St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-05-08
They Prevent Thieves From
Stealing Goods From
Trucks at Stores.
They Are Useful Shadows, but
Their Work Is Quite Dis
agreeable.
Singular Methods by Which
Adroit Dealers Secure
Customers.


largest wholesale dry goods houses in
this city had occasion to refer casually
to the various classes of men whom his
firm found it necessary to employ, says
the Chicago Herald. After citing sales
men, various kinds of clerks, credit
man, cashier, bookkeepers, ETC., the
head of the firm added, land shipping
| detectives"
And what?' asked the attorney, as
though he had misunderstood the term.
shipping detectives" replied the
client.
'Well, that's new one on mew 1t
was also new to the Herald representa-
tive, who was all attention.
There's nothing strange about that"
said the wholesaler, 'for the shipping
detective is quite new thing. Few
houses-only the larger ones-have
cause to employ them, and the house
that does usually keeps the matter as
much of secret as the condition OF its
bank account"
"What are his duties?"
principally to shadow consignments
of goods from the time they leave the
store until they reach the freight depot
and the railway company becomes re-
spOnsible for them by accepting and re-
ceipting for them"
"A sort of watchdog on the team
ster?''
Small Packages in Danger.
"Only in part. You see we ship a
great many small boxes which frequent
ly contain hundreds of dollars worth of
goods, such as fine silks, satins, rich
trimmings, etc. Often the wagon on
which these boxes leave the store passes
through alleys or narrow and unfre-
quented side streets. | need not remind
you that there are scores of very bold,
deXteIous thieves in Chicago. as well as
other big cities, who are constantly on
the lookout for opportunities to nip any
thing whatever that can be turned into
money. Many expensive experiences
with these people have demonstrated
that they keep themselves remarkably
well informed as to the more valuable
shipments made by wholesale houses.
In former years it was an almost
daily occurrence for wholesale
houSes-particularly those in our line
| to have small boxes of fine goods boldly
taken from the wagons in broad day
light, while going the comparative
small distance necessary to be covered
few years ago our firm had three such
boxes stolen at clip from one of the
wagons at 2 o'clock i'll the afternoon,
while they were being carted less
than four squares. By descrip-
tion which was furnished of the
thieves by a boot5lack we caught
one of the three bold laddieS, and sent
him over the road, but we never re-
covered the goods, which were valued
at over $1,000. This was but one of
several such losses. Now we have men
who do little else than keep their eyes
| on goods from the moment they are
placed on transfer wagons until they are
! safe within the responsibility of the
railroad company. And frequently it
keeps them lodging very lively, for
they, of course, follow the wagons afoot.
going along the sidewalk, and keeping
a sufficient distance in the rear so as not
| to attract attention.
Trying TO Steal Customers.
"Another duty of the shipping de-
| tective-fOr whom some houses have a
| different name-iS to prevent, as far as
| possible, the theft of consignment ad-
| dresses. There are firms doing business
| i'll this and, L suppose, other cities, who
| employ men to lie in wait at various
| times and places and copy the adj
dresses on boxes of goods which other
| firms are sending ont. The object is
| plain-namely, to have their salesmen
| call on the parties later on and try to
| get their trade. The shipping detectives
employed by US have caught several
such sneakS, but notwithstanding they
are guilty of plain, unvarnishing thiev-
| ing, yet all we can possibly hope to do
| in the matter is to drive them away, or,
when we catch them at it. give them
| sound baStng.
"Of course they will never reveal the
name of the firm they are stealing the
addresses for, and this makes it impos-
sible for the reputable houses to pub
licly expose their deSpicabe masters.
Such hirelings are usually blacklisted
| clerks from other cities, and they hold
their dishOnOrable jobs but short
time. ANY one noticing the loads of
| boxed goods that are to be seen upon the
| principal downtown streets at any hour
of the day will observe that as rule the
addresses are not exposed. If they are.
| the boxes in all probability represent
| imports instead of exports. A strict fol-
lowing of this rule regarding the plac-
ing of boxes on wagons is enforced by
nearly all the houses and goes far toward
| guarding against the class of thieves
last mentioned"