Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-03-28
SECRET SHOPPERS.
Society Women Who Have e
 Mania for Stealing.
A Detectives Account of the Strange Do- Angs of High-Toned People of Means The Real KIeptOmanIao Is
 Rare Article.

Rare Article.
 Society women steal as many dol lars worth of goods in year as do the professional shoplifters."
 This startling and almost incredible statement was made to New York Journal reporter recently by the head detective of one of the big uptown dry goods emporiums.
 Its true, however," the detective went on, but the public seldom hears of these cases, because they are usually hushed up by the women's rich rela- tives."
 Even when suspected of an intention to steal, 1t was exceedingly difficult to keep them under surveillance, the de- tective said, for the reason that they are liable to complain to the firm that they are being watched, and flounce out of the store with great show of vir- tuous indignation.
 Just the same," he said, "the mer- chant don't care to lose good customer because she happens to pick up an odd handkerchief or some other trifle now and then"
 "Then you do not always arrest wom- en who steal the firms goods?"
 By no means. If we did we would have to hire a lawyer by the year to prosecute cases of petty larceny alone" the de tective answered.
 "How do the merchants reimburse themselves, then?" was asked.
 That is little secret of the trade, but I'll explain. We will say, for in stance, that certain woman whom l have in mind-she is the wife of one of the most prominent railroad men in the east-comes in here, as she does, about once week and lays out fifty or one hundred dollars in goods of one kind and another.
 "While she is moving about the store some little trife will catch her eye-a Japanese pin tray or cheap imitation pin in some new design, worth, we will say, fifty cents at the utmost. This she will slap into her huff or conceal in some other way, confident that her pill fering has not been seen.
 'In the course of mornings shop ping the amateur shoplifter may pick up two or three such inexpensive articles, and our custom IS merely to charge them in the bill. The clerks all know these people, the regular ones, that Is to say, and, while seemingly oh=. livious of their little tricks, they make memorandum of each item and it is added to the customers regular month ly account Nine times in ten we never hear anything further about 1t, and the bill is paid without question. ''Once in awhile, however, one of these high-toned shoplifters will try a bluff game and report to the cashier that they have been charged for goods they never bought, but a few words | from me of reminder as to when and where and how the articles were ob- tained always brings forth profuse apology and prompt check. ''In twelve years experience in the business of watching crooks, have | never run across but one bona fide klep- | tomaniac," said the detective. "Her husband was a man of means, and his business reputation of the best, and his wife's unfortunate malady was the one | sorrow of his life.
 'I caught her dead to rights one day some two years ago." the detective went on, land as she had gathered in quite n number of small valuables, I asked her into the ladies' dressing-room upstairs and had her searched by one of my female assistants.
 "Thc poor woman seemed utterly overcome at the thought of the pub Hlity that might be given the matter" |" he said, but, strange to say, she ap- pcared entirely unconscious of having done anything really wrong in taking things that did not belong to her.
 Well, we always make these people pay spot cash for all the goods they I ct xxyIn ch hol hon the money asked me if she could go.
 q told her that if she would give me her name and address I would allow her to depart. She begged pretty hard at first, but at last she handed me her card.
 "The next morning I called on her husband and told him all about the case. He was indignant for awhile, but I at last convinced him that his wife really was the victim of an uncon. trollable desire to steal.
 "Then unfolded my scheme. told him to quietly inform his wife that he desired her to confine her purchases tc certain stores in the future, a list oi which he should give her, with the warning that he would only pay bills coming from those firms. Then he was to go to the head detective in each o1 these stores and tell him the situation and ask him to charge up all articles his wife might steal in the future"
 "How did your scheme turn out2" the detective was asked.
 "All right, I suppose" he said; ''l watch the newspapers pretty closely and have not seen our friends name in print since, except among the list ot guests at some of the swell receptions.
 Picturesque TOwa.
 Few towns in this country are more picturcsqucly or pcrilously situated