The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-06-04
FEMININE SEARCHERS.
One of Them Gives Some Leaves From Her
Varied Experience.

tarleu iSApera6nee.
! When / attended at one of the
most important metropolitan police
stations seeking an interview with
the female searcher, ! anticipated
the pleasure of IL littlo chat with
perfect ogress. To my surprise
found the searcher to be mild man
nered, pleasant fla ced little woman,
with quite a CHEEKY smile and an alb
solutely motherly air about her.
She dropped an old fashioned courte-
sy when the inspector introduced
her to me and seemed quite taken
aback when informed that the dig
nifty of being interviewed was to be
conferred upon her.
Eve been here some years now,
and the task of searching the pris-
oners is SO familiar that hardly no.
tice what happens, said she. "Ev-
cry female prisoner brought in is at
once searched, you know. I take
Isthem down to the cells, and they
have then to remove every article of
clothing. Everything found in their
pockets or not necessary to be worn
is taken from them and of course re-
turned if really their property when
they are discharged. Each garment
I carefully feel over as 1 take it from
them, and tits now very seldom that
| miss anything that may be there,
A woman was brought in charged
with stealing q watch. Find it l
couldn't, though I searched every
inch of each article of clothing.
just as I was giving up in despair I
thought of feeling in the shoes which
she had carelessly taken off. In the
left shoe there was the missing
watch. The woman had been walk
ing about with her foot screwed up
and the watch in the toe of her shoe.
| Needless to say I always feel in
their hair Several times stolen ar
ticles have been secreted in their
hair, and when it is worn in bum
the feat is an easy one. Another
prisoner had rolled her hair round
95 note. There are two of us here,
and if the prisoner is at all violent
both assist in the searh. But it is
very seldom that women are refrac-
tory. They know that violence is
of no use, and, needless to say, we
make the task of searching as pleas
ant for them as it can be made.
Bad language, as you may imagine,
we are used to, and some prisoners
get in terrible rage when you light
upon hidden stolen property. When
bustles were in fashion, many arti-
cles were secreted in them, one wom-
an having dozen pieces of jewelry
so packed away. The weight of the
! hustle betrayed it.
II also always look we'll in their
mouths, making them lift up the
tongue, for some habitual criminals
are very clever at hiding rings and
other small articles in this way.
searched her thoroughly, examining
her mouth, but could find nothing.
The prisoner had had a deal too
much to drink, and, as often hap
pens, was directed to sit with her
all night. did. At first she talked,
then went to sleep. Suddenly she
started up, seemed as if about to
choke, coughed violently, and the
ring fell from her mouth to the floor
of the cell. How she had hidden it
to this day cannot imagine.
"There is no special qualification
for the post of searching at a police
station. If you know an Inspector
and he speaks for you when there
is a vacancy, you may get taken on
if you have good character. Plenty
of applicants there are always.
Most prisoners take things very
quietly, and five out of six go calm
ly off to sleep. The drunken ones
are great nuisance, but some who
come here often grow to regard me
quite as personal friend and begin
to tell me of their doings directly
take them in hand. Sometimes they
| glare at me and say, Don't lay a
| finger on me, but with bit of coax
ing l usually manage to pacify
them, and the search proceeds peace
fully. philadelphia Telegraph