Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-06
pEorLe WHO rILysR sroaEs.
An Old fioor-waiker's Experience
with tboplsfters.
IPlttsburgh Dispatch.i ]


He was a tall, slender citizen, with
elongated pipe-stem legs and a voice ike
a og-horn in The dim distance OF frosty
morning. His especial buslness WAS
walking the floor OF large downtown
retail establishment. lie was perform.
ing that function With a good deal OF
grace Yesterday afternoon when his
elongaled proportions enabled him 70
see a little natch-peddler who was appa-
rently trying to sell box Of patent can't
blow -'om-out matches Ia pretty girl at
the silk. handkerchief counieraway down
at the other end OF the store. A minute
later he bad the lucklcss youth by the
coat collar and was pulling silk handker-
chiefs by the dozen out OF the basket
where the matches were supposed to be.
The pretty girl looked on in holy horror.
1--WE caught you this time. you httlo
vilaiu," the Hoor-walkcr exclaimed, rs
the last OF the stolen handkerchieis
dropped on to the counter. The Little
peddler sQuirmcd ami wri9glcd, but he
couldn't Get away, and few minutes
later q big burly special ohicer had hold
of him and WAS marching him out to-
ward the street Then the hoor-walker
sat down 10 rest with a smile OF intense
satisfaction
"The younCstor won't be locked up
he said 10 reporter who WAS sitting
near him. "Tbe officer Wiz Just scare
him bad enough to keep him from
coming back. We couldn't prosecute
him. It would only make us trouble.
Z IL : l.. IaN..
had lot of trouble with children shop
liftcrs lately. They como in on all pre-
texts-some for Christmas cards, some
to sell trlukcts. aud a few 10 buy but
tons or a spool OF thread. ] have caught
a good many of them IN the last year or
so, and in every case the youngsters told
me that their parents sent them to steal.
" You would like to have me tell you
all | know about shOpliftlng, would
you? Well, il IS "A pretty old subject,
but believe | can tell you some things
YOU never heard before. In the first
place the world at large doesn't have any
idea how much shopljiting there IL
during the holiday season III Pittsburgh.
! have worked IN both Philadelphia and
New York. and shoplifters are right
plenty in both places, but / never
knew 10 what an artistic perfection
the business could be brought until
came 10 Pittsburgh. We dont
! often prosecute people when We catch
them, bnt We manage To make 1t mighty
warm for them in aquiet way. We START
Mt one end of the store with them and
take them to every clerk and every en-
ployee, giving each one plenty Of time TO
make mental notes OF the offender for
future reference. by the time We have
made the entire rounds, if the shorhttor
is woman. she is about sick of tho
business. If il happens to he aman, and
can tell you right here there are very
few men who are shoplitters he will DO
sufficiently scared to prevent his coming
1 back soon.
ave have cloak-room upstairs, and
/ righ! u that cloak-roOm is where We aro
! victimiZed most. Wait until ! tell You
how We were robbed last month. \
weil-dressed man came in and SAID
she wanteda Wpp. IL was night chilly
outdoors, and / noticed sho had no
| cloak on. ] showed her the way up
stair, and quarter Of an hour later L
saw her pass ont wearing a wrap worth
50. Right behind her camo the sales
! lady from the cloak room. Did that
woman have n wrap on when she came
| in?" the saleslady asked me.
"No," | said, "she did not.
"She stole that one, then.
The lady was almost at the door by
this time, but ! caught her before she
yot out and demanded the cloak. Sho
grew very indignant. and wanted to
/ kr.ow if We were In the habit Of insulting
customers in that way. Then she coolly
opened the door aud walked out. l.
couldn't 10 anything. The tab had
been removed and there WAS no way IN
the world / could prove that cloak be-
longed to me. Tho woman had gone up
stairs. tried on several wraps, slipped
over to n mirror long enough to cut tho
tabs of one of them. and finally after
irving on few more had picked up tho
one from which she bad removed tho
tabs. put il on and walked of with tho
remark that she guessed she couldn't find
ANYTHING to suit her We had two cases
of lust that kind last winter, and we tired
10 convict one Of the thieves. But wo
failed. We knew the wrap was ours, but
we couldn't swear TO it. aud We had u
hard time preventing the thief from
suing us for slander and false arrest.
We have a little scheme OF private con-
cealed marks now that will prevent such
games in the future.
'It is funny the number of wealthy
women who steal little :hingo ~ilen they
are out shopping. | often see them
slipping some trifling article into their
pocket when they think they are not
watched. They are good customers,
though, and they don't steal enough to
amount TO much 80 they very often
carry away their pilferings in blissful
ignorance Of any observing eye. Last
winter caught woman whose husband
is worth $500, 600 trying 10 get away with
nearly 800 worth of goods under her
cloak | let her go, but had bill sent
10 her husband for what | had seen her
take. He paid the amount, but nov she
deals somewhere else; 4; 50 | don't know
but what we were losers, on the whole. y