The evening times., 1896-07-03
CLERKS ACCUSED OF Theft
Careless Shoppers Make Their
Life a Burden.
HAVE TO TAKE INSULTS
Purchasers Who MisIay Articles Have
No Hesitancy In Declaring that
They Have Been Stolen-Hard to
Convince Them to the Contrary.
Where IL Patron Found Her Luce.

uiHHi
Employees in .'WashingtoD's large stores
lose considerable time In keeping track of
articles mislaid by careless customers.
Women form the ma jority OF this class,
and although all these stores have u bureau
of Information, where anything lost should
be reported, they persist in ,'pestering'
the clerks.
Shoppers will .stnnd their uinhreias
against the counters, rush away and never
give the matter u Thought NTH the follow
Ing day. Then ,fthey return TO the store
with no end ofgaccusations against every
one, e,iDvariabiy y sa ying they left their property
III In entirely different place from where
II was discovered by the floor walker.
Generally the lost, and found department
restores what is wanted.
LOSE THEIR PocKETBoOKs.
Pocketbooks laid down carelessly In the
excitement or bargain days are often left 10
be returned later by an honest clerk. A
Times reporter was talking yesterday with
the manager OF a dry goods establishment
upon the forgetfulness OF shoppers.
1T gives US lots OF annoyance sad he,
land the major portion of II is caused by
the gentier sex. I'd rather do business with
hundred men than one woman. Take a
nervous lady. Tor instance. She win make
purchase, move on 10 SOME other depart
mont, lay IL on the counter, and
leave il there Willie She wanders to an
other part of the store. The bundle, when
discovered by the shop girl. is iinmedi-
ateiy sent to the bureau of Information,
where it is restored TO the Hurried woman
later
II remember one Afternoon II lady. who
| is one OF the leaders in the social world.
came "a s,,ii Su lsSt snutl
| parcel of costly point lace. She main
| tanned that she left ii en- tie counter di-
rectly in front of yuung woman and she
| pointed 10 girl who blushed with mortifi-
cation a. the insnnation conveyed. We
| searched all over the store: no lace to be
found and the lady getting angrier and
more suspicious every moment.
IN THE CARRIAGE
FINALLY / asked her IL size had come in
| her carriage. She replied that Size had, and
| was only Il block Il way when she discovered
| her loss My suggestioB that the lace might
he in the carriagc was cOldly received.
| n cvertheicss, she walked mp 10 her yictorl
] with me, and therc, half hidden in one
| corner under the rug. WAS the Eiissm z
| Point d'Allencol. Let me say to her
credit that size returned To tie store and
apologized to the girl for suspccting her
"Pocketbonks are another source oi
| trouble They are found on the floor. drop
| ped in the elevators and eft on he counters
| by forgeifui peopie-!ndeed, mslad every
| where. Some of the owners get mad when
complete identification is required of the
contents. which. OF course. is always in-
| sisted on.
! Il recall an occasion where n woman.
liurriediy leaving the store IN crowd. her
| reticuie. containing her pocketb. Oh. became
LOT, Ind t...
| floor. II was found ater by n floor walker.
| suave. witty Frenclman. Ny lady was
| back in five minutes. She walked To the
| counter where she had been purehasing Z
| and coOliy asked the gir who had waited
| on ler 10 return her purse and reticne
| When the girl denied any knowledge or II
she abused her shamefuIy. The floor
waiker approached and said. Madam is
sure they wereleft here
'Ofcourse." /" ale answered, hotly. ''Don'i
know when Tam right,
Madam" aumatttc' Frcncman bowed
low. .'oniy God is right. You are right in
what ynu think. ]; am right IN what
know. Here IS your property. II was
found on the floor. The girl is innocent
and no showed her the broken clasps of the
satchel.
WOMEN WHO STEAL.
How about kieptomaniacs?" asked the
reporter.
"They trouble us but litre: that Is. the
genuine kleptonaninc. There are any nrm
Der of women who will take u ribb IN cr a
handkerchief il they get the chance, M
think no sin is being committed Tfsg lea
son that the stor" Is rich enough To sta id 1t
That is an easy wa yof losing ones ron
science. bat yet 1t is so. The kieptonaniac,
steal not for the r7,iue or the stuff taken
but because tliey Cannot help it,
Il noticed. one afternoon. a Bicely-dressed
woman conceal in her coat pocket pair ot
gloves. | stepped up to her and said polite
ly. ''would you kindly return NE the gloves
j you have Just placed in your pocket
- .Sr.' she retorted. what DO you mean.
Do you know who | an?' handing me 6
card bearing name we'll known in the
higher circles of society.
Il persisted and size finally pulled ou
the gloves. saying she intended paying 70,
them. allowed her to DO So but size never
| shopped with us again
THAT DEFENDS
"Jedge, can er man tr errested fer takin
coal?''
.Ycs, sir: IL il is In a sold form"