The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-26
TWO NEGRO WOMEN
SHOP LIFTING
One Caught With Goods Under
Her Cloak
LED TO A GENERAL SEARCH
OF Homes of 1Marao,,- d o+.xxaa.. nAoa
Of Homes of Women-Between S4OO
and $500 Worth of Fine Silks,
Satins, Shirt Waists, Skirts,
Etc, Were Recovered.

The police made rich haul late yester-
| day afternoon and from the appearance of
| the plumber recovered, shoplifting appears
/ to been a thriving occupation in Birming-
| ham.
The goods in question were recovered from
Leonona Wells and Jennie Banks, negro
women who live In Alley r, between Tween
ty-second and Twenty-third streets, and
were undoubtedly taken from the dry
goods stores of the city.
How They Worked 1t
About o'clock yesterday afternoon the
two women walked into Ferd Marks store
in Second avenue and asked to be shown
some shirt waists. Pete Boggan, one of
the statesmen, waited on them, and while
Jennie Banks was being shown the waists,
Leonora Wells was in another department
nearby. Jennie kept Mr.. Boggans atten-
ton diverted from the other woman by
pricing many different articles, but finally
decided she would make no purchase but
would come again on Monday. 1t being
Saturday afternoon and the store full of
customers, Mr.. Boggan asked the woman
why she had taken up SO much of his time
He became a little suspicious of the pair,
they came into the store to make a pur-
chase. Leonora Wells spoke up and said:
I'VE have money to pay for any thing we
buy" at the same time Struggling her
shoulders in indignation Mr. Boggan no
ticed that her cloak was carefully pinned
up with safety pins and stepping up to her
he jerked the cloak open and a quantity
of goods fels to the floor There were sew
eral bolts of lace two pieces of white
goods, quantity of underwear and sew
eral other articles, but the woman denied
emphatically that she had stolen them An
officer was sent for, and Policemen Nix and
Whaley responded and placed the women
under arrest. Leonora claimed that the
goods were hers and had been left at the
house of another woman and that she had
just gone by for them to take them home.
Goods Found at Home
The women We're taken to police head
quarters and questioned and it was at once
decided to search their house. Accom-
panied by Mr.. Boggan and the officers they
were taken to their home in Avenue f.,
where large quantities of the finest silks,
satins and laces and other valuable goods
were found, and were promptly taken in
hand. The women and goods were taken
to police headquarters, where the work of
asserting began. The women We're brought
in separately and were asked to account
for each piece. Jennie Banks was the first
one called and undertook to explain how
she came into possession of some of the
goods. Fine silk and satin skirts piece
goods, shirt waists, laces, trimmings and
what not she claimed to have purchased in
lavish quantities, enumerating the store,
and price paid, Certain articles she said
did not belong to her and were put aside.
Gave Herself Away
Leonora was then questioned, and she,
claimed to have bought some of the same
goods which Jennie had purchased. Sew
eral magnificent black satin skirts and silk |
shirt waists were disclaimed by both wo- |
men, while some of the articles they |
claimed to have purchased eight or ten |
years ago. The representatives of several |
dry goods stores were present and identi- |
fled certain goods as having come from |
their respective stores. Besides the quanti- |
ties of fine silks and dress goods, there |
were trimmings, bric-a-brac, umbrellas, |
ornaments and about dozen pairs of |
stockings, the total value of which is es-
timated at between $500 and $500.
The two women are sisters, one of them
man. The theory of the police is that the
women have been carrying ~ their work
for some Tins and have worked every dry
goods store in the city.
They were locked up and the charge of
grand larceny docketed against them.