The record-union., 1895-03-30
SHOPLIF9ING BY THE WHOLESALE.
Several of the Leading Stores in the
City PIundered.
How Two Married Women Operated
a Wagon-Load of Stolen
Goods Recovered.

A decided sensation was created yester-
day by the arrest of Mrs. j. f. Palmer
and Mrs. II. Bidwell for ''shoplifting."
During the past few months Mrs. M.
M. Parkinson, proprietor of millinery
store at GIL ] street, had complained to
the police that various articles had been
stolen from her at different times since
last fall, and gave descriptions thereofin
the hope that the officers might discover
them.
On Thursday night, so Mrs. Parkinson
says, Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. BidwelI
called at the store late in the evening,
after it had been closed for the night and
all the lights eXtinguished except one in
rear room. Miss Parkinson was at the
theater, and only Mrs. Parkinson and
Miss Lizzie Dawson were in. After the
callers had ratified at the front door for
some time Miss Dawson went and opened
1t. They said they had come for hat
they had left to be trimmed. and it was
placed in large paper bag for them. The
bill was fifty cents.
One of the women handed Miss Daw-
son dollar-piece, and she went to the
rear room to get the change. Mrs. Parkin-
son sat on lounge in another room that
opened off the salesroom, near the door
OF which stood table on which were
displayed number of novelties in head
gear. Mrs. Parkinson was not seen by
the women, but as soon as they had gone
she declared to Miss Dawson that she
heard hat dropped into the bag con-
tanning the one for which the women had
called. An investigation showed that a
choice little one was gone from it's accus-
toned place on the table, as Mrs. Parkin-
son had suspected.
The police were notified, but they in
formed Mrs. Parkinson that nothing
could be done until the next morning,
when a search-warrant could be pro-
cured and the rooms of the Bidwells and
Palmers be searched. This course was
pursued, and yesterday forenoon Miss
Dawson and Mrs. Nichols accompanied
Officers McManus and Hayes to the rooms
of Mr.. and Mrs. BidWell, at 6l0L I street
w hlle the place was being searched Mr..
and Mrs. Bidwell entered and demanded
to know what 1t all meant When the
officers explained their business and re-
Veaed a trunk filled with costly milli-
merry and other goods, Mrs. Bidwell de-
Clared she had bought and paid for them
The search went on Just the same
however, and after it had been concluded
the searchers went TO the room of the
PalmerS, where another bonanza was nm
earthed. There was trunk in the room
which the officers thought they had no
right to unlock, but Miss Parkinson
who had arrived in the meantime-de-
manded that it be opened. On eXamina-
ton 1t was found that the trunk was not
locked, and when the lid was raised
there was revealed a wealth of millinery,
silks, gloves, sllverware, shoes, ana
goods OF various descriptions, all of the
most costly kind.
Miss Parkinson thought the search of
the room had not been thorough enough.
and her wOmanly curiosity prompted her
4 IA bod
found two costly hats, in boxes, slowed
away between the mattress springs
They proved to have been taken from
Mrs. Peslor's store.
The value Of the goods recovered is es-
tulat u 1T about 81 900, but much OF the
stuff known to have been taken has not
been found as yet For instance, the
little French hat which Mrs. Parkinson
missed on Thursday night has not been
recovered, and she says she has not
1ounu. any OF the complete hats she had
missed, but had identified some that she
did not know had been taken. r, d,
Davis Of Nasserman, Davis IL Co. said a
SILK dress, one OF the articles recovered.
was stolen from their store year ago.
Indeed, 1t Is going to be a hard matter
Tor the mIlhners to identify their individ-
uaI gOous. Hat frames taken from one
store were trimmed at other stores, and
feathers, ribbons, ETC., stolen from Mrs.
Pealer's would be taken to Miss SuIIi-
vans or Mrs Parkinson's to be placed on
hats purchased for the purpose. This
frequent purchase Of untrimmed hats in
one store and having them finished in
another with trimmings taken from still
another store, afforded excellent oppor-
tunltles Tor carrying on the work, es-
peclally as the stores were usually visited
after business hours and when the lights
were mostly eNuEguished.
OF the articles recovered some ware
identified as belonging to Mrs. Pealer.
some to Mrs. Parkinson, some to Miss
Sullivan and others to Weinstock, Lubin
~ Co., Hale Bros. * Co., Gus Lavenson.
Nolan 4 Sons, Wasserman, Davis Il Co.,
ben Wilson,, crystal Palace Crockery
Company, Farmers and Mechanics;
Store and Mrs. ). hatzenstein. There
were enough millinery goods, silks.
satins, gloves, shoes, silk hosiery, laces,
ilnen goods, ribbons, silverware and
other articles to stock a good-siZed store
Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. BidwelI were
arrested and charged with petit larceny.
Mrs. Parkinson and +. :. EIkus have
sworn TO complaints against Mrs. Bid
well, and Mrs. Pealer, L. ). Elkus and
b. Wilson have sworn to complaints
against Mrs. Palmer.
The plumber was taken to the police
station, where 1t was spread out in the
Receiving Hospital and made a brilliant
display. There are, however, quite p
number of articles that have been missed
OF late by the prOprIetoTs of the stores
named which are not among the stuff re-
covered yesterday.
The accused women were greatly api-
tated when arrested and confronted by
their victims. They made the best of the
situation, however, by declaring that the
goods had been purchased by them, and
denied having resorted to the methods of
shopliiters
They were released on bail, their bonds
being liked from 500 all the way up to
500.
HALF dozen bullet-proOf coats have
been Invented. None of them is a safe
guard against Indigestion. 4 sure pre-