The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-18
QUEEN OF sH0PL|FTERS.
She Robbed All Sorts of Stores with
Refreshing Impartiality and
Success.

Her Operations Designed to illus
trate the Carelessness of
Store Clerks.
It Was Her Intention to Return Her Plum
der and Warn the Proprietors-What
tho Trunk Yielded.
A woman who has been shoplifting for
over a month, and has stolen more things
in this manner than any one ever arrested
in this city, who has an independent in
come, claims relatives worth more than
million, and says she only stole the things
to test her ability in that line, and intended
returning everything to their proper owners
with caution not to employ such care
less salespeople, is the sensation that is puz-
cling the minds of Geo. Smith. the head of
Wanamaker's detective force, and his corps
Of assistants, says Philadelphia special to
the Globe Democrat. This queen of shop
lifters," or at least the "queen of klepto-
maniacs," was arrested by Detectives Smith
and Tyndall while in the act of stealing
some ribbon. When taken before Magis-
trate Clement she gave the name of Mary
Shipley, of Staunton, Va. A few trifling
things, amounting to about $15 in value,
were found upon her, and no one had any
idea of the stupendous robberies the wo-
man had committed until she her
WI %hen ss she fo es that sHe
caught, with the cool assurance and audac-
ity Of practical thiet, or the weak mind of
kleptomaniac, Sne .nAG- ned the officers
that she had stolen from number of otht-
places, and added that, as she intended re-
turning them tomorrow, if they would
send to the Eagle hotel for her trunk she
would pick out the things and tell them
who they belonged to. The wolnan's gar
ments, though not we'll selected or we'll
made, showed in their quality that she was
q person of means, and from her manners
the officers concluded that they had en-
countered one of those personages with
whom stealing is mania, rather than the
result of criminal inclination. Accordingly
Detective Smith dispatched wagon for
the trunk, and took The woman up to his
private Office in the store and sent for a
awaited the arrival Of the trunk. From the
wcmsn's appearance, Smith was sure she
was Che woman of whom Detective Wren,
of Sharpless Bros, had warned him week
ago, and, being impatient to get
a look at the trunk, he sent
Mrs. Gilligan, chief of the stores
female detective corps, in to watch the
woman, while he went out to hasten mat
tiers. The trunk, an immense affair, ar
rived shortly afterward, and with it one of
the greatest surprises the detectives ever
met with. From its depths there rolled
forth an extraordinary collection of goods.
It would be impossible to give list of
them, but almost everything Of small size
contained in large store were there.
Nothing appeared too mean or too good for
her to steal. Soon every chair and table
=, was covered, and things were piled up in
lcotnafyof the little room. As the things
dive for them and arrange them in separate
B Ss er "thos hose are sharpless,s o or
''those got at Strawbridge's," and so on.
The trunk was never ending source; ap-
as various articles came tumbling out they
were carefully watched by the woman.
scratched she would say as valuable
silver butter knife or spoon came
out; or, "That's real lace; don't tear
delicate stuff was unearthed. She evident
ly had a passion for cheap jewelry, as
pretty little ribboned basket was complete
ly filled with breastpins, diamonds, pearls,
rubies, rhinestones in every shape and man.
ner of oxidized silver buckles, pins and
silver salt-holders, flowers and feathers for
hats and bonnets, ribbons, three or four
dozen napkins, several dozen gloves, black
lace founoings, yards and yards of en-
broideries and thousand and one other
things. A curious fact was that she had
wear, from the caps down. All these things
Miss Shipley sorted out in heaps, showing
most remarkable memory as to where each
thing came from. When she was through
it was seen that, besides Wanamaker's, she
had obtalted booty from Sharpless Bros,
Stravbridge. and clothiers. Marks Bros,
Hellers, Partridge & Richardson, Granville
b. Haines and lot of others, and pack
age of gloves was found bearing the marks
of Baum's, one of the largest dry goods
houses in Washington, D. G.
A rough estimate by Detective Smith
places their value at $500. He said that she
must have worked every day for month to
get them. To Smith and Mrs. Milligan she
said, in explanation, that she lived in
Staunton. Va, and had frequently read in
the newspapers of the work of shoplifters
who made practice of robbine large stores,
and she determined to see if it was possible
to do it. "Im an adventures" she said,
'and came here to see if could steal these
things without getting caught, and now you
see how easy it is. Why. have been work.
ing in here for over week, and in all the
other stores, but did not do it to steal. I
first wanted to see if it could be done, and
tomorrow intended returning everything
had better employ more careful sales peo-
pie. don't have to steal, because have
plenty of money!"
Babies for Crocodile Bait.
If mothers in general shared the nerve