The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-08-22
CATCHING sAoPLlrrsRs.
People who Are Caught PllferlnR from
Large stores.


Tho shoplifter is commonly supposed
to be n degraded woman-oue who,
having lost respect for herself has fal-
len to the level of professional thief.
There are such. but the majority OF
those who infest the great retail houses
OF Chicago are women who occupy re-
spectacle positions in society and the
publication of whose stories would
cause unlimited sensations
Every day witnesses the detection OF
from six to twenty shoplifters in each
of the large downtown stores, and OF
those captured but very small per
cent. are professional thieves or charac-
ters known to the police. OF all the
stores which are so infested, probably
the big establishments on State street
suffer the most. Great crowds always
throng these places, and among them
there are always found those who can
not resist the temptation to steal. In
certain establishments the detections
average twenty day, and sometimes
will even run much higher than that
figure.
The manager of the establishment
referred to has had SO sad an experience
with the lifters that he has formed
thoroughly organized detective force,
and now very rarely loses goods of
value. About dozen pretty young
ladies constitute the force, and all day
long, fitting from one place to another,
they make the lives of the thieves a
burden.
An Evening News reporter recently
ofI
Office watching the stream of shoplifters
that drifted in. First, in the tow of
one of the female detectives came
stout Irish woman, respectfully dressed,
apparently the wife of some well-to-do
stone contractor.
"Och, sor," she pleaded, the moment
the manager showed himself, won't
yer plase to lit me go this tonne? 1
swear, mister, that l niver intended to
take thot hat. just saw it and l TUX
it and thin / was brought here"
"Well, you know we can't afford to
lose goods like this, >" said the manager.
"What is your name?"
~ am Mrs --, but for the Lords S
sake, sor, don't ye sind me to jail"
The manager delivered himself of u
lecture on the good policy of honesty,
and the woman was released, with the
warning not to attempt to repeat her
operation.
Ten minutes, perhaps, elapsed, and
another prisoner was brought in. She
was middle-aged lady, her hair just
touched with silver and her bearing of
that character which commands respect.
| Her attire was costly and in good taste,
and as she was led into the private of
flee, she threw up her hands and sunk
fainting upon divan.
water. She'll come around all
right" said the manager coolly
The woman revived, started to her
feet and exclaimed:
80, don't expose mel DON'T 1t will
kill my family. 1t will kill me. Here
are jewels, money-I'll send you all you
want. Only don't have me arrested"
MADAME" said the manager, stern
ly, 'you are only one of the hundreds
who rob us of our goods. You have no
more claim on our consideration than
the poor, common thief who wanders
among our counters to steal. You have
taken goods of considerable value and
you deserve punishment"
80, for Gods sake. DON'T" And the
woman wrung her hands in agony. 81
will pay for the goods ten times-a hun
dred times-only let me go! l don't
know why l took them. See, have
money. But there the goods lay, with
no one looking, and 1 just picked them
up. That is all You can't, sir, be so
cruel as to blast my life and that of my
husband and children. Let me go and
I'll never return. | swear it."
"All right. You may go this time,
but don't let this thing be repeated
That's just a bluff" he remarked, as
the woman departed. 81 never arrest
these people. It's too much trouble
But always scare them terribly. Now
that woman is sample of our shop
lifters. They have plenty of money and
all that but when they see chance to
get something for nothing they can't
resist. Many a woman goes from the
Office, after having been detected steal
ing, and takes her private carriage at
the door, We don't have many pro-
fessionals here. There is one class
Of"
She was pretty, young girl, evidently
poor but respectable, and as she was
led before the manager was crying bit
terly.
81 didn't go to take it, sir. Indeed
didn't But liam going to be mar
ried next week and / saw these things
and they were so pretty, but didn't
have enough to buy them And then
no one was looking, so l just took them.
I'll go get money and pay for them, but
don't expose me, sir, oh, don't"
'Young woman, if every girl who
gets married were to come in here and
steal goods how much of stock would
we have left? You have no more right
to those things than any other girl in
the city. You ought to be punished"
80, don't mister, don't! prom
ise-"
swat until get through. You ought
to be punished, but you are young anC
have time to change your ways. 81
you may go this time, but never try
anything of the sort again.
The prospective bride left, and fol
two hours stream of detected lifter
flowed into the little Office. First re
spectacle looking woman, a representa-
tive of the working classes. Then
beautiful blonde, who could have pait
for what she had taken with half tn,
value of one of the rings she wore
Then factory girl whose hard hour