The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-08-21
CATCHING SHOPLIFTERS.
People Who Are Caught Pilfering from
Large stores.

publication of whose stories would
cause unlimited sensations.
Every day witnesses the detection of
from six to twenty sl~plifters in each
of the large downtown stores and of
those captured but very small per
cent. are professional thieves or charac-
tiers known to the police. OF all the
stores which are so infested, probably
yhe 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 filters that he has formed
thoroughly organized detective force,
and now very rarely loses goods of
value. About a dozen pretty young
ladies constitute the force, and all day
long, fitting from one place to another,
they make the lives of the thieves
burden.
An Evening News reporter recently
spent an afternoon in the managers
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.
IS(lah Shn ,N1aoInI 1aa
the manager showed himself, won't
yer phase to lit me go this tonne? I
swear mister, that | niver intended to
take thot hat. just saw it and TUX
it and thin | was brought here"
''Wen, you know we can't afford to
lose goods like this" said the manager.
'What is your Nance
81 am Mrs -, but for the Lords
sake, sor, don't ye sind me to jail"
The manager delivered himself of
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 a 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
fee, 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 me! Don't! 1t will
kill my family. 1t will kill me. Here
are jewels, mOney-Ill 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. Il
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 | 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 bluff" he remarked. as
the woman departed. Il never arrest
these people. It's too much trouble
But always scare them terribly. Now
that woman is a sample of our shop
filters. They have plenty of money and
all that, but when they see a 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"
Here another person was walked in.
She was pretty, young girl, evidently
poor but respectable, and as She was
led before the manager was crying bit
terly.
Il 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 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 l prom
ise-"
"Wait until get through. You ought
to be punished, but you are young and
have time to change your ways So
you may go this time, but never try
anything of the sort again"
The prospective bride left, and for
two hours stream of detected lifters
flowed into the little office. First re-
spectacle looking woman, a representa-
tive of the working classes Then a
beautiful blonde, who could have paid
for what she had taken with half the
value of one of the rings she wore.
Then factory girl, whose hard hours