The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-30
WITH LIGHT FINGERS.
-romen and Men Who Steal. ana the
Reasons.
F$ons Tho Washington Star


rSona tho Washington Star
uUhy is it that so many persons prefer
...oI,ns to making an honest ivingp
ssked reporter ofa detective the other
day.
.o.active. t'Some persons steal because
sSov can't help ii; others because they find
Y! - asas;er than working, while still others
1ataei simply because they have an oppor-
ee''nitv. They are some persons who steal
..SSnr,:ands of dollars worth of property be-
Sure thew are caught. Often they are ladies,
he wives of respectable citizens, who would
Wv for moment be suspected of any
th;ng wrong. Some of them, as l said be-
so,a do il simply because they have an OPP
Io rs, Others commit these thefts be-
P,se thew like to dress well and fashion
OSIy and are not allowed enough money
sor +hat purpose by their husbands Such
~ always dress well and usually have
s,n,gh money to spend for ordinary wear
;nS apparel, but not enough to keep pace with
tbe fashions. They usually confne their
oTerations to three or four stores. They
g,II do their shopping in such few stores
that their purchases at each amounts to
onainted with the proprietors and clerks of
The stores, and are regarded so highly by
them that they are given full sway, and
can 90 about the stores without ever being
SSatched or suspected, and even if they acted
susnicously no notice would be taken of
them In this way they manage to secure
considerable property. They are not al
ways satisfied with robbing the store, but
will sometimes pick up stray purse, care
lessly placed on the counter by another Gus
TONER who is making some purchaseS, or
Who is being fitted to cloak or trying on a
bonnet. Then when the purse is missed COM
nlaint is made, but she, of course, is not
snsnected. The only other persons about
are the clerks, upon whom suspicion rests,
and sometimes such clerks are closely
watched and sometimes discharged and
the suspicion hangs to them forever after
ward.
.THERE Is ANOTHER CLASS OF PERSONS"
continued the detective, 'who need con-
siderable watching. Young men who are
employed as clerks in the stores at salaries
ringing from So to $40 per week. They are
frequently from Is to 20 years old. After
hours, when the time is their own, they fire.
0uenty fall into bad company, and bad
habits soon follow. They will visit ques-
tionqble places, and soon become the com
panions of some fast young men and women,
who are always ready to accept them. They
have to pay board at home, and after that
amount is taken out of their weeks earnings
tbey have hut very little left. With that
small sum they cannot hire buggies put up
champagne, and 60 about like others, and
the consequence is they soon begin to knock
down. Besides the money thus ATTAINED
their companions will visit the store where
they are employed, make large purchases,
aldpay less than half the amount the goods
clgially cost their employer In many
cases where business houses fail the failure
might be traced to the thetts of dishonest
clerks.
A PROTECTIVE AGENCY.
"To avoid 50 much of this class of steal
ing he said Il think it would be a good
plan for the merchants to organize a sort
Of protective agency or society, and have
in theirtmploy detectives who " ould watch
tue scores of clerks after business hours, and
note the habits of each Monthly reports
Of their conduct could be made and the
merchants would then be able to know or at
least have an idea of how the clerks con-
ductei themselves while not attending to
business Take case for instance where a
clerk receiving small salary would visit
houses of Il-tame, saloons and other places
where he would spend money freely,
and spend more i'll Il night or two than be
actually earned in a week, his emp oyer
would &c tainly know that there was some
IAll8 wrong AMI CDuNu Il6u UaA6 special
notice of the particular individual. In this
way he wOuldnOt only learn who was rob
hing him, but would have an idea of who
were his best clerks, and could in that
way avoid suspf citing his honest employees il
1t ever became necessary to suspect any OF
th.m.
PORTERS AS THIEVES.
Another class of persons who steal for
the same reason, or probably only because
they have an opportunity, are some persons
wao are employed as porters. They usually
open the store IN the morning, and of course
as there Is no one else in the store they feel
as though they are owners of all the sur.
vey. Thea there is ample oportunity for
them to wrap up bundles and secrete them
IN the cellar or other convenient place, and
when they start out to deliver goods they
carry the piunder with them. Frequently
Ouch persons are caught, but not before they
have succeeded in making several good
hauls sometimes a porter in dry goods
store will cut a silk dress pattern and pin it
to the lining of his coat. He can then put
his coat on and walk out of the store undis
covered. Then there are some persons who
steal on account Of poverty. Such persons
however, are very few and their theft!
amount to but little
DISHONEST SERVANTS.
"A great amount OF stealing done result!
from the carelessness of persons in employ
ing servants" continued the detective
Householders frequently employ servants
VINO come as perfect strangers, without any
recommendation, unless it be the reco ume d
ION OF some unknown person, which any
servant can get from some one. They arr
often employed and trusted about the hOu,t
without their employer even knowing th'
name, except to call them Liza or Sarah
4ney stay sometimes week or SO, and thel
make some excuse for leaving, probably t.
Take care of sick member of the family
Ihey receive their pay and leave, and, il
they ask 1t, will often be given q recommen
ua'lon. Before such a servant has beer
gone any length of time theft has beer
discovered and the police are callel in tc
investigate the case The name or residence
VI tne girl caunot be astertaineJ, and the
cuances are that the thief has escaped fol
good and that the property will never b.
recovered. Now, if persons employing
servants would be more careful there would
Oe lever robberies of this kind, and it nigh
nave tendency to make more honest SER
wants.
FOR wHISKY's SAKE.
There is another class of persons who
sIeal Tor nothing else than to get money fol
Tue purchase of whisky. This class of per
sons travel about in the guise of a tramp
ana 20 from door to door asking for some
thlng to eat. They are very few persons
VINO VIII refuse such hungry looking in
uiFluualS something to eat, and will