Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-08-07

many thousand dollars worth OF arti-
cles were stolen by this means before
an arrest WINS made. The first capture
was caused by a. salesgirl at q laco
counter in Twenty-third street store.
She had not seen the shoplifter put
anything In the bandbox, but had been
attracted by the singular manner In
which the cover was closed--apparent-
ly Of itself. She notified a foorwalker
The woman was called into a privats
room, accused and searched, and in tho
bandbox were articles enough to start
a miniature country fancy goods store.
Among other things she had thirteen
scarfs, an inkstand, a cigar holder and
a dice box, stolen from different stores
which showed that her tastes ex-
tended over wide field.
Well, the bandbox has had brilliant
but comparatively brief career, and
few arrests were caused by its use, but
those that were made occurred within
a few days, and the workers of the con"
trivance saw that the game was up and
gave up the ghost. There is no record
of any having been used recently,
This was in time succeeded by q
simpler trick, one that has long been
worked with success, because it creates
no suspicion. 1t is the satchel game.
Although store detectives say 1t is com.
paratively dormant just now, 1t was ex-
tensively worked during the holidays.
These are used for stealing pocket
books as we'll as goods.
They are, In appearance, like ordi-
nary hand satchels, but they open and
close by means of spring. The
thief's right hand presses button, and
the left, which is always ungloved, does
the rest. 1t is by this means that
pocketbooks are oftenest stolen in
crowded dry goods stores, and this has
served to make trouble for many sales
girls,
The pickpocket (for such he or shs
is) generally works with confederate.
She first espies woman with pockets
book in her hand-and they are legion.
She will follow that woman in the gen,
orally gratifed expectation that she
will ere long deposit it on the counter
where she stops to examine goods.
The thief will crowd near and snatch
the pocketbook In twinkling at the
first opportunity and pass it to the con-
federate, who disappears and has not
been noticed near, The real thief can
remain beside the victim with safety,
as, should she be arrested, nothing can
be found on her.
AS the best inventions are generally
the simplest so are the latest and most
successful methods of shoplifting.
These are three. One is done by means
of the cloak known as the connemara.
This is made somewhat like circular
1t is long, loose cloak, covering even
the hands 1t enables the thief not only
to steal with greater degree of safety
but also to conceal her booty.
All she has to do is to get near a
crowded counter, throw the edge of her
cloak partly over the article which she
covets, slip her hand underneath the
cloak, take the article, step back and
hold it in her hand. Unless she is
caught In the act she cannot be arrested
or even suspected.
Another Is still simpler. The thief
lays her handkerchief carelessly on
some small article she wants to steal,
feigns desire to buy something else,
is not suited, and while the saleslady
replaces the goods on the shelf the thief
picks up her booty with her handker.
chief If she should happen to be caught
she naturally claims that she did not
know that she had the stolen article in
her possession.
The third one is worked by means OF
handbag containing twine and wrap
ping paper. This bag is carried in the
left hand and filed with whatever
goods the shoplifter can secure; then
she will go into the toilet room or some
side street, take out the goods, paper
and twine, wrap them up in neat par.
eel ami try again or go away unmo.
Tested.
But perhaps the cleverest of the shop
lifters' tricks is the "pennyweighter'
game. 1t is known to but few and
practised by still smaller number, for
it is diacult one. 1t has been most
successfully worked by pretty little
blonde, with baby face, blue eyes,
curly hair and the general appearance
of a bewitching soubrette. Her profes
sional name is Little Scotty." She
came to grief in Boston and was given
three years.
Her mode of working is to go to q
jewelry store and ask to be showr
loose diamonds on tray. She pre-
tends to be very shortsighted and bends
over and very close to the tray, exam.
lining the diamonds through an eye
glass. She exposes her left hand so as
not to be suspected, and at a propitious
moment drops n one-carat diamond into
the tray, and with her tongue, on the
point of which she has pulverized alum
she licks up two-carat diamond. She
cannot find the exact counterpart OF
the one she wants to match (which she
has not with her) and goes into another
store where she exchanges her two
carat diamond in similar manner fol
a three-ca and so on ad infinitum.
When she was caught she had started
with a one-carat diamond and haC
reached six and half carats, making
three or four hundred dollars in few
hours.
Store detectives say that there are
comparatively few professional shop
lifters in the city now, and once they
are caught they disappear-as soon al
the law permits-and never return
They go to other cities. They say thai
supposedly respectable women now
give them more trouble than thieves.
found out, to my astonishment, tha
there are comparatively few of oul
large stores who employ detectives, the