The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1898-07-08
TRICKS OF THIEvING.
HOW sHoPLlFTERs PiLFER IN NEW
Works. BIG STORES.

Women Who Use Clever Children Trained
To the business ss Aids In Their Nefs-
rious Caliing-The Close Watch Of the
store Detective.
Schools for shoplihers are not adver-
tised. but they thrive. Female Fagins
are no longer regarded as phenomenal
criminals-they are considered well es-
tablished enemies to the police. Vigil
ance versus shoplifters, though, Is q
contest in which the store thieves are
invariably brought to grief.
AS "a woman leading q little girl pass
ed from counter to counter in u Sixth
avenue store one day last week another
woman closely followed and never took
her eyes of her. The oma with the
little girl walked and talked rapidly.
They asked for nothing; their eyes
sought much. Their stops ut various
counters seldom lasted more than a
second. When they had reached the
jewelry department. their pace slack
ened. AS they passed . counter where
q sale Of gold mounted combs was
in progress the womAn's arm few
out from beneath a black cape aid back
again. With the arm on its return trip
had gone one of the most handsome and
expensive combs.
On the woman and the little girl
passed until they came opposite a tray
Of earrings. The clerk was about 3 re-
turn the tray to its case.
"What pretty stones, mammal" ex-
claimed the child.
Eyes, my dear" responded the WON
an. "but We won't look at them today"
"Oh, yes. Let's stop. You know you
promised to buy me some earrings for
my birthday"
II know, but your birthday is still
far away"
"Why, mamma, you know that it is
next Tuesday"
my goodnessi The child tells the
truth. How time does fly Well, Wen
look at them. but I'll not promise you
to buy them today"
Then begins the examination Of chill
dren's earrings. Mother and daughter
look at them critically-they admire
most Of them. This goes on for several
minutes, the mother protesting to the
child that the purchase should not be
made today. Diamond earrings OF all
sizes are in the tray.
A customer steps up to make an in
quiry. The clerk turns her eyes for an
instant toward her questioner. One Of
the largest of the diamond earrings
gives a fash and is gone. The little girl
comes between her mother and the
counter. When the customer is gone.
the little girl has two small earrings in
her hand and says:
Wont you get mamma to buy me
this pair?"
While the clerk smiles and the moth
CT is saying they will call again in a
day or two the large diamond earring
is being fastened inside the cape. The
mother thanks the clerk, then they
hurry from the store.
They are scarcely out on the sidewalk
before a command is whispered in the
woman's ear:
Return that stolen property"
The girl takes to her heels A man
follows and catches her.
The woman calls it an outrage. She
protests; says she'll make them pay for
the insult. She grows hysterical. They
lead the two back to a side door. They
take them into the searcher's room.
Then the woman detective carefully ex-
amines all their clothing. The child
cries. The woman becomes silent. She
sees it's all up. What's the use of GO
ing TO the trouble Of making another
scene? The child is IL years old and has
ing arrested is new to her.
A society takes the child Her teacher
in crime, the woman who posed as her
mother, is held for trial.
This is but a sample case. In the
same store last week there were 10 ar
rests for shoplifting. Those Of the pris-
oners who had never been in such
scrapes before were released. This par
tlcular store tries to avoid the courts as
much as possible.
One woman who was arrested wore q
shoplifter's skirt. This skirt consists
chiefly Of pockets. There are pockets Of
all widths and depths. This skirt is
usually worn as an underskirt. An
opening is provided in the overskirt,
through which the pocket filled skirt is
easily accessible.
In the concealed pockets of the WON
an mentioned were found two pieces Of
embroidery. several rolls of silk braid,
six remnants Of silk. several pieces Of
jewelry aud a pair Of shoes. Two Of the
store detectives, a man and a woman,
had watched the purloining Of all these
articles.
1t is the rule Of most stores that nc
shoplifters are to be arrested until they
reach the street. Scenes caused by ar
rests are very undesirable in a place OF
business. Besides this, those placed un.
der arrest In stores often make the de.
Tense that they did not intend to take
the goods ~away-they simply desired to
examine them in q good light.
One shoplifter, arrested last week,
and one on whom the stolen goods were
found, had six children at home. The
youngest was 0 months old. The won