St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-22
THE FEMALE SHOP-LIFTER
has Been Having a Rich Graft Lately in
Minneapolis.
TRICKS OF THE TRAD
How They Do Their Deadly Work,
and the Rich Harvest They
Reap.

These are busy days with the mer-
chant, the butcher. the shoemaker and
the toy vendor. All taking advantage
of the good weather ana the exceedingly
low prices. preparatory to making them
selves and their families happy for
Christmas.
The ''madding throng" that has taken
possession of the different stores and
the principal business streets for the
past month in search of something
handsome for 'dear friend" will. for
the most part, feel relieved when the
hour of suspense is over; but to GER
looking women, who have spent
sixteen hours a day on the streets
and in the stores for the past
two weeks, the change will not be so
agreeable. They will feel lost to go up
Nicollet avenue and not be obliged to
elbow Their way along the street or
through the stores. To them their vO-
cation will be awkward to ply. They
are the shoplifters, who are "wholly
terror" to all StOrekeepers; systematic
thieves who always reap harvest
where the crowd is the largest, and who
have more cheek than an auctiOneer.
They never buy anything in the line of
clothing. They don't have to-" They
are sharp enough to gather enough fine
wearing apparel during the few weeks
that precede Christmas for the balance
of the year. Few of these women are
known to the average citizen, and very
often they will pass in society for the
finest. They never go shopping in the
morning, as the crowd then is very
small and they are apt to get
caught if they attempt to take
anything. The afternoon is the time
for them. They always make their way
to the best patrOniZed store, and some
times two of them go together, but gen.
orally they 'go it alone" Their plans
are very simple to those who are ac-
uuainted with them. They want piece
of lace for instance. They call at the
lace counter, and, of course, they are
more than polite to the clerks in charge,
They ask to see several pieces. and by
the time the clerks get dozen samples
out, by process of shutting the shop
litter has already appropriated several
yards of the best quality of lace. They
are a class of women who always carry
a muff, or large pockets in their dresses
conveniently located. The latter is one
of the signs that clerks generally look
for when a woman of suspicious looks
appears at their counter. Ii these signs
are all complete, the clerk never at
tempts to make sale. but spends her or
his time In watching their caller.
The principal stores on NicOllet ave-
nue. were well patrOnized by these
women the past week, and they evil
IDENTIFY reaped a harvest, for they have
been seen going home with bundles of
vaIuables which would require a full
purse every day to supply. One woman.
who is well known to the police as an eX-
pert IN this line, and who was supposed
to be in Chicago, was a conspicuous fig
ure in the Nicollet avenue stores during
the past week. She called at almost all
the stores, and though the floor man.
ayers and clerks kept special eye on
her, she cOulG be seen vending her way
home every evening with wagon loads
of trinketS and valuables. She was
never seen to buy anything except
chewing gum, yet she wore better
dresses last week than the average
shop-goer. The police kept close
eve on her, and whenever a
detective would enter store in which
she was, she would quietly make her
way out as fast as possible and into the
nearest store, in order to avoid being
Swallowed. Though she was watched
on all sides, she did thriving business.
aud will perhaps have as many good
things to show Christmas morning as
! those whose check is good for 5000 at
the First National bank.
There are evidently large number
of amateurs in this line of business in
the city, from the fact that a NUMBER of
them came to grief during the past
week. They were not, however, ar
rested, but merely caught in the act"
and allowed to 90 after they had dis
gOrged their iligotten gains. When
ever they are caught they generally
drop tears, and this invariably results
in their being allowed to escape the ig-
nominy of arrest. From the way that
some of them can cry one would think
that surplus quantity of tears ready
to tap whenever necessary. They in
variably plead poverty and family
troubles as the cause of their crimes,
but no sooner are they released than
they leave the store and make their
way to the next best place only to re-
| sumo their low calling.
Shoplifting is mania that is alarm
ingly on the increase in Minneapolis,
and the storekeepers are, perhaps, as
much to blame as the police for not pun
ishing the followers of this contempt
ible habit. There was scarcely a day
the past week that some women were
not caught with unpaid for goods in
| their possession. but they were allowed
to go on, promising TO leave the store
at once. The clerks were either too
busy or did not care to give themselves
any more trouble with them, and were
satisfied TO let them go UNPUBLISHED
when they returned the goods. A few
arrests and public exposure would be
/ co1rs rr,aAfaiDa Fr- fl,so oIoca Of xx7araor1