St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-27
Female DETECTIVES.
Two Beautiful Girls Who Are
Most Expert at Thief
Catching.
Both Are Modest Ladies De-
spite Their Profess
sion.
They Operate Mostly in a
Great Retail Store Of New
York
The Most Expert Shoplift ers
Unable to Foil Their
q Articles.

from the Gerry society's room when
they are called by tall, blonde young
man. These young women are still in
their early twenties. One is tall, with
deep olive tint in her face, and pair of
the keenest, jolliest, most Oriental
looking eyes that perhaps any Amer
ican-born girl ever possessed. The
other is petite, hazel-eyed, dark-skinned,
wavy-haired, pretty. They are Lena
Vorzermer and Eva Peyser, both as
clever female detectives as the city of
New York has today, says the New
York World.
They are always dressed in quiet,
lady-like way, and come into the court
room wearing modest demeanor
which accords we'll with their gowns.
As a rule, they have little to say, be-
cause a large percentage Of shOpllfters,
the thieves with whom they have to do,
plead guilty. But when an exception
occurs, and they are called upon to
testify, they tell their stories i'll sim
pie, straightforward manner which even
the sarcaSms of the opposing counsel
cannot shake. The opposing counsel,
by the way, is prone to cast shafts OF
wit at them, but these merry qulps the
girls never regard in the least, scarcely
betraying by so much as look that
they have heard them.
Judge Duffy was very fond of Miss
Peyser. to whom he always referred as
'sthe little One," and without whose
presence in court he always refused to
try single case for Special Detective
Charlie Cults, the blonde young man
who works with them. Attendance at
court is an important part OF their regu-
lar round of duties. In fact, it is so I'M
portant that eleven consecutive Sun
days this winter, in addition to the
greater part of many week days, have
been consumed thus. The Gerry So
ciety'S room furnishes welcome re-
treat for the women detectives, who do
not care to sit amid the depraved hab-
tues of Essex Market court when their
presence is not necessary.
When Inspector Byrnes suggested
some years ago to the manager of a
great east side store where ShOpllftlng
was of hourly occurrence. and dis
-covery in that enormous beehive OF
trade next to Impossible, that clever
young women be trained thoroughly to
the business of detecting theft. and al
lowed to pursue their vocation in that
store continuously, it may be that that
self-same manager smiled little in
credulouSly and Thought the scheme
bit impractical, but the inspector was
emphatic in his remarks, and it was de-
cided soon to give the plan trial
Miss Vorzermer and Miss Peyser had
grown up in the service of the house,
having begun when mere children as
"check girls" and been promoted from
counter to counter until they were con-
sidered competent, skilled ''help." All
their lives have been lived practically
in that store. The busy, active scenes
by which they have been surrounded
there since their childhood have been
the only tuition they have ever known,
and in It's way it has been both thor
ough ana comprehensive. Home has
been place to spend short evenings
and Sundays and to sleep, but ''the
store" has been their field OF action
since the days when they were but
mere aproned specks in the great hOri-
ION of commerce which surrounded
them.
The result of this training is that
their wits are sharpened preternatural-
ly, that there is not an inch of the enor-
nous beehive in which they move that
is not familiar to them, that they are
true to their employers interests as he
has been TO theirS-that they are, in
short, reliable and invaluable employees
whom the house which they serve could
i'll afford to lose. 1t is interesting and
encouraging to the cause of working
women to observe the cordial relations
which exist between thess girl detect
ives and the manager who has had
charge of their business careers Sinca
they were children.
"They are as true as steel, the latter
g.. nrfn M
daring or dangerous feat that they
wouldn't undertake for the welfare of
the house. Ineeed we would hardly
think we could do business here with
out the excellent assistance OF Eva and
Lena"
Five wears ago Miss VOrZermer, or
Lena" as she is more Familiarity called
at the store, was taken III hand by Spe-
cial Detective Charles Cults, who was
authorized legally some years before
to arrest shoplifters i'll the vicinity of
the store, and rightly trained in
all the WileS and articles known to
crafty professionals. Miss VorZermer
was taught by means of strong object
lessons, practical illustrations instead
of theories being always advanced for
her instruction. In other words, she
was put directly upon current cases,
anu DG2dll W CdICI
from the hour OF her appointment. In
addition to the training she had re-
ceiyed she speedily originated clever
tricks and DISCUSSES which mad never
been conceived by-her masculine in
structor, and which began forthwith to
bear rich fruit in the peculiar line of
business in which her talents were en-
ployed.
Two years later Eva Peyser was
added to Detective Cuts staff. Miss
Peyser developed talent for the pro-
fession quite as rapidly as Miss VorZer-
mer had done. Both are amazingly
quick, keen and clever, and what is
more remarkable than all, is the fact
that they are warm personal friends,
no ugly jealOusies or animosities hav-
iEg taken root in their hearts. AS for
Mr.. Cults, he says they are the two
clevereSt girls in all the world. The
three work together iii perfect unison.
A more interesting study than that fur
nished by their methods could hardly be
conceived. A reporter saw how they
worked the other day.
When ''tbe little one" as Judge Duffy
called Miss PeySer. was finally pointed
out by small boy to the reporter. after
q long. fruitlesS search from one crowd
ed floor TO another, that diminutive Of
fetal proved as unapproachable as the
great Sphinx herself Her manner was
cold to iciness, and her usually express
sive face was blank.
.'COme, let us take walk" said Miss
Peyser, after the superintendent had
told hee to show how the work was
done, setting her jaunty hat a little
more firmly Oh her head, fastening her
fur collar closely about her throat.
Then she strOled leisurely through the
crowds FROM floor to flc0r, just as many
shoppers 10 who have an abundance of
time to spend, and universal curioS-
Ity to look at goods. The young woman
was glOved neatly aud wore a jacket,
Apparently she had just come in
from the street. When she rot
to the cheap jewelry counter,
where All immense crowd had gath
cred, she pressed her way to the front.
and began u make purchases. making
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