The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-19
PROSECUTE SHOPLIFTERs.
The Big Kansas City Store VIII Show
Them No Mercy Hereafter.

(From Last Nights Kansas City Starr
Any woman caught stealing from the
big store of the Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry
Goods company in the future will be ar
rested and prosecuted vigorously, no mat
ter what her standing in society or So
cial connections may be. William B.
Thayer of the firm said today;
This firm has been too lenient in the
past with women shoplifters. We lose
many thousands of dollars a year in this
way. We decided at conference OF
members of the firm held yesterday that
in future every woman caught stealing
even so much as a paper of pins should
be turned over to the police and prose-
cuted, and the facts will be given to the
newspapers for publication. We are
forced to make this order by the propor-
lions to which the crime has grown, and
in justice to honest people who might
be suspected of taking goods that are
missing from departments"
This determination of the firm was the
result of the discovery yesterday, as told
in the later edition of The Star, of two
girls from Liberty Mo, who were steal
ing goods from the counters. The young
women were Miss Jennie Ida Keller and
Miss Nfelvina Allen, members of good
families in Liberty.
HOW THEY WE'RE CAUGHT.
On each floor of the big store is a
floor manager whose duty is to watch
for shoplifters. Miss Keller and Miss Al
len were seen and followed by one of
these men yesterday afternoon. They
went from counter to counter. pricing
goods. One girl carried a pasteboard
box under her arm with the forward end
cut SO it would open like a flap. The
other girl engaged the attention of the
saleswonan in showing goods and the
girl with the box slyIy slipped some
small article into the box. When arrested
by the floor manager the box was almost
filled with ribbons, laces, pins, fans and
other articles, worth altogether about
SIS. The girls gave fictitious names and
said they We're from Olathe. They were
taken to police headquarters by city de-
tectives. There they wept and pleaded
for mercy. One of them tainted. They
were arraigned in Justice Krueger's
court, pleaded guilty, and were fined SO
apiece, which they paid and were dis
charged.
Mr. Thayer said that shoplifters
swarmed in the store just before Christ
mas or during special sales, when the
floors were crowded with buyers. Five
women were arrested during the last few
days for shoplifting. One arrested Sat-
urday was discharged because of her
family. She was suspected of shoplifting
and had been watched for five years, but
was 50 expert that she escaped discovery
till Saturday. She promised never to
steal again and was released.
SCOUT THE KLEPTOMANIA THEORY.
Mr. Thayer was asked today: do you
believe in the theory of kleptomania, the
plea made by apparently respectable wo-
men that shoplifting is a mania with
them and that they cannot help it?"
mo; I've no faith in that sort of a
plea he replied. There's no such thing
as kleptomania. It's downright mean
ness that makes these women steal"
Last Friday a woman who gave her
name as Jennie Meyers from ArmourdaIe
was arrested in this store for shoplifting.
She came in with a black sacheI a foot
long, which she filed with goods. Then
she went to a toilet room and wrapped
all the articles in a bundle of paper
which she had in the sacheI and started
to walk out with the package under her
arm. She was arrested and gave bond.
She will be tried before Justice Kruger
tomorrow. She is So years old.
Jennie Smith, who said she was from
512 Elizabeth avenue, Wyandotte, was
arrested yesterday at this store for shop
lifting. She had a bolt of ribbon, kid
gloves, buttons, three belts and other
things in package. She was arraigned
in Krueger's court, pleaded guilty and
was fined $25. She paid the fine with a
check on a bank where she said she had
plenty of money.
There are professional shoplifters, who
make a living at it, and there are others
who only steal from store counters when
they need the articles and haven't the
money to buy. Others steal only when
they are shopping and see the opportun>
ity to steal which they seemingly cannot
resist.
The methods of the professional shop
filters differ widely Some carry umbreI-
las into which they slip articles. The
favorite method is to have a large pock-
ct like a bag in the dress skirt and then
carry a wrap on the arm. Under cover of
this wrap laid with apparent carelessness
on the edge of the counter, goods are
slrIv slinned into the dress nocket.