Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1886-07-30
PROTECTING SHOPPERS.
rhe Private Detective Who Mingles with
the Throng in the City stores.

through the throng of shoppers in an
uptown dry goods establishment the
other day. She viewed with indiffer-
ence the great variety of objects exposed
for sale, and chatted gayly with ayoung
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 obivious 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 sudden and unex-
pected shock. A stout, heavily 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 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 immedi-
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
private office at one end of the second
story
II 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
mtted to being searched without a
murmur.
whats 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 pretty lay you spoiled just now,
though" he added, regretfully. won't
you come out and have something's"
mot just now," replied the stout
man, ironically, 'but I'll see that
you get out. >"
IL am the house detec tive," he said a
little later, after having conducted his
charge out of side door. Il have
been detective nearly all my life, and
| owe my present place to the fact that
| know by sight every professional
thief and pickpocket in the coun-
try. | get 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 pocket-book is lost, an article
taken from a counter, or a clerk
knocks down, / am held to answer, so
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 avoid
publicity as much as possible in the
matter of arrests. If find thief, even
in the act of stealing, l simply take
away his booty, search him carefully for
other stolen goods and then put him
out. If find him in the crowd, even
when he is not plying his trade, | search
him just the same and put him out.
use no disguise. The thieves know me
and | know them. They submit tc
search rather than arrest, and in that
way we keep from the public the fact
that thieves frequent this place. There
is no doubt that they do come here in
large numbers as well as to every other
large store. Some of the biggest Grim
inals in the country have been in this
store. They frequent the large art store;
very much, for there they have chance
to make rich and unsuspectng ac
quaintances.
Besides watching for thieves from
outside, have to keep my eye on the
employees. / am supposed to know what
they all do, inside and out of the store
from the superintendent down to the
scrub woman. If the superintendent il
a drinking man or the cash girl eats
more candy than her wages would pay
| for, the firm wants to know it. If the
young clerk there spends his nights
going around town l am expected &c
keep my eye on him. take orders from
no one but the firm itself. and although
| believe | am popular with the EN-
| ployes, also know that | am feared by
them, for an evil report from me would
be Immediately followed by the delln
quent's discharge The firm trusts me-
and am proud of it, but it's trying
and responsible place all the same"
The reporter watched the detective a,
he slowly moved away, apparently see
| ing nothing, but his little piercing eve,