The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-06-11
detectives at Fashionable Weddings.

their youth feel it allowable to wear a
wealth of diamonds, and where the dis
plays of presents surpass the show cases
of fashionable jewelers.. These we'd
dings and other sociable gatherings of
the same class of persons are avery par
adise of thieves and pickpockets, when,
as occasionally happens, they can gain
admission in the guise of a guest. This,
as will be imagined, few professionals
can do without the risk of being bowed
to the door by the host as strangers in
unwarranted dress-coats; yet many SIM
| pie and shrewd devices are used to MAIN
tain q footing once obtained in such
assemblages. The host and hostess are
avoided. Efforts are made to scrape
cquaintanceship. References are bold
| " made to some previous social assem-
blage. The thief must have special
gifts and a special training.
Yet it is not professional thieves that
those who get up fashionable entertain
ments chiefly fear. The most dangerous
class, because the most numerous, are
included among the invited guests, and
are called, when detected, kleptoma-
MACS.
For almost every large and fashions
BILE wedding there is request made up
on Inspector Byrnes, in charge of the
! Detective Bureau of the Police Central
!. Office, for an officer to watch the array
fUf presents, and in general to protect the
house and its guests from loss by theft.
Among the Central Office detectives on
whom this duty frequently fails is
George w. Lanthier. He is a young
man of good address and appearance,
who wears a fine diamond in his shirt
front and whose clothes fit him. His
fellow detectives say that when he is ar
rayed in Prince Albert coat, with silk
faeings, for an afternoon wedding, there
is nothing left to be asked for by the
most critical observer, but when he ap-
pears attired in full costume, for an
evening wedding or reception, language
fails. Mr.. Lanthier was sought out yes
terday. He said his duties were simple,
and for the most part agreeable.
"The first thing, l do,' he said,
"when 90 to reception is to take a
look through the house up and down
stairs in order to acquaint myself with
the different rooms as well as with the
position of valuable articles. For this
reason l usually 60 short time before
the guests are expected. While the
guests are arriving | usually stand in the
hall to watch them as they enter. | am
very apt to know professional thief by
his face. Where the presents are very
numerous and valuable generally have
the smaller ones, such as the diamonds
and other jewelry which person could
| Y1oolvak opH oa,.,.u ouau readily mt on
table by themselves. Then | take a
seat near them. l am supposed, by the
most of those who see me, to be guest
If anybody guesses otherwise, am con-
tented they should have their opinion
l inform myself about the presents, and
when guests come up to inspect them
they naturally fall to talking to express
their admiration. l am able to tel
them about the presents. One guest
therefore, sees me talking with another
and lie is not likely to remark that re
main in one part of the room all the after
noon or evening. If sat still and sale
nothing, l would soon become an OBJ
ject Of notice.
81 have never" continued Mr.. Ian
thier, "been compelled to make an ar.
rest at a reception, although have at
tended many dozens of them. nor have
| ever seen an attempt to steal valua
BILE present. If a professional thief gete
into the assembly he probably know;
what my presence means, and if any.
body else has any designs on the pres
ents he discovers after time that they
are never left alone.
81 have seen many very brilliant ar
rays of presents; large diamonds and
rubies of very great value, chests of sill.
verware, pyramids of the finest cut
glass decanters, antique cups, and costly
fans. never saw lady in such an as.
sembly whose jewelry was guarded by
an attendant detective, but l have seen
some of middle age and older vari-
Gus parts of whose dresses were decora.
ted with great clusters of diamonds. To
these small weddings and receptions
come the same set over and over again,
and a person who attends them soon
learns to know their faces and names.
GAS to personal treatment, the guests
at the assemblies have attended have
always treated me with courtesy, and
do not see how they could have done
otherwise, even when they knew my
business, for 1 never sought acquaint-
ship, while 1 have always been willing
to talk on any subject knew anything
about, and 1 never ask questions about
matters that don't concern me-"
Stories are told by detectives of ladies,
whose families are of the highest re-
spectability, whom they have pointed
out to the givers of entertainments as
having stolen valuable presents. In
several cases related to the reporter, the
valuables were recovered under threats
of arrest, and scandals resulted. In
others the host was unwilling to make
accusations, preferring to avoid the
scandal that would follow an exposure
In one case lady tainted when she was
accused She would not confess, anC
, she was not searched, but it was after
ward said diamond ring was returned
bv her father, an action which the de
tective who told the story criticised as in
. pxcusably simple on the fathers part i
he had in view merely the reputation o.
, his daughter. 1t is said that severa
series of thefts have been committed by
voung men so fascinated with society
life that they lived beyond their means
and at last were driven, by what appeared
to them necessity, to steal.
n m