The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-30

~oPN'SiA9i Ne.A~ess etc. OF the gay season
in this city. says the New Press. have
the slightest knowledge or suspicion Of one
startling fact-that in the gay throng is. a
young lady, rather good looking and well
dressed. of excellent family and social po-
sition, related to leading families, who is
one Of the invited guests, received and
treated as such, but who is really a paid
shadow. whose business is to watch the
other women, and the men to see that they
do not steal anything from the house or
from the other guests.
1t has been found that women are spec
tally available as shadows. as they are
patient and ingenious and. above all,
women and men generally have not learn
ed to suspect them. Most. too. are born
actresses off the stage, if not on it. and
are adopts at disguise, all of which spec
tally adapts them for shadowing.
A story goes that about twenty years
ago at one of the afternoon receptions
held at the home of Judge Roosevelt, on
Broadway. near Fourteenth street, in the
very midst of brilHant assenrbiage, one
of the ladies present. herself liberal en-
Tel AaAAIAs 1INANAIAAAAAAg saw 0-4t VI NAAb
guests, a well known society girl. who was
engaged to be married to one Of the
wealthiest men in town, take advantage of
the crowd and the consequent confusion
and put some ornaments Of small bulk,
but of great value, into the pockets Of
her dress.
The lady who saw this could scarcely
do. I
at last she had not been a victim Of an
occular deception, she found opportunity
to call the guilty girl aside, and tax her
with the theft. The girl confessed and
returned the stolen articles. She also pro-
fessed penitence. This was not enough.
The woman who had discovered the theft
insisted that the fair thief should at once
and forever abandon all idea of marrying
the man she was engaged 20. He is man
of honor" said the lady TO the thief, and
deserves a woman with unstained honor
for his wife. Besides" she added. "he is
a relative of mine, and do not wish a wo-
man like you in the family" In vain the
repentant sinner pleaded for pardon. FL
nally becoming desperate the young girl
refused positively to break the engage
ment. Then viii tell him what 1 have
SEEN" said the lady. Il viii tell him what
has happened here this afternoon"
U uEf sur LtSts the YOUNG girl turned on
her and defed her to do her worst. Tell
him." she cried, with an almost sublime
confidence in the love she had inspired
tell him If you WILL but he will not be-
lieve you"
The condition was not insisted upon and
the matter was dropped.
The young girl married the man, and is
now a rather old girl, but a very happy
and honored woman, wife and mother. She
probably very willingly forgot this episode
of her youth, but if social traditions tell
the truth this episode was the direct cause
Of the Introduction of the detective into
fashionable society.
The first detectives employed looked
their business, and were regarded as a
class apart by the gay crowd among
which they We're compelled to mingle.
But in course of time the detectives
themselves fell readily into the manners
as well as the dress suits of good society,
and were themselves often taken for the
guests by the guests, which made their
value all the greater, for not being no
ticed they had all the better chance Of
noticing others.
1t is said that the present superintend-
ent of police while a detective was sew
eral times employed to serve as a society
shadow for an evening, or at a fashion
able wedding. Society has been com
PEELED not only to display its wedding
gifts but to guard them against the very
people who are invited to look at them,
or who have themselves contributed to
their number
A formerly well known detective. George
w. Lanthier, has often been sent by
Byrnes since he has become superintend-
ent to protect the Vanderbilts, Astors
and other givers of large entertainments
Lanthier was a very gentlemanly look
ing man, who wore diamonds, and in a
Prince Albert coat with silk facings, the
IaR ia g..
ding generally looked more distingue
than the majority of the invited guests
But still in spite of detectives in ap-
propriate fashionable costumes thefts
at weddings and parties have continued
though in a diminishing ratio and the
want was soon felt for a woman detec-
tive to watch the women. At last a fe-
male detective was tried as an experiment
at a Madison avenue party, but she was
so coarse looking that her appearance
cause unpleasant attention and excited
suspicion, which was a most decidedly
unpleasant feature. The female detec-
tive idea was abandoned until the advent
some years ago of a rather pretty and
we'll connected widow, Mrs. johnson of
Cincinnati.
Mrs. Johnson married a gentleman
whose acquaintance she had made at one
of the parties where she was secretly en- /
ployed as detective, and retired from the
business.
During her career as a detective she is
credited with having done clever bit of
work. An anonymous letter of the foulest
and most slanderous character was re-
ceived by a society lady, recently mar
ried, and dissolute young society man, a
discarded lover, was suspected of having
written the contemplate effusion.
The husband determined to find the au-
thor, if possible, and at his wife's sugges-
ton employed Mrs Johnson. She became
acquainted with the fellow, fascinated
him, opened a correspondence with him.
and caught him She concoeted epistles /
WHICH would require in his answers the |
use of the words in the anonymous letter,
and these, in the mans own handwriting, /
were used as evidence against him.
But Mrs. Johnsons place as a society |
shadow is not vacant. There is at pres !
ent young lady of excellent southern
family, Georgia girl, related to several /
Washington officials, who is filling-and /
more than filling-her place. She often
makes 800 for one evenings work, and (
resides with her mother and two servants /
in swell fiat on West 18th street, near
Riverside park.
She dies her work 4borOrobIv and ran