Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-07-11

hand at the business makes very little
Outcry, and takes il all as a matter nj
course.
Awoman was arrested not long ago in
oneof the dry-goods stores and taken I'D.
stairs o'the superintendent,s desk: all the
time she was talking some one at the o1-
posite side of the store noticed that she was
taking goods out OF her pockets and as fast
as she did so she'dropped them on the floor.
: and then tried to kick them under the desk.
Whenever shoplfter is caught she tries
to drop the goods on the floor; so that when
searched nothing can be found. and con-
sequently no arrest made.
If thief Is one of a gaug,she hasno Diff
Guilty In obtaining bail; in some cases the
person arrested and bailed out has paid the
sum, perhaps five hundred dollars. rather
than appear in court Two thousand dol
lars was the bail fixed fora woman. who
recently stole several rolls of silk Nothing
IS too valuable, naturally, for these people
to steal, and at the same time nothing is
TOO small or trifing. Whenever their
homes have been searched, articles, of
every conceivable description have been
found All is fish that comes TO their nets.
The organized gangs have their head
quarters at some place down town. They
20 out by the dozens every day, and then
report at night. Some of them when they
start out on their days expedition go down
10 the ferries or to the Grand Central de-
pot and station themselves there until they
spy victiu-some lady possibly with 4
wel-filled pOcl1et-book, who IS bound on IL
shopping expedition. This person is fol
lowed from store to store until the pro
fesSional has either possessed herself OF
the pOcket-boOk or found out that she has
met some one who is too clever for her
wilcs.
As a rule these people are not well
dressed, for whatever money they may
make in this way they spend in drink and
carousals. If they steal a dollar article
and pawn it they seldom get over ten or
fifteen cents for it. At the holidays all
stores double their force o. detectives, or if
they are not accustomed to employ one al
any other season OF the year they usually
engage one or two then.
Fully Observation-Disclosures of the shop
lifters are women. It Is seldom that male
shoplIfter attempts to work a retail store
alone, and the instances where women arc
assisted by men are not frequent Male
shoplifters operate mostly in wholesale
stores. They go In couples and generally
drop into store soon after the porter has
opened the doors, and while one of them
engages the attention of the porter the othe.
makes of with a package of goods.
The usual pretext given by this class of
thieves is that they have lust come to town
and thought they would stop on their way
to their hotel" One of the men carries a
hand-sachel, into which the stolen property.
of course, finds its way.
Professional shOplifters were formerly in
the habit of affecting the ''kleptomania
DODGE when detected, but since the store
keepers have become 30 exacting in their
demands for proofs OF good character in
such cases the thieves have abandoned that
subterfuge and now depend upon their skill
and luck to escape detection.
The increasing experiences of the stord
keepers and the improved facilities fol-
thief-catching have driven the bunglers out
of this branch of the rogue's profession.
and it is now an even match between
sharp and experienced detectives and smart
and ingenious thieves. There are plenty
of evidences that 1.-The smart and ingenious
thieves are numerous and that they operate
in all the large retail stores with fan
average of success.