\ smile of contempt OyerspTead the face of
the ''fly-cop. if he wondered at the igno-
rance of a man who would ASK such question.
Why. said ne they are the worst of the
class. Females are never SO dangerous as men,
One man viii get away with more valuable stuff
in one day than woman will i'm week. The
men go at il III a business way and take what is
costly Women are apt t0conflne themselves to
trif1iH@ articles. such as toys gloves and hand
kcrehieis- man will steal a sealskin sacque a
diamond brooch or an India shawl. 1t takes
Courage and plenty of cheek to make good
sh0p-iifter. and the women have not always got
IL Cheek Is the main thing. 1t is great
scheme of the snOp-lifter TO talk to clerk until
he gets him ratified before anything is taken
It's Let me see that. Let me see this. No.
that's not good, don't want it. Let me see
something else oh. that amt fine enough.
ana so on. until the clerk gets mad and forgets
Ills business Then the lifting berius''
what do thieves do with property taken in
this way"
sometimes they put it under their clothes
but the most effective work is done with a box
with a false end They carry it under their arm
and when the opportunity presents itself they
put the most valuable thing they can find into it
The board that makes the end of the box is so
put in that when pressed from the outside it
VIII lie down. and when the goods are disposed
OF the springs will take it into position again.
The clerk who has not seen the goods stolen
has seen the man or woman enter with the box
and never suspects that he has filled ii with
goods almost under his nose"
HAS much property been stolen lately?''
well, you know the papers have already
stated the fact that $500 worth of shawls were
stolen from Barr's, and that two or three very
fine sealshin sacques had been stolen from Stein
berg, the halter | suppose this property went
In thar wav. and then YOU know that a whole
raft of stuff is carried of that nothing is said
about"
That's sou
"Of course. You see proprietOrs Of stores
don like people to think their employees are so
Careless that any lifting can be done there and
they don't want the better class of their Gus
toners TO think they are watched. So they
don't keep many private detectives The larger
stores generally hire a man who knows the
business To stand guard during big rush. as in
the holiday time and tell you smart man
can save them cart load of stuff
''Why are SO few arrests made:'
''Proprietors don't like TO prosecute because
they have not got the time to lose and don't
Ike the notOrety. Whenever any of the ordi-
nary shoplifrers are caught they generally paw
mp. and that settles it. I've seen dozen made
to step up to the cashiers counter after being
searched and when they paid the BILL in nearly
every case they hurried away without the goods
forgetting them probably. The big profess
siOnaf is seldom detected