The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-11-30
A YOUNG GIRLBETECTIKE
EMPLOYED AS THIEF CATCHER IN
a BIG DRY GOODS STORE

She Seems to Know a Thief by In
stinct-Her Methods Some Of He
Cases.
From the Neg York Snn.
All the great detectives, from Vidocq Z
Inspector Byrnes, have asserted that Tia
ability to detect crime IS iaborn and cannot
be acquired The proprietors of big
Sixth avenue dry goods store point to one
of their employees as a living proof Of thu
correctness OF this assertion Ten years ago
a little cash girl came to this store
She was not unlike the run Of girl:
employed in the same capacity, except
that she seemed to be unusually dull and
sleepy, she was only about years Old, very
slight and delicate, and became distin-
guished among her roilicking companions
for her extremely quiet ways. Her name
was Mamie Rock At first the clerks and
foor walkers thought her too slow, and her
companions spoke daridingly of her.
She wore well, however. Her compan-
ions developed a liking for her after time,
when they saw that her apathy was nat
uraI and not assumed. Her employers
found that If she was slow she was al,o sure
and industrious. Her promotion through
the regular grades TO clerkship was ac-
quired by slow degrees. She became q
clerk in the china department
A sad experience In her life first brought
her into notice before the members of the
firm. One day she didn't appear at the
usual hour, and note sent by her 20 the
head Of the department said that her
mother had died ana that she was unable to
come SHOWN that day. The floor walker
went TO her home 10 see II he could be OF
any assistance. tie found her in pitiable
plight. The body of her dead mother lay
upon an ordinary pine board supported by
two chairs. The rooms were barely fur
nished. and bespoke abject poverty. The
poor girl and her sister sat weeping beside
the body without a soul to console them.
The visitor found that the girls had en-
ployed heartless undertaken, who, after
taking S3j from them-Rl the money that
they could gather-had demanded that they
pay him SIPS more. He had taken a chat
tel mortgage on all they possessed for that
amount. Even with all this extortion be
had allowed the body TO lie in the shameful
condition described the whole day The
floor walker returned TO the store, and lu-
formed the members of the firm Of what
had happened. The latter promptly sub
scribed the amount necessary 10 conduct
the funeral properly, and. IN addition, fur
nished the girls with such things as were
necessary.
Mamie came back to work after the
funeral, and her whole energies seemed to
be bent on demonstrating her gratitude to
her employers. Abont this time Mamie's
detective talent revealed itself. The first
occasion caused great deal of surprise. a
customer was writing at the desk provided
by the firm, and another woman stood i'm
mediately behind her. Ii happened that
at this time the floor walker came along
and he was much surprised at Mamie's atti-
tude. She stood leaning over q counter
with her eyes cast down and an expression
OF vacuity upon her face. The floor
walker was surprised for he thought that
his model clerk had fallen asleep ia the
middle Of busy day. At first he thought
she might be i'll, but her color belied this.
Ee was about to go and touch her on the
shoulder, when she turned and said in the
quietest manner possible:
THAT woman going out Of the store has
stolen a pocketbook."
The floor walker looked up in anazement
Mamie Indicated the woman who had been
standing behind the one at the writing desk.
The floor walker had noticed them, aud 50
bad a number OF other clerks, but none of
them had seen any thing to warrant Mamie,
accusation.
Are you surer' asked the floor walker
somewhat excited,
The floor walker at once followed the &C
cused woman, and demanded that she re-
turn. The woman was indignant, but she
did as she was told.
"You took this woman's poc1etbook, -
Mamie said to her, looking her straight in
the eye.
ITS lie," said the woman, but the words
had hardly escaped her mouth when a
pocketbook was found at her feet. She had
Of eli 70 flNa b,.f
Mamie's eye. Perhaps the most surprised
woman was the one to whom the pocket
book belonged.
After that Mamie indicated her ability on
various occasions. Her manner of working
was always the same, but it never failed,
The shoplifter was never afraid Of this
strengthening girl, whose face was so ex-
pressionless, who seemed to be constantly
wrapped III dreams and reveriei, but Mamie
was constant surprise to her superiors and
her fellow clerks. Try as they would, they
could never see as much as Mamie did. At
times. when they were on the alert, Mamie
would quietly pick out the very persons
whom they were watching and prove them
to be thieves.
Six months ago the firm decided that
NAMES natural talents must be utilized to
their utmost She was therefore, appointed
assistant TO the regular detective. she had
developed into slender young woman of
medium hight with big grayish blue eyes
and brown red hair, and face capable of
assuming good many different expressions.
When not at work Mamie's face Is intelli-
gent aud full of animation. The moment
she becomes the detective all expression
yanishes, leaving a pale, iRanimate face.
Her face is not pretty at any time, but
when the assumed dizziness of expression
disappears, it is pleasing and attrac i've.
Every morning the young detective is at
work in her old capacity of clerk in the
china department. She is really watching
the bargain counter. where women love to
hnger, and where thieves find their best OBJ
portunities. Afternoons she dons her hat
and jacket and goes with the throng OF
shoppers all over the store. Nobody would
think of noticing this slight, pale-faced cir
IN the big crowd of women, many of whom
are more striking in appearance, but she i.
kept very busy.
The afternoon that the Sun reporter came
10 the store she was in the jewelry depart
ment. She was watching big coarse-look
ing woman who fingered at the bracelet
counter without apparent reason. Mamie
stood at LEAST a dozen feet away, and be-
hind her. She was the picture of cir
waiting for somebody, and decidedly i'm
palent at tbs delay. A stylishly dressed
woman, with diamond earrings, and eact
wrist loaded with bracelets, stepped up be
side the woman Name was Watching Their
followed curious change in NAMES face
ApparentlY she was looking in anothar dirar