The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-05-09

Three Inc.d5nss From the Life Of a
ski, ! Female Thief

From Gu, source two or three in
cidcnts in tho Efe of professional thief
may be set dawn here. They might he
termed cogffcssios OF shoplifter.
Storessit bothA allegheny and Pittsburg
have suffe0ed b the deprcdations of q
renaarkabls ~ FSAi thief, who is woman.
She pfides nsfssiE on her skill in shop
lifting, and it is FROM her mouth that tho
following narrative Originally camo.
Once she visited sNhrge store in Allie
gheny and asked to be shown some ex-
pensive cloaks. The goods were brought
out, and the stylish looking shopper took
off the jacket she wore and put on a
cloak. She was not entirely satisfied
with it, she said, and the saleswoman
who was waiting upon her went off to
another part Of the store to get some
moro cloaks This was the thief's chance.
She walked away, leaving her jacket as
a token of her regard. On the stairs
the cloak department was on the second
foor--she met one of the owners of the
store.
"IIavc you been waited upon2" he
asked politely.
Eyes. thank you, and I am very we'll
satisfied with this cloak" she replied,
and sailed on. She escaped.
Another tine she visited shoe store
in Pittsburg 1t was no easy matter to
please her the affable young salesman
found. The stock of fine ladies' shoes
was Iansackcdjto suit her taste. 1t was
all in vain, she departed without
buying anything. Undcrher drcsss were
two more shoes than woman can wear,
however.
When she looked at the stolen shoes
after arriving home she found that they
were not mates. She was very much an
noycd; in fact, the discovery took away
her appetite for supper.
The next afternoon found her in the
shoe store again. "'Thc shoes you sold
me the other day." she said to the sales
man, who was not the one who had tried
to suit her fastidious taste the day be-
fore, fare not mates, and will you kind
ly exchange thema'
The store was crowdcd-shoplifters
seldom venture into an empty store-and
the young man hurried off at once with
out further inquiry. In another minute
he returned with pair of shoes properly
mated and gave them to the supposed
customer. She did not. stay to give
thanks for the gift
Once only did her confidence, some
would call it impudence, desert her.
She visited e store one morning with
the intention of appropriatlng some
ostrich plumcs. As usual, she was par
ticular about the quality of the feathers
she would look at none costing less than
&c or 81 apiece. But, although the best
feathers in II y.ore were brought out for
her inspection, She found none that were
long enough, heavy enough, or black
enough to suit her. She apologized
sweetly to the young woman behind the
counter for the trouble she had given her,
and promised to call again when the new
consignment which, Of course, was com
ing next wcck-should arrive.
AS she was leaving the store she be-
came aware that she had dropped some.
thing, and she looked behind her. A
fine ostrich feather lay on the floor; il
had slipped from under the cloak where
the thief had concealed it, or, to be more
precise, it had not gone into the deer
pocket of the cloak specially designed
for its reception.
She hcsitated for second, loath to
lonve ho-.-p-eyer19d' Y;s efraid - stnnr
down and take it. ner assurance wa.
not great enough to carry her through
the second theft, and she left the store.
The feather was not noticed till she had
gopc.-[ Pittsburg Dispatch.