The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-06-01
SHOPLIFTING BY
SOME WOMEN.
Why They Do 1t, How They Do
1t, How They Are Caught.
An Interview With the Proprietor Of a stors
Who Had Heard of the Umbrella and
Parssol Dodge-Neatly Caught.
Written for THE SUNDAY CALL.


IAN the latter part of March the tele-
S graphic dispatches bore the following
1I news to our country: Americans in
Rome are wild over an outrageous incl
dent" and then followed the details Of how
the wife of wealthy Ca lifornian, accom-
panied by her daughter and two friends,
went into store to examine some coral and
she'll ornaments. were accused by the pro-
prietor of stealing some articles, arrested
and marched through the streets to prison,
from which they were extricated by the
American Consul How unpleasant such
an experience must have been needs no
stretch of the imagina Uon to appreciate.
The writer was discussing this episode
with lady whose life has been spent in an
endeavor to help her own sex to realize the
distinctions between right and wrong,
whose labors have been blessed with some
success, for she has directed her work
through the channels of leading benevolent
and charitable institutions. This is what
she said:
I'm this case the parties were unjustly ac-
cused, but the fact is that the public do not
hear of one-half, nor of one-tenth, of all the
attempts at shopliftng which is carried on,
anu, W tuC VI Ivy SEX DC IL Sdlu, ny
some women.
TEMPTED.
81 cannot say why it is that women are
so strongly tempted to be kleptomaniacs.
1t would furnish a fine study for moralist
and psychologist to discover just why
women who have no need to steal are so
prone to appropriate what is not their own.
And at the same time it might be worth
bi1a IN tba e,hi cf
which, as we all know, is carried on most
recklessly by women; the two are much
akin and show certain lack of moral
sense. | do not pretend to be moral
casuist, but it does seem to me that the de-
vices that many women, even rich women,
have to resort to, in order to get any money
from their husbands and the little decep-
tons which so many of them practice
rather than have their husbands know the
extent OF their wasteful purchases may be
in measure accountable for the dulling of
the moral sense which can make smuggling
or sh0plifting possible.
" The merchant who consents to alter the
items OF his bill, so as to suit the husbands
ideas of what is right and who does it at the
wife's solicitation, need not, it seems to me,
be surprised when that woman in turning
to so out OF the store helps herself to what
does not belong to her. l can remember in
all the readers which it was my good fortune
to peruse when was child; that 1t was
held crime to pluck rose that hung over
fence into the road, or to pluck ripe
peach when 1t hung temptingly in reach.
1t seems to me, however, that the 1ounda-
ton for the shopliftiDg habit lies farther
back than that. 1t begins in the disregard
that some have for each others things.
Small children borrow pencils and rubbers
and do not return them, others get in the
habit OF wearing each others clothes with
out SO much as by your leave.
THEY HELP THEMSELVES.
I" AS they grow older they help them
selves to the fruit or the candy in the stores
where they buy. A certain man in this city
told me that some of his customers ate more
of delicacies than they bought, that they
would purchase a head or two of lettuce or
pound of spinach and eat more than %
cents worth OF choice, rare fruit.
"W hateyer may be the cause it is certain
that many women cannot resist the temp
tau0n there are so many articles spread
out and the clerk surely would not miss
one, so it is taken, and they are caught
Those are some OF the conclusions |
have reached said the benevolent lady,
land now If you wish TO find out anything
more definite why don't you go to some of
our leading merchants and ask them about
it?"
THAT might be good idea," said the
writer, and bidding his hostess good-day
was soon upon his way downtown. The
first store he entered was that of a leading
jeweler.
NO." said the proprietor with smile,
as he slowly shook his head, 81 don't
think that there's much of it in San Fran
cisco, at least not so much In my business.
In the first place we have only the best
class Of customers. But 1t Is not so much
that fact as it is that we never trust toe
much to anybody. You see that jeweler
must have his eye so trained that he can
carry the whole contents of his tray at a
glance. He must always keep his trays
full, TOO, and that helps. and moreover
he must never allow more than two or
three articles to leave his hands at the same
time. In that way he can keep track of
them. But still with all that precaution it
will happen that q clever brace Of swipdleIs
will do him. You see they always work
in pairs, and one engages the attention of
the salesman while the other makes off
with the booty.
TIE UMBRELLA DODGE.
1--WE often heard of the umbrella OF
paraSOl dodge, where goods are dropped
into the folds of the uneaught umbrella,
but have never seen it tried. About the
best dodge, and in fact may say the only
one that was ever tried on Inc was this. A
pair of diamond earrings was missed and
by careful inquiry among all the clerks |
found that it, the tray, had not been dis
played for two days. Suddenly it flashed
across me that / myself had shown these
goods to two young women two days be-
fore. l remembered how they had hesitated
over another pair and thought that perhaps
their father would buy it, and they left,
promising to bring him in. | forgot ali
about them until the soitaires were missed.
Then | undertook little detective work on
my own account and regained the da-
monds. No-1 am not going to tell you the
details, only l will say this, that the
woman herself told me how she had
dropped her handkerchief over the tray and
To- had I'D ~
diamonds under my very eyes. l tell you it
makes man feel cheap when he sees how
easily he can get fooled"
The writer next visited a milliner
"Well. l cannot say that | ever missed
things" said she, "although when the
customers who had the gall to bring
scissors in their bags and snip off pieces Of
the bonnet strings as they hung there from
the stands, and more than once we found
big gouge from choice bit of silk that had
been hanging out of drawer. And l
have a friend who is dressmaker, and she
told me that ladies had no hesitancy in
taking away pieces of rich material. But
let me tell you what did happen TO me once
1t was on an opening day, when the store
was full and the attention of the young
ladies was rapidly called from one to an
other of our customers. A young girl came
in and tried on several bonnets, that's the
rule you know on opening day. When we
came to put away our things at night, 10
and behold, one of our choicest 'bonnets
was gone, and in its place remained the
last seasons hat that one of our young
ladies remembered seeing on some one that
morning. Well, | can tell you we were in
dignant, and yet | could not blame any one.
THE SEQUEL.
But think that the sequel was the fun
niest part of the affair. Three DAYS after
ward one of MY salesladies rushed out and
fairly dragged In girl who was looking
she actually had on the bonnet that she had
stolen aud walked off with the day wo
missed it. She did not attempt to deny it,
but as l didn't care to prosecute l let her
go. 1t would never do for store to
notoriety, and the accused is generally left
off scot Free"
So For my part said dry-goods man, 81
wish that could believe that shoplifting