Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-01-13
DANGERS OF THE DANES
Perilous Positions of Gus
toners in Crowds.
VERY PECULIAR PERFORMANCES
Mechanical Maryels-- Criminals CeIe-
brating Christmas" Bofin's
Bower"
OLD CAMBRIDGB'S COMMUNICATION

Christmas shopping in the Hub" which
resulted in not very merry Christmas for
the parties chiefly concerned. / do not
think the matter has been in the news.
papers, though some slight paragraph may
possibly have been printed. The story as
given at the tea table mentioned, is that
lady, the wife of a wealthy Boston buai-
ness man was shopping in one of our
largest dry goods establishments, one day
just before Christmas, great crowd
surged and thronged about the counters,
pick-poekets were supposed to be numer-
GUS, and the private detective of the
establishment, with his aids, was busily
employed in Watching the customers.
But nobody had been caught for several
hours, aud it can be believed that the spies
began to fear that their position was a
sinecure, when the patience of the chief
was rewarded by seeing the lady already
mentioned in the act of leaving the store,
while hanging to the fringe of her cloak
was iace collar worth so cents. An
arrest, examination of the person and
police court trial followed in due order,
With on oath on the part of the detective
that he saw the lady take the collar. An
appeal was taken to q higher court, aud
the matter is not yet settled, but it shows
the danger of shopping in crowd.
Absent-minded people, in particular, are
in danger of grave mishaps. l know of q
lady who was looking at kid gloves one
day, but not finding any that suited her,
went home. When, on opening her shop
ping-bag, she found, to her amszement, a
package of dozen pair of gloves. Prob
ably she had put them there just as one
sometimes pockets his napkins at table,
or just as your correspondent deliberately
helped herself to butter from the individ-
ual butter plate of strange gentleman
with whom she CHANGED to sit at the same
table, the other day. The gloves were
carried back, the unintentional appropria-
tion of other peoples property, with CON-
siderable trepidation of spirits, with one
eye out for policeman, all the way back
TO the store.
Another lady, who was in the habit of
carrying seal muff, went out one day
without it, and entered Winter street
store, where she made some purchases, and
then went 10 another store in the neigh
borhood. While there she suddenly dis
covered that her hand was in muff, and
that said muff wasn't hers. She asked the
salesgirl if muff had been left on the
counter, and receiving negative reply,
where she found lady on the steps look
ing much troubled, and who proved to be
the owner of the abstracted article of fur,
for which the store had been searched In
vein.
On the same day of the arrest mentioned
at me beginning of this letter, and at the
same store, a lady missed her pocket-book
which she had had in her hand few
mil ha
and others were summoned, and space
cleared with considerable difficulty, when
the missing poeketbook was found on the
floor, troddsn perfectly fiat by many feet.
When writing about shop windows last
week, left out some of the most striking
ones, around which such crowds were
gathered on Christmas eve, that it was
quite impossible to get near them. But,
as my object on going down town that
evening was 10 see the people rather than
the windows, did not feel at all abused.
A toy shop was rendered exceedingly
attractive by very ingenious arrange
ment. II was genuine fire place, with
beautiful, real tiles, surmounted by a
mautel, upon which were various artistic
ornaments, and above which was large
handsome mirror. Santa Claus was Just
disappearing up the chimney, feet fore
most, only his smiling face, white beard
and hair and red cap being visible.
Standing on chair before the fire place
WIS the most perfect doll l ever saw--the
xict counterpart of four year-old girl,
with dimpied face aud rumpled golden
naIr re Il acted in the mirror, and attired in
white night-dress and red stockings.
The object of her eagerness is long red
stocking, the mate to those on her feet,
erammed full OF gifts, and hanging from
the mantle iu the most natural fashion
imaginable.
la the window of boys clothing estab-
lishment, is complete representation of
CULVER among the Liliputians In the
background is painted scenery represent
ing the capitol city of the little folks, while
in the foreground If the famous traveller
himself, about the size of a boy of four or
hve, bound hand and foot, just as he
awoke, and surrounded on all sides by
swarms of the tiny creatures of Dean
Switt's brain. The whole thing is per-
fectly carried out the peculiatity OF the
9hitn being that the big man and all the
little men are Gressed IN the hight of the
style of to-day.
Another window is filled by meohan-
iral arrangement, showing pretty Swiss
cottage. covered with snow, from the
easement OF which maiden peeps out
occasionally at a lover who is serenadine
her beloS-didn't know lovers did such
things in Sgitzerlaud-while the old
mans nisht-capped head also comes
threateningly into sight now and then
| from another window.
Another mechanical window shows 6
boy and girl OF natural size and ap-
pesFauoe, fitting happily on a see-saw, SC
dear TO childhood, in front of an old New
England farm house.
An enterprising poultry market up town
has very attractive window representing
q farm house aud harm with winter snoT
and icicles, and yard full of fat chickens
and turkeys and other feathered eatables
Christmas services were held in all the
charitable and penal institutions OF the
city and State, and by services, would
include frst-class. dinners, freedom from
uensl restraints and a general good time
At the Concord State Prison, the 700 con.
yic!s we're allowed to receive packages OF
ali kinds from friends, subjected to inspec.
tiou, OF course-and to spend severa
nours IN the yard in unrestricted freedom
They are given four such days in the year
viz Washingtons birthday, Fourth OF
JQly, Christmas ard Thanksgiving.
At tho Womsn's Prison, they were giver
literary aud musical treat, Ohristmal
dinner with mince pie aud pop corn fol
dessert and the usual holiday supoer Of
ginger cake. (AN of which sounds rather
meagre, does it not p
Miss Jennie Collins, our wel-knowr
philsnthropist of "Bofiiu's Bown," which
she msSes a happy resort indeed for tn,
working girls of Boston, gave fre.
dinner 10 over 800 poor girls, and al
entertainment in the evening.
In fact, Christmas ia the grand holida,
OF the year OF the Hub. Thanksgiving i
by no means so generally and largely Gel
ebrated as it once was. New Years Da,
is only q holiday in name with us, ther,
being very little of the calling and reoeiv
ing SO general in New York and othe
cities, and that little only amoug the ultr,
fsshionables. 1t is said that the custom i
growing in favor here, but l think this 4
Only talk Washington's Birthday i
scarcely celebrated at all, and Fourth o
July is fed from in horror by everybod,
except the boys and country cousins.
Our ecross-the-river neighoor, the cit,
of Cambridge, celebrated her two hundred
and tiftieth birthday the other day, witt
bunting and music, Grafton by Colonel L
W. Hiegiuson and poem by Olive
Wendsll Holmes, singing by children o
the public schools and other interestin,
aud DRtriOtic axerpjses Az a oalahrat;,,