St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-02-06
WOMEN WHO STEAL.
BIG NEW YORK SHOPS ARE THEIR
FAyORITE HAUNTS.
Detectives on Guard-FOur ClaSse
of Female Thieves-How PROBES.
sionai Shoplifters Opcrate-The
Fever of Robbery.

|
sionai Shoplifters Operate-The
Fever of Robbery.
At the holiday season the big bazaurs
become thronged with women. The
dangers of loss through shop-lifting III
crease as Christmas and New Years ap-
roach Thus the proprietors avail
themselves at this season Of every safe
| guard against dangerous c'ass of GUS
toners whose mission is to plumber in
stead OF to purchase.
| 1t does not take many experienced
men to watch a big store. Half dozen
can do it easily. In most instances the
number of bazaar detectives on duty at
one time is much less than the number
stated here. Such a guard goes about
its work noiseess y and unobtrusiveIy.
The men are constantly moving here and
there, quietly watching the great throngs
of customers, bnt doing it in such a
clever fashion as to attract absolutely no
attention. If a woman is seen to nip
something, not word is said while she
is in the store, for that would only result
in creating scene and would tend to
i scare away trade. On the other hand
| she may stay in the bazaar an hour or
more after she has taken the handker-
chief or the cloth, buying here and there,
or pretending to buy-and no one will
say a word to her. But this is merely
| part of the general scheme. Once let
the shoplifter lure herself into the dream
that she is safe, and then let her start to
go away with her booty, and before she
has gone yard from the door she has
been arrested, so quick, so sudden, so
| relentless the vigilance Of the bazaar de-
| tectiyes.
In the big bazaars there are four classes
of women thieves. The newest class,
and in measure the most dangerous, is
represented by the woman who nips pock-
etbooks from dry goods counters. This
is the way she works:
She selects her store-one that she
thinks is ''right,' as the phrase is; that
is, one in which she thinks she can plum
der with a fair chance of getting out
again uncaught-she selects her store
mingles with the crowd, prices this and
that and in the mean time keeps hereyes
on her fellow shoppers. 1t is the custom
OF thousands Of women while buying to
carry their purses in their hand and occa-
| sionally to lay them on the counter while
examining some article they contemplate
purchasing. Here is the opportunity the
pocketbook thief has waited for. No
sooner is the woman's head turned than
the thief brushes past and nips the peck
etbook in twinkling, then disappears in
the big throng. In nine cases out of ten
she is never caught.
Pocketbook thieves in the big bazaars
will soon be thicker and more numerous
than ever before, for they no doubt an
ticipate rich harvest as the grand Holt
day shopping season comes along.
Never leave your pocketbook on a
counter in these big stores, even for
moment. You may regret it if you do
Among shoplifters there is always
large class represented by those poor and
perhaps otherwise honest women who are
sometimes weak enough to yield to the
opportunity to steal. With this class
it is opportunity that makes the thief
Such woman as this may always be
found haunting the big stores She comes
i'll with the best intentions in the world.
She sees her chances. To-day she nips a
handkerchief Tomorrow a feather.
Next day papcr-cutter. She throws re-
greet and conscience to the winds. She is
poor and her children are starving That
will be her Requirement.
The professional shoplifter is, of
course the most dangerous of her class.
Yet i'll the very largest store she is not
IDtl tao FOO hot hn
detectives are supposed to recognize her
on sight and order her away. The pro-
fessional shopIifter usually has the front
OF her dress made in such fashion as to
contain, yet absolutely invisible, great
pocket, often running the entire length
of the skirt and as wide as the dress
goods. She is usually accompanied by
friend, who engages the attention of the
clerk, while the shoplifter seizes her first
opportunity to steal something. In the
case Of dress goods or other bulky ma
terial the scheme of the thief is to first
get the bolt of cloth covered with other
odds and ends lying on the coun-
ter, then suddenly slide it, quick as
lightning. into her yawning pocket.
Dozens of customers will be passing to
and fro, but in ninty-nne cases out of
a hundred no one will observe the thief.
Even if some woman does sec her take
the silk she will never say word. At
least not until she gets home, when she
will tell her friends at dinner But
women invariably leave the concerns Of
other women severely alone. They do
not care to be mixed up in anything that
savors of publicity. Hence the shop
litter must be caught by the bazaar de-
tectives or she will perhaps escape for
good with her plumber. Dangerous
women in the big stores are these: Mrs.
Herman and daughter, Annie Derrigan,
Mamie Burke, alias Big Maria, Mrs.
Pool, Nellie Bird, Nettie Scott, alias
Scotty; Mrs. Hogan, Mag Murphy, a.
thief known as the little Blonde, Rachael
Simmons, Kate Armstrong, Mary Bushy,
Lizzie Milehy. These women are known
to the best detectives in New York, and
are invariably ordered out when they
enter the great shopping resorts.
There is another class of women who
steal from the big bazaars, and these are
generally people high up in life, with
beautiful homes and all this world can
give, in the way Of luxury and station.
Why do such women steal? Scout the
idea of kleptomania. There is another
and more logical reason. 1t is the fact
that they have the fever of robbery in
their blood, and it drags them to the most
pitiful length imaginable A woman who
is caught in the clutches Of such desire
will haunt big bazaar for hours, watch
ing her chance to steal some bit of lace,
feather, OF some skein Of worsted. She
may have $500 in her pocket. Her
jewelry may have cost $1,000, and her