The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-04
THEY SPOT THIEVES
Keen-Eyed Sleuths Who Watch
In Dry Goods Stores.
Constantly on the Alert for Pnferins
Customers-Some Experiences with
Captured CuIprits OF Their
Own Sex.

''Go after her! She's got stuff! Go
after her!" whispered the saleswoman,
excitedly.
The girl detective took the alarm and
hurried to overtake a handsomely
dressed young woman who was just
leaving the store. When she reached
her side, however, instead of sternly
demanding the stolen goods the detec-
tive, like the detected, went into spasms
OF laughter.
''It's too ridiculous" said the sup
posed thief. Il looked right at Miss B.,
spoke purposely to woman next to
me that she might hear, and she never
knew me at ali. Now, I'm certain that
No. GO won't recognize me either when
she comes in and III be able to catch
her at some Of her tricks"
1--WE have to resort to all sorts Of dis
guises TO get even with the shoplifters, -
the other girl detective said to the New
York Sun reporter. They get SO that
they know US ard are careful to be on
their good behavior when we're around,
50 we change our dresses, hats and
coats and the way we fix our hair in
order to fool them. Often we stand
right close to them in the crowd and
they don't recognize US"
I'VE are always dressed as II we had
just come in from the street." said her
companion, land no one ever takes US
TO be connected with the store at all.
fixed myself up as an old woman once,
with spectacles, grizzly hair, a scoop
bonnet and an old shawl and hobbled
women whom we suspected of taking
things, but whom we had no real evil
dence against. Sure enough they
took the things to a certain fence in
Ludlow street, which some time after
the police raided Several articles be-
longing to the stock here were found
among the stolen goods that they
hadn't been able to sell.
We're instructed to be very particu-
lar about making arrests" she went on.
The superintendent says he would
rather have a hundred guilty persons
go unpublished than have one innocent
person accused; besides. il falsely ac-
cused, the parties could sue the house
for heavy damages. We never accuse
anyone, no matter how much we may
suspect, until we actually see some
thing stolen I've been a detective in
this store nearly ten years and I've got
80 l can tell a shoplifter almost at first
glance. l judge from the uneasy way
they roll their eyes around, from the
motion of their fingers and the way
they move their hands. They assume
various DISCUSSES. Nearly all the pro-
fessionals that we arrest have pawn
tickets somewhere about them and
they try to get rid of these in all sorts
Of ways SO that we won't get hold Of
them. One girl chewed up a pawn
ticket and swallowed it and was chew
ing up another when we found out
what she was up to. Another girl had
two rings in her mouth which she had
taken from the jewelry counter.
There are lots of people who take
things without good excuse-women
and men who want 70 dress up to the
mark and haven't got the money TO
reach it. Two girls were caught here
not long ago Just loaded up with rib
bons and lace, fancy pins, buckles.
gloves and such things The way il
which they had slowed away stuff in
their stockings and various other hid
ang places was caution. Among the |
odd articles found in the stocking of
one girl was bottle of whisky. 1t was |
crammed in and then tied tight to keep |
1t from slipping. A bottle of cologne /
was fixed in the same way. These girls |
said they had stolen ribbon before and |
promised that IL we would let them of /
they would tell us of companions of .
theirs who they knew did the same |
thing. They said thas they belonged |
TO respectable people. | went 20 the !
address they gave a few days later and
found that the family was respecta BILE"