Smyrna times., 1898-06-29

Store Detective.
Schools for shoplifters 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 a
contest in which the store thieves are
invariably brought to grief.
As woman leading little girl pass
ed from counter to counter in a Sixth
avenue store one day last week another
woman closely followed and never took |
her eyes off her. The woman with the |
little girl walked and talked rapidly. |
They asked for nothing their eyes |
sought much. Their stops at various
counters seldom lasted more than a
second. When they had reached the |
jewelry department, their pace slack !
ened. AS they passed a counter where
a sale of gold mounted combs was
in progress the wOman's arm flew
out from beneath black capesand back
again. With the arm iSn 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 tray
of earrings. The clerk was about to re-
turn the tray to its case.
"What pretty stones, mammal ex-
claimed the child.
Eyes, my dear, responded the wom-
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 goodness The child tells the
truth. How time does fly Well, Well
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 flash 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:
| 70 hr1xr
this pair?'
While the clerk smiles and the moth
er 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 mar
follows and catches her.
The woman calls it an outrage. Sh,
protests; says she'll make them pay fol
the insult. She grows hystericaL They
lead the two back to a side door. The.
take them into the searcher's room
Then the woman detective carefully ex
anines all their clothing. The chilt
cries. The woman becomes silent. Sh
sees it's all up. What's the use of go
ing to the trouble Of making anothe
scene? The child is II years old and ha
been but a week under instruction. Be
= ing arrested is new to her.
A society takes the child. Her teache
in crime, the woman who posed as he
mother, is held for trial.
This is but a sample case. In tn
same store last week there were 10 al
d, rests for shoplifting. Those of the pri!
h Oners who had never been in sue
scrapes before were released. This pal
e ticular store tries to avoid the courts a
to much as possible.
IS One woman who was arrested wore
- shoplifter's skirt This skirt consist
v chiefly of pockets There are pockets {
al all widths and depths This skirt
$ usually worn as an underskirt. A
&c ee opening is provided in the overskir
through which the pocket filled skirt
easily accessible.
In the concealed pockets Of the won
=. an mentioned were found two pieces
a. a. embroidery, several rolls of silk brai,
ed six remnants of silk, several pieces
0t jewelry and pair of shoes. Two of Il
10 store detectives, a man and a womal
: had watched the purloining of all the
,e, articles.
Sc 1t is the rule of most stores that ]
shoplifters are to be arrested until tn,
,al reach the street. Scenes caused by a
'p- rests are very undesirable i'll place
'ts business. Besides this, those placed u
!; AZ der arrest in stores often make the d
Tense that they did not intend to ia
the goods away-they simply desired
. examine them in a good light
One shoplifter, arrested last wee
and one ON whom the stolen goods we
found, had six children at home. 7
youngest was months old. The wOl
ans husband has good business.
/ furnished bail for her. When the pl
- prietors of the store learned that t
woman had q 6-months-Old child
N home they withdrew the cOmplai
n against her. The woman s husband Sc
~ he could not understand why she shot
av wish to steal.
/ Store detectives deny that there
any such thing as kleptomania.
"Kleptomania is mistaken mott
that some women have that stores
easily victimized, " is the definition Il
the detectives give.-New York TIE
gram.
A bar Of lead cooled to about 800
grees below zero, according to an
pertinent of M. Pietet, gives out WI
o ia struck pure musical tone.
by Unavalling Prayer.
am M Theodore f. Seward, the organi
ond of the Don't Worry clubs, tells a g
sire story of little boy who had reacl
igs' T;gs the multiplication table in the course
1ne. his education. One night he was sitt
anxiously over paper of figures, wi
for his mother came along and said, ''Jo
foal. ME, do you find your arithmetic v
,rse, hard?" Eyes, indeed, mamma, d
e, was his reply. ''It was so awful b
ady' that PRAYED to God to help me,