New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-30
MANY SHOPPERS ROBBED BY A CHILD

HER ARTLEss STORY TOLD TO INSPECTOR BRfNEs
A WOMAN ALSO ARRESTED.
little girl, fashionably dressed with bright face
mild blue ewes and brown waving hair has been seen
many times during the last few weeks romping alone
through Mao;'s store. When tired Of looking at ail
the pretty playtbings she would Sit on one oI the
benches ana watch the wedressed people gong In
and out the store Sometimes she seemed 10 DE urea
out and would tall asleep Jerome B. Wheeler, ono
Of the firm, Glanced to be near counter where thus
little girl was on Monday. and saw her acting IN
suspicious manner She stopped at the SIDE oil a
woman who had laid her small satchel Oh the counter
While the womans back was turned Mr. WDeeier
saw the girl open the satchcl with lightning rapdity,
take out pocket-b book, slip 1t into her pocket anu
walk away as If nothing had bapI ened. Mr. Wheeler
caught her by the shoulder. She turned her sweet
face up TO him and wanted to know 10 the most
natural fashion what the trot be she was 'aHeh
to or vate room and searched. The pocket,cook
WAS found but in one OF her emoroldered s,oehInSs
was S1 IS neatly rolled together The CHILD stoutly
denied stealing anything and said that tne mouSy
belonged to her mother MI. Wheeler could hardly
believe that the little was thief, Dlt nc nad
seen the evidence OF her guilt and detained her.
Several hours later a well-dres>ed woman inquirer
atter the child. 81 said that sne was tne mug % ye
motber ana semed to be broken down at the " idise
charge which had been brought against her chiiu a
demanded that tue hltIe one be allowed 10 20 WIN
her She said that she wealthy woman ana nad
given the cd So ~ to spend she pleased ana that
| in. money belonged to her. The woman went away
with threats on her lips. In the evening she came
! back again with q who. she said. was her nus
| band Mr.. Wheeler talked with them ABOUT inc
matter and after long interview he allowed tno
chld to co. hut he kept the $Ilo. Ihree laIies %no
said they had been rocbed IN the store Oh -"onu"S
Air. Wheeler called on Inspector Byrnes yesterday
He said that he did not want to prosecute any 0ne.
hut after hearing the story the Inspector advised MIN
to have all the persons Interested arrested. @
WAS issued at the Jefei son Market Court: ohcer
II fhaa
Sbaldon arrested the woman at No. ,6S3 Lexington
ave- The husband could not be found Inc PRISONERS
were brought to Polce headquarters ipe "on'n
| said that sue was Annie Smith. ,u
| When questioned the girl said that she was Lillian
| Smith, age eleven. and tGat her home was WIN ner
| moiber M No. 21S East One-hundred- ana ee7enth-
| q, Alter sne had stopped crying she said that she
left her home about mouth ago ana went 10 Te WIN ~
| Mrs Smith in Lexngto--ave Mrs. Smith tdiheo ~
her ABOUT stealing and told her how easy money cooa
be mads and how many nice things she could &c. u
she would only learn to steal. Then she TOOK her 10
number OF stores and showed her where iadles kep'
their pocketUo0ks and then asked ner ~ 'IA a"u
II he could NOT Get one ont OF satche The little
girl tried and the pocket-book when she eaFo 20
Mrs Smith who took the money out ana threw the
hon. awac Mrs Smith then told her steal all that
she could anu then hurry home. she got TWO moIe
pocket books the first day. THIS was aoou' tnr1o 10
weeks Since then Lillian has been ecu 0a. h sb
wanted money every day. Lillian stole three POCKET
books trom Macys containing $50 two from stera 'ra
Brother. coutan ng $50 two IN 10Y b
90; the X in 6ree % n hscs sfs
Smith at last told her that she &C me home
with less than $50 day. When Lillian got more
than tins amount she kept the money herself Shrist
MAJ night Mrs Smith ook Lillian to the Theatre
Comicue in Harlem and hired box She told Lillian
that che must steal enough money to pay The ex-
penses. The girl tried to get book IN the theatre ou
could not Mrs. Smith was angry with her.
Lillian has no idea how much she has stolen but sht
knows from the expensive things which Mrs smith
bought that the amount must be La ge. lhe con-
tesslon was mae as if did not know that she had
been don anything wong. She does not l,ok &c
be eight years Old After telling her story sue
was sent TO stay with Matron Webb. Mrs. Smith wa
locked up in a cell at Headquarters.