The record-union., 1891-07-17

enough to send her to jail? But others
we are not SO lenient with; for instance
the woman who carries her baby on her
LEFT arm and arranges the baby's clothing
in such way as to make huge pocket.
into which she stuffs erything she can
lay her hands on, and then when caught
uses the baby to play upon our sympa-
thleS; or the woman who leads her young
children to the store and makes their
clothes the receptacle of her miscellane-
Gus thefts.'
One of the most successful tricks occa-
slonally resorted to by well-dressed
women is to conceal stolen articles under
their clothes by hitching them under
their garters. They generally wear pretty
stout garters, clasped about the leg below
the knee. A gold chain, pair of sleeve
buttons on card, a silk handkerchief,
length of lace, and, in fact. anything else
that can be securely fastened by being
thrust under tight elastic band, are so
disposed of. The woman, standing at
counter, suddenly becomes nervous, red
dens slightly, looks around to see if any
men are present, then suddenly stoops
down, lifts one foot SO that scarcely an
inch of the stocking shows above the
shoe-top, and goes through the motion of
pulling up her stocking. Everybody ex
cept the experienced detective thinks she
is threatened with one OF those accidents
to which women are subject at times.
The detective recognizes the trick, and
knows very well that she is concealing
some stolen articles under her garter.
Therefore he follows her. Women have
been arrested with all sorts of articles
hung over their garters like clothes On a
line.
An expert trick is that of the ring and
the glove. The shop-liiter carries pair
OF gauntlet gloves in her left hand. They
are so disposed that the wrist opening on
one glove is Tapped open like the mouth
OF small bag, and anything dropped in
Will be caught in the glove. Approach
ing the jewelry counter the fair thief, who
IS generally SO daintily dressed as to
avert suspicion, picks up ring in her
right hand and examines it intently.
Gradually she moves about till she holds
the ring over the opening in the glove
and about a foot above it. When the
salesman turns his head she let's the ring
fall into the opening in the glove, and
goes on examining a second ring, which
she has picked up with the first one, but
has so far kept concealed under her fin
gers. After time she lays this second
ring down with the remark that she does
not like it, and walks away.
Another expert trick is to work a shawl
over whole piece of silk upon a counter
and then pick up both together, throw
them carelessly over the arm, SO that the
piece OF silk is concealed, and go away.
a woman was caught recently doing this
in big East Side store. The piece was
worth 500. In the woman's house $500
worth was found. One of the neatest
tricks worked by professional shop
lifters also depends upon the strength OF
garters In this case also the woman
dresses herself well and carries herself
modestly. She wears her garters above
her knees, and queer garters they are. In
the first place, they are very tight. They
are wide and heavy too. oldest Of all
they have little hooks fastened all around
them. The women with these queer
garters enters the shoe department of a
big store and want pair Of fine shoes.
She sits down and the clerk tries on many
pairs. She is cautious and hard to please.
She doesn't like the fit of one shoe and
objects to the sharp toe of another. The
clerk goes for more.
When she is surrounded by pile of
fine shoes she sends the clerk for still
another pair, and while he has gone
seizes several pairs of shoes and hangs
them on the hooks of her garter by the
strings which couple each pair. When
the clerk returns she does not want what
he brings, and pettishly gets up and
sweeps out of the store. An old trick,
now too we'll known to be practiced
safely, consists in carrying around
ladies' hat-box, half of the cover of which
is hinged so that it can be lifted up and
stolen articles thrust in. a common
trick to-day is to pick up All empty paper
bag, such as is used in the store, and dis
tend it by blowing into it, SO that it has
the appearance of being full. The air is
replaced with spoils at leasure.
The shop-ifter's pocket is we'll
known device. 1t is made of muslin and
was originally so big that, when fastened
under the dress at the waist, it reached
below the waistband, sometimes big
enough TO thrust a baby in. This OPEN
ing is covered from view by flap of the
waist which, however, can be lifted up.
Sometimes these pockets are found with
almost enough merchandise inside TO
start small shop. Large pockets are
seldom used nowadays, because most
stores are so carefully watched that pro-
fessional shoplifters are perforce con-
tented with smaller daily hauls than
formerly. Besides, modern fashions do
not permit of the safe gathering of much
bulk about the person of the shop-lifter.
New York Sun.