Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-07-16
PROTECTING SHOPPERS.
The Private Detective Who Mingles With
the Throng In the City Stores.

|
A tall, naughty young woman, with
large diamond earrings. moved lazily
through the throng of shoppers in an
uptown dry goods establishment the
other day. She viewed with indiffer-
ence the great variety ofobjects exposed
for sale, and chatted gayly with young
and stylishly-dressed companion, casting
naughty looks of displeasure at the
more vulgar shoppers whenever, AS fire.
quently happened, they were rude
enough to jostle against her. A hand
some Japanese leather shopping sachel
swung from her left arm, and, in
harder jostle than any she had yet re-
ceived, the spring snapped and the
sachel swung open. Inside lay purse,
some loose greenbacks and odd change
temptingly exposed to view. The fair
owner continued her elegant walk
utterly oblivious of the danger threaten
ing her purse.
A stylish young fellow who had been
darling hither and thither in the throng
suddenly rested his eyes on the open
sachel. They twinkled for moment,
and then he became very earnest and
apparently very anxious to reach the
street He forced his way up to the
sachel, dexterously hid it from view,
and slyly stole his hand into its depths
He was about to withdraw it again,
when he met with a sudden and unex-
pected shock. A stout, heav,ly-built
man, with his overcoat buttoned up to
the ears, who had been moving slowly
with the crowd, apparently indifferent
to every thing and everybody, had sud-
denly taken a violent interest in the
dapper young man, and it was his hand
which had arrested the thief just as he
had started to remove purse and money
from the open sachel.
The young lady turned around with a
slight scream, much disturbed, and
there was commotion in the immed-
ate neighborhood.
Keep your sachel closed, madam"
remarked the stout man calmly, and
before she had recovered from her fright
he had disappeared with the thief in his
custody.
A reporter. who had watched the
foregoing, followed the two men into
n private Office at one end of the second
story.
Il should think that you would know
enough to keep out of here" said the
stout man angrily to the thief.
The latter laughed carelessly and sub
mitted to being searched without
murmur.
What's the Odds" he returned with
grin. 1.-The bosses won't have us
arrested, so we run no risks. Once in
while we strike duffer when you re
off galivanting with the daises. That
was a pretty lay you spoiled just now,
though" he added, regretfully. Wont
you come out and have something's"
mot Just now," replied the stout
man, ironically, ''but I'll see that
you get out"
II am the house detec tive," he said q
little later, after having conducted his
charge out of a side door. Il have
been detective nearly all my life, and
l owe my present place to the fact that
: l know by sight every professional
! thief and pickpocket in the coun-
try. l get a large salary for do
, ing nothing but walk up and
!, down through the store all day, and am
entirely my own master. have several
assistants also, but am responsible for
all. If a pocket-book is lost, an article
taken from a counter, or a clerk
: knocks down, | am held to answer, 40
! that am obliged to keep my eyes wide
open all the time.
People are very careless. A dozen
times at least every day have to warn
; ladies that their shopping sachels are
> open, or that they have laid their purses
ON the counter while examining goods
at is rule of this house to avoiC
publicity as much as possible in the
: matter of arrests. If find thief, even
; in the act of stealing, simply take
!, away his booty, search him carefully fol
other stolen goods and then put hin
5 out. If find him in the crowd, ever
when he is not plying his trade, search
fl, him just the same and put him out.
i use no disguise. The thieves know me
and l know them. They submit tc
search rather than arrest, and in thai
e way we keep from the public the fact
u that thieves frequent this place There
: is no doubt that they do come here in
5 large numbers as well as to every otheI
large store. Some of the biggest Grim
u nals in the country have been in thi
i store. They frequent the large art store
very much, for there they have a chanc,
J; to make rich and unsuspecting ac
quaintances
Besides watching for thieves from
; outside, have to keep my eye on tn,
employees. am supposed to know wha
they all do, inside and out of the store
i from the superintendent down to tn,
scrub woman. If the superintendent i
a drinking man or the cash girl eat
. more candy than her wages would pa,
f4r- L..
young clerk there spends his night
y going around town / am expected t.
. keep my eye on him. take orders from
: no one but the firm itself. and although
!, I believe am popular with the EN-
ployes, also know that am feared b,
}, them, for an evil report from me woul,
$ quent's discharge. The firm trusts me
and on, nrou1 ~ IL h,,t ;tiu =, t,,,:.~.