The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-24

HCan tell you some stories about shop
lifters2" nockingly repeated the dapper
little detective of one Of the largest dry
goods stores in New York, when the
writer of the New York World made a
request to that effect. Il can tell you so
many.p he continued, chat it would be
impossible for you to remember half of
them. My experience covers a period of
fifteen years, during which time l have
probably caught 900 shoplifters while in
the act of stealing.
81 will begin by telling you my very
first experience, because | never have for
gotten how frightened | was after | made
the accusation, lest had made mistake.
One of t he regular customers Of the
house was a woman of wealth and posi-
tion-the very last person in the world to
suspect of shopliftlng. One day she en-
tered the store and asked TO see some
brooches. | happened to be standing
near her, and, as the tray on which
the brooches lay was placed upon the
case, noticed a very beautiful design of
a butterfly in diamonds. ] paid very lit
tie attention to the woman then, not look
ing again in her direction for some time.
When l did to my amazement, / missed
the butterfly. The salesman was novice,
and not very attentive for he seemed
totally unconscious that the pin was miss
ing AS soon as the woman left the
counter | asked the clerk what had be-
come of that pin. He looked at me hope
lessly when he discovered it was gone.
saying he did not know. ! hurried after
the woman, accosting her just as she was
about to step into her carriage. Madam,
/ began in a deprecating manner, you
have a pin about you which you have
taken by mistake What do you mean,
sirp she replied, an angry flush mounting
her face. viii you kindly step back into
the storel said quietly. At first She
refused. but eventually, with the air of
an indignant duchess sailed ahead of me,
saying she would report my insOlence to
the firm. began to feel fearful that l
had made a mistake, and during the time
she spent in the managers room 1 re-
turned to the clerk, who after having
made a thorough search for the pin,
which, by the way was worth $500, had
not found it, Armed with this evidence
presented myself at the door of the
managers room The woman had fully
convinced the firm that ] had made mis-
take, and was just about to leave. But at
my persuasiOns they consented to search
her A woman detective who assisted me
was sent to search her.
After what seemed an intermiDable
time to me, my assistant came out of
the private ROOM saying, to my humili-
alton L am afraid you have made an
dWIQl mistake. L nave eAdiHAuGu every
piece of clothing she had on and the
pin is nowhere about her. She is very
angry, and, believe, intends to procure
YOUR discharge Just then the woman
opened the door, and when | saw the eX-
preston of her face / knew that she
meant to be avenged on me. My assistant
was standing beside me. Suddenly
she exclaimed: 4 am very sorry
to trouble you again, madam, but
l neglected to ask you to take down
replying impationtly. / shall submit to
nothing more This answer excited my
suspicious anew, and ! insisted. There
hair was taken down. and in the coils Of
it. we found the butterfly. OF course,
She cried and told the usual story. that
she didn't know what made her take il,
and what disgrace il would be to her
husband. She was never prosecuted, but
went up several pegs in my employers
estimation
After several years with that jewelry
house ! connected my self with the dry
goods house with which l am now, and
here my experiences are more varied.
[ have four assistants. One woman
never leaves the locality Of the trimmed
hat department. There is a new sort OF
shoplifting going on there which ! never
heard Of until within the last few years.
The hat department is so arranged that
If lady does not have the undivided
attention Of a saleswomau she can 20
about the department by herself.
trying on as maay hats as she