Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-10-24

Last evening one of the boldest
cases of shop-lifting known in the city
for quite while, occurred at the
leather goods store of Etz & Seifert, at
the southwest corner of Main and
Eleventh streets.
The thieves were two women, but
they appear to have had a male con-
fedcs ate, who escaped during the ex-
element which Immediately followed
the theft.
The women were caught in the ex-
IRENE upper end of the First ward, by
Officer Walker, and taken to the City
Hall, and thence to the Office of Justice
Fitzpatrick. There the last of
the stolen property was re-
turned and ten dollars paid
to member of the firm, be-
sides a small compensation to the Of
ficer involved in the case, and the
firm then declining to prosecute, the
prisoners were allowed to depart.
About quarter after seven o'clock,
while Main street was very well
crowded with shoppers and sight
seers, mana stranger-entered the
store of Etz & Seifert, and asked to
look at some trunks. Mr.. Seifert was
the only member of the firm in the
store at the time, and he went to the
rear of the store with the gentleman,
who looked at a number of trunks
and asked good many questions.
While the two were thus engaged two
women entered the store, examined the
valises and fine travelling bags in the
oh for e..
finally went behind the counter and
removed several articles of goods from
the cases. This was partially observ-
ed by Mr. Seifert, but it is not an I'M
usual proceeding, and he thought moth
ing particularly about it, but went on
talking to his trunk customer, under
the general impression that the wo-
men were hunting up what they
wanted, and he would attend to their
wants next.
After a short time the two women
suddenly left the store, and about the
same time Mr.. Seifert noticed their
absence the man said he would come
in Monday, after consulting with his
wife, and would select trunk, as he
was going away. This was satisfac-
tory to Mr.. Seifert, and he saw his
prospective customer to the door AS
he did so, he wondered in a casual
manner what had become of the two
women, and incidentally went be-
hind the counter where they had been.
He then saw that some fine satchels
were missing from the show case, but
he could not quite tell how many were
gone. In somewhat confused state
of mind, he called to Fred. Unruh to
keep store for him, and started up
Main street, in the effort to find the
women. He went to the suspension
bridge Office and asked if the women
had been seen, and coming back to
Bridge Place, he saw the two women
standing at the southwest corner of
Main street with two satchels Mr.
Seifert went up to them, and picked
up one of the satchels and looked at
it, and found his mark on the bot
tom. While he was doing this, the
women disappeared. Mr.. Seifert gave
chase, and securing the aid of the
Second ward police, the women were
followed through a number of streets
and alleys. Finally they were seen to
have gone in the direction of North
w hCNiihSo, anu oluCCl w dlh6I SOI Oh
car and caught them at the ex-
IRENE upper end of town and brought
them down to the City Hall.
When the women fed they aban-
doned the valises at Main street and
Bridge Place, and when Mr.. Seifert
came to examine them, he found that
each large valise contained a small
travelling bag. A fifth valise was miss
ing, and this was found on the women
when they were arrested Soon after
being taken to headquarters, where
they were not recognized, they
were taken before Justice Fitz-
patrick. There the women in
dictated by their talk that thew
came from Steubenvilie. The
elder of the two claimed the bag was
her property, and said she had owned
it for two years. but finally agreed to
pay five dollars in full of all damages.
This was refused by Mr.. Seifert, and
she finally agreed to give up ten dol
lars, and pulled good sized roll from
her stocking, skinned off a ten dollar
bill and handed it over "Pay the Of
ficer for his trouble, too" suggested
the Justice, and the woman gave I'D
a reasonable compensation for the
mile and half chase. Mr. Seifert,
having recovered his goods and been
compensated for his trouble. declined
to prosecute, and the two women left
the office of the Justice and disap-
peared. 1t is too bad that they could
not have been held and punished ade-
quately for the work, for the whole
party were evidently slick artists in
their line.
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