The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1895-11-23
WOMEN DETECTIVES.
~ IS SAID THEY sURPAss MEN IN
CATCHING sHoPLIFTERs.


Business Houses.
An admirable female detective ss .
tenn is in vogue in anumber of the lead
| ing dry goods houses of this city.
It has been proved beyond doubt
that the female thief catcher is more
effective in the unwilling of shoplifters
than the most sagacious sleuth in the
becret service department. of the city Of
Boston. Thief catchers like the veteran
jos Knox, for instance, cannot ply
their vocation with any degree of sue.
cess for any length of time in large
and Furnishing dry goods house. This
is because of che fact that their identi.
ties become known to the dry goods
thief after time, and it goes without
saying that the shoplifter will not begin
operations until all danger of discovery
from that quarter has passed away. Ths
professional shoplifter is as familiar
with the figure of the inspector as she is
with her own likeness. For this reason
unassuming and unsophisticated maid
ems are put on the qui vive to ferret OH
willy shoplifters and bring them &c
speedy retribution. The girls assigned
to prosecute detective labor are we'll
adapted for the work mapped out for
them. The superintendent or chief floor
walker is pretty certain to select girl
with accomplishments befitting the de-
Eeotive. If she is lacking in aouteness
and fails to perform her work satisfao.
torily, another is substituted in her stead
and the benighted one is given posi-.
ton in the store.
Nor does the competent detective de-
pend entirely upon her wits in deter.
mining who is shoplifter and who is
not. She is generally reader of char.
aoter and is very apt to ascertain by
study of face whether its owner is .
designing person or not. The shoplifte1
often eXcites the suspicion of the spot.
ter the moment she enters the stora
There are certain airs Of uneasiness in
her department that catch the prac.
ticed eye of the young sleuth at once.
Women who invade dry goods houses
for the purpose of larceny have not the
fullest confidence in their dexterity to
purloin an article from the counter
without exciting suspicion. The PRO
fessional'' never attempts theft with
out first feeling certain that she is noe
watched, yet it frequently happens that
when she is convinced that there is nc
danger of detection the eyes of the fe-
male spotter are upon her, and she ia
trapped in the act.
Miss Fannie Leahey and Miss Kittie
McNamee are the young detectives who
are employed to keep vigilant lookout
for evildoers at a big concern in Penn
berton square. and very watohful and
detectives they are, as their
efficient services distinctly show. Miss
McNamee is modest little girl Of II
years, with jet black hair and cheeks
like blush rose, and is considered the
most prepossessing girl in the business,
Her partner. Miss Leahey, is an attract,
i've blond, with natty figure. Each has
her own district to patrol daily, but
sometimes both can be seen in deep con-
in the little Office on the Penn.
berton square side. The most cautious
shoplifter would fail to detect in the
demeanor Of the twain the nature Of
their calling, and thus it is they aie
able to expose more wrongdoing in the
store than any of the inspectors at po-
lice headquarters.
When a shoplifter is caught dead to
rights, she is asked if she will not "pay
Tor the articles" stolen. This interroga-
tory is merely made in order to elicit
an admission of guilt from the thief
She is then taken to the Office to await
;he arrival of an inspector from police
headquarters. If she has the appearance
If a woman of means, she can easily
procure bail and thus escape the pain
md detection of night in prison.
In speaking of her experience, Miss
MoNamee says that large percentage
If shoplifters are women of good fam
lies and comparatively we'll off ip
worldly goods.
eve have to watch pretty carefully
% catch the professional shoplifter, " she
began. "You see, they are up to all
orts of chicanery and can easily hood
wink the salesgirl, who may be busy |
With half dozen customers at the same |
lime. Yor could never believe, to see
hose women on the street in all their
inery, that they would steal Some of
he shoplifters are born thieves They |
haunt the dry goods houses and steal ev-
Try time they get chance. You may |
lot believe it, but can tell at first
glance the woman who comes here to
teal deliberately.
"Her eyes are sure index to her
thoughts. and when you see a woman |
ylancing searchingly about her you can
depend upon it that she means to steal.
Women with an untroubled conscience
10 not act in this way
There are three detectives in one
tore, and still the pilfering of the
lrm's property goes on from day to
lay. There is the woman who carries
IF articles in closed umbrella, and |
here is the woman who manages to |
convey property TO a neatly arranged re.
,eptacle in har underdress lining. To |
be on to these tricks the female detective |
must be ever on the alert and nip the |
hief on the fly. There are thousand |
md one devices performed by shoplift.
ITS, but not one is unknown to the Gun
ming spotter. Then, again, the female
of1iciates as sort of forewoman |
,ver the employees. They are certainly |
ooked upon as superiors by the girls, |
ret it is not known that they ever re- |
ported any inattention on the part OF
employees to customers 1t has been al
ways their policy to prefer charges only /
when the evidence is very strong, for if |
heir claim is not sustained trouble fol- |
ows Il is claimed that it has never oc-
cured that the detectives were in fault
n accusing person of theft. Boston