The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-23
CAUGHT A SHOPLIFTER
MRS. MARY DAVIDSON or Ell SHEP-
Ard STR FEET A RR ESTED.

Overcome with Grief-she Told Her
Children She was Going Down Town
to Buy Christmas Presemts.
Mary Davidson, wife OF Robert Day-
idson of No. 81 Shepard street, was ar
rested yesterday afternoon about !
o'clock in Mendel & Freedman's store
on Chapel street, by Detective Captain
Cowles on the charge of shoplifting or
theft, as this crime is denominated I'M
| der the statutes of this state The wo-
man was in Mendel & Freedman's store
! for some time during the afternoon
yesterday, going about from counter to
counter, but the clerks noticed that
she made no purchases. One clerk re-
membered having seen her in the store
every day this week and had noted that
She bought nothing and acted suspic-
| lously, so yesterday afternoon he kept
close watch of her and finally thought
her saw her take small article surrep-
tlt1ously and stow it away in the folds
of her cloak. The clerk reported his
suspicious and what he had seen to Mr..
Mendel, the head of the firm.
Mr.. Mendel called her into the office
and there it was found that she had
under long fur cape, which she wore,
a large shopping bag filled with small
articles which she had evidently stolen
| lie telephoned at once to the detective
bureau at police headquarters and
happened to catch Captain Cowles
there. The captain hurried over to the
store and placed the woman under ar
| rest. She was taken to the central poa
| lice station and there after sharp ques-
| tlonlng by Captain Cowles confessed to
having stolen, goods at Mendel & Freed
mans and at Even Mcintyre & Co.'S
stores.
When called into the office at Mendel
Il F'reedmans she begged to be allowed
to so, and said that she would pay for
what she had taken. She is a woman
about forty years of age and has five
children, all boys, the youngest three
years old, and the Oldest nineteen years
of age. At the station house it was
found that in addition to the shopping
bag, which was filled with all kinds of
small articles on which were the store
tags showing that the articles had not
been purchased as these tags are re-
moved from gooda sold.
A search of the bags disclosed four
pocketbooks, a pocket toilet case a box
of perfume fancy pin cushion, small
ornamented pitcher full of Jockey
Club" two white silk mufflers, pair
of mems socks, pair of children's
stockings, three pairs of ladies' hose
two hat pins two scarf pins two Wind
sor ties, black ruche, pair Of hose
supporters, a box of sachet powder, a
box of stationery, girls shoulder
cape, gold ring, and other small ar
ticles. In the bottom of the bag was a
small sack of candy which she had evil
IDENTIFY purchased, while in the very bot
tom was quantity of loose candy
which she had probably stolen by hand
fuls from the candy counter. Some of
the articles in the bag We're identified
an coming from Even Mcintyre &
Co.'S. The larger shopping bag was
identified by Mr. Mendel as having
come from his firms store and it was
therefore concluded that Mrs. David
son had not only stolen the contents of
the bag, but had stolen the bag itself.
in which to put her plumber. The other
handbag was also full of small tagged
articles.
Thinking that probably the woman
had stolen other goods and that they
might be found at her home Captain
Cowles sent Detective Donnelly to the
Davidson home on Shepard street. On
arriving at the house Mr. Donnelly
found only two small children at home,
two little boys, one three years of age
and the other nine. The detective ask
ed the children where their mother was
and the elder, not knowing that she
was locked I'D at the police station re-
piled: Mamma has gone down town to
buy Christmas presents. She will be
home pretty soon" The little fellow
said that his father had not returned
from work yet. Donnelly sat down to
wait for the father, and the children.
both cute little fellows, played around
entertaining him with their innocent |
childish prattle. Asked if their mother
had not already purchased some Christ
mas presents they said that she had, |
and had locked them up in some trunks |
upSIdiT. Inc youngest boy CLIMBED I'D !
to mantel and took down a fancy |
match box and showed it to the detec-
tive. telling him that Mamma bought
this pretty box"
After Donnely had waited about half |
an hour tho father came In from work |
and the detective told him that his
wife was under arrest for stealing. my
God, my wife thief No, T cannot be-
lieve it, burst forth the husband Wis
ions of a broken uD home came to him
and glancing at his two little boys he |
broke down and cried. In few mo- !,
ments an older boy, about seventeen
years of age, came in to his supper from
his work at the Griest Manufa curing
Co. s shops In Westville. Seeing the
agitation Of his father he sat down and
gathered from the exclama-
tons of his father and from the CONVEX
sation Of the detective information of
what had occurred. He sat down as
pale as g ghost, but said not word
nor moved from his chair, dazed by the
sickening news he had heard.
Mr.. Davidson, grief stricken and I'M
finally led Detective Don
nelly about the house to search for
stolen articles. In two trunks upstairs
was found hidden away a quantity of
small sr+io1Ne NoCh ono h9y-il7cy 14tnpa,7 !