The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-23
SMASHING 4 WINDOW.

| "Oh, don't take that away yet. There are
| one or two little things 1 may decide to pur-
chase"
Certainly not. Examine them at your
! leisure. James, did Mr.. Jones call for his
watch this mornings"
James hobs up from some other part Of the
store and replies:
Not yet, sir, but am expecting him in
soon"
The jewelry salesman goes to the safe to
secure new tray of pearls for the inspection
of his well dressed female patron, and James
apparently busieS himself with various du-
| ties at another counter. But his keen eyes
| never leave the woman who toys with the
costly trinkets before her, and every move
! ment of her diamond ringed hands is noted
with close and trained scrutiny. The sales
man comes back and remarks:
II think, James, you had better send those
! unset stones over to Mr.. Williams at the
Hoffman. It is not policy to wait any longer,
for he may 90 out this afternoon. Now,
madam, here are some very choice specimens
that l think will suit you"
She doesn't know it, but the woman has
been under surveillance, and the order was
given right before her face by the polite and
smiling attendant who so obsequiously re-
ceived her commands. When the salesman
asked, ''Did Mr.. Jones call for his watch!"
the word watch" was the only one in the
sentence of value or meaning to James Il
was an order from one man to the other to
keep an eve on the customer When the
salesman returned and said, at is not policy
to wait any longer" he intimated to his COM
panion that he could proceed with his other
duties
Probably there is no large jewelry estab-
Hshment in the country where catch words
of this nature are not employed, and where
the visitor IS not the object of close observa-
ton from the moment he enters until he de-
parts. The scrutiny is not in the remOtest
degree impertment or apparent; it is simply
one of the safeguards by which the dealer in
precious stones and metals lessons his chances
of being robbed.
Yet, despite every precaution, it is ex-
tremely infrequent for a jewelry merchant
to go through a twelvemOnth without Sus-
tanning losses, petty in many cases, extremely
great in others. A trusted employe NAV
prove dishonest, credit may be given to ire
sponsible parties, goods ordered sent to some
address may be paid for with bogus check,
or the messenger may be robbed. The lavish
window display is q necessity of the business,
yet it involves one Of its chief dangers, for
nothing can tempt a desperate, needy and
daring rogue more than an array of glitter
ing gold and shining gems. 1t takes such a
person the briefest possible time 10 pick up
stone, smash the glass, seize handful of val
uables and make off, fighting his way through
the astonished and unready throng OF pedes-
TRANS to the freedom and safety of a hiding
place in some obscure quarter of the city.
Or he may prefer the safer method of enter
ing a shop at dusk, throwing pepper in the
saleSman's eyes, and escaping ere the pain
maddened clerk can tell those who come TO
his assistance what has happened.
1nrecent years, however, tnievish ingenuity
seems to have triumpEed more through
schemes involving mental skill than brute
force. II is not 50 very long ago that com
mercial London went wild over Interpretations
of a daring gang, all the members of which
eluded capture, after realizing huge profits
from their transactions. The principal in
the various affairs was a handsome young
woman, elegantly dressed. She would, enter