The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-01
Thieves IN CITY STORES
Detectives Guard Closely the
Great Marts of Trade.
WAYS OF SHOPLIFTERS
Wealthy Women Who Plead Klepto-
mania When Caught-Wiles OF the
Clever Females Who Prey
Upon All Merchants.

Inc moment you enter one of the
large stores of Chicago your appear
ahce ana bearing are more or less
CLOSELY scrutinized--that is. unless YOU
are KNOWN, and that favorably. by the
score or more detectives on duty there
TO be taken for or even suspected of
being a thief In i'm no sense compli-
mehtary, Yet many thousands Of Chica-
COS very best people are daily looked
upon IN mat light. And yet, rightly
considered. honest people have no spe-
cial call to take 'offense at this eener-
al suspicion; the criminal tendency of
the age and the principle of self-pro-
lection throng our Leading stores with
detectives whose eyes are fixed upon
all suspicious characters and strang-
ers in general.
without a corps of detectives on duty
there is not "A large downtown store
that could be operated without abso-
lute loss. This is not alone due to the
large amount of thieves caught in the
act of plying their trade and the value
OF the property recovered. but princi-
pally by reason of the restraining in
nuence mat such a system exerts upon
the thousands who would urn shopIift-
ers were IL not for "a wholesome fear
of the consequences. Every would be
thief knows that ne or she is being
watched. and an enforced but zone the
less practical honesty results.
This system is by no means new:
ever since food. clothing and finery
were looked upon as desirable posses
sions those who vended them have been
compelled to act the part of detectives
ana keep a watchful eyes upon their
goods. At present our great depart
ment stores have detectives on every
fioor. in every department almost, with
the exception of the one i'm charge of
the force" who in several instances is
a woman. These are for the most part
possessed of only very moderate ability
I'm the line of their employment. This
is due primarily to the low wages paid,
and to the further circumstance that
the greater portion of the house de-
tectiVes are regular employees of the
establishment who " been assigned
to that duty through some supposed
special ability to act as 'sleuths." A
few years ago the city detective agen-
cies were generally called upon to sup
ply men for this duty, and their aid
is still invoked when a particularly
troublesome and knotty case arises.
Store detectives have several distinct
duties to perform; they guard the stock
from the nimble fingers of shoplifters.
watch for thieves among employees n
protect customers, so far as possible.
from the insinuating hands of pick
pockets. With these manifold duties to
perform it is not strange that they are
often caught mapping.
The professional shoplifter is the
hardest customer to deal with. He. or,
more generally. she. for more women
than men are engaged in plying this
profitable trade" is thoroughly in
formed i'm the premises, and is enable
to proceed within a strictly business
way. n woman, whose dress is neither
so plain nor so rich as to attract at
%tention. enters a State street store. She
is entirely unattended, yet has always
one. frequently two. attendants, at
hand. Her dress does not essentially
differ i'm appearance from that of scores
of ladies around her. yet its very detail
is arranged with reference to the sue
cessfuI plying of her calling. Her
skirts contain pockets deep enough to
hold a bolt of silk. and so intricately
masked as to battle the ordinary search
er and frequently defeat the efforts of
an expert. She has many little hooks
and recesses i'm which small articles Of
value can be swiftly hidden. She us
ually carries a slightly opened umbrel-
la. into which she can drop tribes WITH
out attracting attention.
This woman is a professional shop
litter. She possesses a marVelously
quick and observing eye, the raine
of "a juggler and a nerve of steel.
1t is not likely that she is known I'm the
store. else she would not be there.
i nlOuRn tbtllthti dltS III III a'
sociates-and there Is fraternity and
organization among thieves as well as
among honest peOple-from various
she knows the personnel of
the detective force on duty could
point out every one on sight. Thus
equipped. she is tolerably safe from de-
lection and prudently proceeds to bus
mess. Generally she passes purloined
articles Ia a confederate. who stands
back from the counters and could not
well be suspected of stealing. OFTEN
she loads her masked pockets and other
receptacles. When a reasonable har-
vest has been secured she prudently
quits the store and repairs To her home.
,r. more generally, To one of the small
private compartments i'm some n OF
he numerous questionable downtown
saloons. where she nloads her plum
Ter" and returns to the harvest field"
Il have taken from the person of a
shoplifter." said a lady detec-
i've i'm one of the leading stores of the
'itN, IA surprising quantity OF goods;
lar more than could be put in a bushel
basket. AT the same time there was
I'm her utwa appearance TO
Indicate that she had anything con-
'ealed about her. often they secure
of considerable value. Some
lines sealskin cloaks are stolen. When
/ number Of fine garments are dis
played for inspection a woman will
sometimes drop a garment upon the
loor n step over IL. Then. under pre-
ext Of adjusting her clothing. she will
down. and. by means OF
ent hooks. fasten il beneath her skirts.
N the meantime. the attention of the
aleswoman is diverted. sometimes by ,
confederate sometimes by the ques-
of entirely innocent out on
shopping tour Tn professional |
hnflfffAfs - Fh. h.l, ..AllA,, 49,, =
ave to contend with" !
The head detectives i'm the downtown I
torres so almost every morning to the :
harrison street police station. wen |
they have no case there. that they ;
nay closely scrutinize those arraigned
on trial. In this way they soon be- (
ONE familiar with those thieves who :
ave fallen into the hands of the law.
iany OF these character enter the
lNlNs. MhnIn thew ~. .InsnlN NaIchal