St. Paul daily globe., 1884-09-02
SOMETHING ABOUT sHoPLIFTERs
An AGsthetic Floor Walkers Views
Elegantly Expressed-Kleps,
Snaps, Genuines, and Incor
rigibles.
Air-Drawn Distinctions-A Dry Goods De-
tectiye's Views More Bluntly Venti-
lated-0dd Accidents Exposing the
Methods of Counter Thieves.
Now York SUM-

he been woman, his figure would have been
termed willowy, but, though his features
were effeminate, there was a perceptible
steeliness in their otherwise blond vacuity.
A feline alertness distinguished his easy-go-
ing, lounging strut. he had foxy china
blue eyes that seemed to appropriate every
minuti@ of the long customer-thronged coun'
ters within their scope, and to inspire amid
the ranks Of prettily aproned saleswomeu and
Sinking male jumpers either increased un-
easiness or industry. "The duties of floor
walker may be called manifold" he said,
when he found leisure to answer few of the
Sun reporters queries.
at is noble and intricate profession"
the reporter obsesver
''You are right, sir, and but few can pur-
sue the career with profit and eclat. Indeed,
the Thoroughbred floor walker, like the poet,
is born, not made. He has to see that the
salespeopie are not remiss in their duties. 1t
is his lookout that the porters and door open
ers toe the mark. The secret incentive of
the cash imp's celerityis his lightning glance.
The shoppers demands would scarcely be
expedited but for his ubiquitous revision.
The counters would never be cleared for ac-
ton. After skirmish with the 'pullers,'
save through the portent of his knitted brows.
His smile is courted, his displeasure feared.
There is sunshine in his complaisance, foul
weather In his chargin. He can fondle merit
in its golden incipiency, or skewer pecca-
dillO To its crimson core. Lastly, but most
ly, he is the Argus-eyed terror OF shoplifters,
impecunious gawks, and proftless lockers
around.i'
"But do not great establishments like this
employ detectives to look after shoplifters"
"Yes, sir. Ours has two. But bless you,
they are mere detectives, nothing more! l,
as the chief floor walker, am their director,
their animating spirit, or their intellectual
dUdnt courier, as occasion may demand. Our
detectives may be wider awake to the wiles
and Gisguises of old birds, the veteran fallirs
than L; but, Lord love you, for fnesse in
spotting the embryo manipulation, for delicate
discernment between the really absent
minded and the incorrigible 'klep' and again
between the genuine 'klep' and the profess
sional 'snap.' 1 rather fiatter myself can
give our boobies odds and capture the belt"
"Please EXPLAIN
"Ah! Well, then, klep is kleptoman-
lac, and a snap is thief. The genuine
KEPT is a real victim of the morbidity called
kleptomania, and wholly unable to control
kleptomania is real disease, and no mis-
take. A certain wealthy lady afflicted with
it comes here frequently during the fashion
able shopping season, and regularly as clock
work, after she has made her trifing pur-
chases and picked up her parasol to saunter
back to her carriage, politely conduct her
to back room, and wait at the door while
our forewoman assists her to disgorge the
articles she has stolen. She has got sort of
used to it by this time-might almost be
said to admire it, in fact-and is not at all
shame-faced or embarrassed; though hon
estly think if any one else but myself would
take her in charge-either of the detectives,
for instance; uneducated fellows, you know
she would be downright offended. There
is nothing like a certain style and toniness
in everything. We used merely TO take mem
oranda of her pickings, and suffer her to go
home with them, when courteous note, en-
| closing a bill Of them, to her husband would
result in prompt payment or a return of the
plunder, always with a suitable apology. But
this grew to be troublesome so we resorted
to the more summary process. We have
other customers, perhaps dozen in ali,
similarly afflicted and susceptible to like
treatment. So much for the genuine lleps.
| Then we have the incorrigible kleps."
''What is the distinction!'
ga broad one. The genuine klep is either
rich or infuentally connected; the incorrigi-
BILE klep is neither the one nor the other.
The latter is a miserable nuisance, thor
oughly obnoxious pest, but, fortunately, she
is swiftly disposed Of. Detection, police
men summoned, public search and exposure,
cell in Jail, true bill of larceny nailed to her
| forehead, trial, conviction, sentence, and the
! IL aF ox-n hr, ha
| kleptomania dodge doesn't avail her for a
cent, and she's ratified OFF to the rogue's
march, with our firm beating the big drum
as IN Incidental advertisement.
''But may not the genuine klep be as in
corrigible as shel And may not the incor-
rigible be as truly diseased and as wholly un-
able to control the manifestations as the
genuinel''
The floor walker blnked like an intellec-
tual centre-bit boring for treasure, but al
most in instantly glowed as self-sufliciently as
his wont. ''My dear sir, you do not under
stand: you are abstruse. You evolve noun
tains out OF mole-hills," said he, suavely.
''You must understand that we lthy or in
fiuential women can no more be an incorigi-
bic klep than a poor or friendless woman can
be a genuine klep. a suppostion to the con-
trary in either case would be an absurdity.
Kleptomania, as a disease aud in a business
sense. is subject to numerous fne-drawn,
arbitrary distinctions"
'What is'a 'snap'!"
"a snap is a shoplifter. There are various
sorts OF snaps. There is the veteran snap,
wary, and, but for her face being known,
difficult to detect. Then snaps are young and
old, pretty and homely. The young ones are
merely in their pupilage, hence clumsy and
readily detected. When very young, and
the establishment Is somewhat sOit-hearted.
they are like enough dismissed with an ad-
monitiou after lecture in private. If the
establishment 10 otherwise, the felonious
fedgeling is less fortunate. Ours is an
otherwise. We clamp on TO q thief like d
thousand OF bricks, and hammer her to the
cross in way that makes her bonnet jump .
This was said with an air Of paTdoDablt
business pride and enthusiasm.
How do you distinguish between the alb.
sentminded and the felouiously inchnedr
inquired the reporter.
Well. that is difficult to describe, "said the
floor walker, assuming an impenetrable look
Il think l must do 1t By a species OF intui-
ton, a sort OF inner consciousness, or Prom
ethean discernment But just let me tell you
this, my friend; it would be decid-
edly unfortunate for any shopper TO betray
absent mindedness with regarded TO the
property Of this establishment, unless she
were we'll known as honest, or prepared to
offset her failing By proving the possession
of a bona fide bank account"
''Ah, yes; otherwise she might risk being
.classed with the incorrigiblesf'
Exactly"
''Tell me the shoplifters' ways of operating
and your methods Of detecting them.
THAT would necssitate going into vul-
gar details, with which | am not wholly conver
SAINT. / think / shall have TO turn you Ovel
to our chief detective for the information
you seek. Here he comes now. Remember
though" and the floor walker hurriedlv low.
/ hfz nap Il oft all ~