The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-12-11
HAWksA Ia! N DRESSES
Female Detectives Of New York
and How They Do Their
Work.
One Of the Sharpest, q Lovely
Blonde. Protects q Fancy
Store
Kittis Parker and Jennie Hughes, with
Pinkerton-NIrs. Mohan, of BOs-
ton-The "Spotter."

Alttlo Parker ana Jennie hughes WIN
Pinkerton-NIrs. Mohan, of Bos-
ton-The ssSpotter.
One of the industries which would seem
to have been designed exclusively for men
and into which few of the gentler seq
would care to intrude is the detection OF
crime. But the sex whose versatility and
love of adventure have led its members to
risk their lives on the battle-fields and the
ocean does not stop at a sentimental trifle;
hence it is not astonishing that there should
be found among the detectives of New York
to-day few bold. adventurous souls who
hide shrewd and daring spirit under femi-
nine earb, writes Caleb Cushman from New
York to the st. Louis Republic.
The female Hawkshaws of the metropolis
are distributed in q variety of fields. Some
are in the custom house, keeping their eyes
open for fair smugglers who bring over
jewels and fnery without the formality of
paying tribute to Uncle Sam. Others are
in various private detective agencies, like
Pinkerton's and Fnller's, and others.
again, are in the great dry goods stores
keeping the valuable stocks from the
depredatory fingers of clever shoplifters. A
few are "semi-detached," and do occasional
jobs for the police, working ct other times
at some regular occupation for livelihood.
The experiences Of these plucky women
would fill volumes; and while they might
not be 30 exciting and SO full of hand-to-
hand encounters with criminals as those of
the male detectives, they would possess q
peculiar interest and would illustrate the
sterner side of feminine nature in way
hitherto unsupported.
One of the smartest women detectives in
town is employed in an extensive dry goods
establishment. She is a blonde of fine
presence and with pair of eyes as sharp as
fash of lightning. She walks about the
store, mingling with the shoppers and max
ing purchases like the rest. When she sus-
poets any one, then her knowledge of hu-
man nature comes into service. Taking up
piece OF dry goods she asks all about it Of
the clerk or saleswoman, and when she
has the latter's attention diverted for
the moment from the suspected shopper, she
turns her own back to her and exclaims:
"Oh. isn't it lovelyv' meanwhile rustling
the goods about all over the counter. This
is the thief's opportunity. A moments
pause and then the detective wheels around,
and clutchinR the suspected shopper by
the arm, asks: "What do you think Of it,
MADAME If the latter has indeed fallen
into the trap she is discovered on the in
then to the station house. If innocent, no
body is hurt and the lady fancies she has
simply encountered rather eccentric shop
per, who is asking foolish questions when
she might decide for herself. Miss
Fleshauer's cases are GENERALLY admitted
by the police to be dead sure" and she
has never made blunder in an arrest.
Conviction is certain to follow, unless the
firm relents and permits the offender to go
with a salutary warning, which is some
times done when the articles stolen are
trivial and it ia first offence.
ployed by the Pinkertons were Kitty Parker
and Jennie Hughes. They assisted in track
ing down some of the most celebrated GRIM
inals, acting in conjunction with male
detectives. One of the girls, from much
running after thieves, became a thief her
ternity, "laid up for repairs otherwise in
prison. Together they captured several
substantial rewards for detective work.
In one of the large dry goods houses there
is very ingenious contrlvance for the de-
teotion of shoplifters. There are no doors
ing room are several reflex mirrors with a
small peep-hole opposite, which may be adj
justed so as to command full view of the
toilet room and its occupants. The female
detective stations herself in this ad Joining
apartment and works the mirrors. When
she sees any woman slowing away articles
under her dress she quietly slips upstairs
and overhauls her as she is about to depart,
concluding the search by turning her over
to an officer. It requires nerve to deal with
women in such cases. Very often they are
caught at their first attempt at peculation,
and their tears and pleadinRs would almost
melt a stone, but the female detective has
nGGIA m4THV md k&nl
she would deal harder with woman than
man would under similar circumstances.
One OF the women who made fine record
as detective is now the chief of detective
agency. She made SO many remarkable
clever hits in the way of recovering dresses
tresses that she was in almost constant de-
mand by the theatrical profession for such
service. Nothing would annoy her more
than to find that she had been used as an
advertisement by some speculative actress.
Its astonishing" she would say, chow Of
ten these people try the same old, thread
bare device. II always fails, for dete ctive
can tell invariably within an hour whether
the case is real one or fabrication
An amateur detective, in patticoats, led q
certain agency q wild and weird dance a
few years ago. A woman, who claimed to
% = detective; called at the agency and
said she had clew to the hiding place Of
the body Of the dead millionaire, A. T.
Stewart. This, if true, was a big piece Of
luck for the agency, for half the clever de-
tectives all over the country had been pug
cling their brains how they might get their
Judge Hilton and Mrs. Stewart. One sui
try August morning found the agency men
in Evergreen cemetery on Long Island, ac-
companied by the feminine Vidocq, and
with long iron rods for probing the soil in
q certain quarter where the body was said
to be newly inferred. The rarty were
watched by half dozen central Office de-
tectives under superintendent. then in
spact0r, Murray. who was prepared to
pounce upon the body it the party
should happen to find it. After con-
Stunning two hours in guessing at the loca-
ton of tho body and in fighting the mos
quitoes, the probe was inserted in a dozen
different places, but no remains were found,
and the party sadly went homeward. hur-
ried by the sallies and laughter Of the Cen
trail Office men. It afterward turned ont
that the amateur detective had dreamed
about the body being placed there and the
wild goose chase was the result.
1t is seldom that the Central Office am
ploys women to track criminals. Occasion
ally they send q female crook on the track
of somebody who is wanted, or to entran
some slippery fellow who had managed to
conceal all evidences of his guilt. but thev
regard the women as unreliable for snch
business. One smart but dangerous female.
whose services have been at different times
sy M OF by the police, is