The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-23
CAUSED BY DRINK.
A Clinton Woman
Makes a Most Pitt
full Confession.
SHOP-LIFTING WILL Be STOPPED
Chief Oren Bates Has the
Names Of the Female
Offenders.
SHOP LIFTING WILL BE STOPPED

Clinton, Aug 22.-Mrs. Charles
feathers, 1876 Church street, passed ar
uncomfortable half.hour with Chief Of
Police Bates, this afternoon.
Mrs. feathers is one of five persons
whom the police suspected about q
month ago of being responsible for the
disappearance Of goods, that went mys-
teriously, without the passage OF
money from the stores of nearly every
merchant on High street.
Chief Bates is undecided as to
whether it will be advisable to make
any arrests. The work of getting evil
dence against the shoplifters was inter-
rupted by the publication in a news
paper Of a story that the police knew
the gang was at work and We're watch
ing the members of il.
All of the newspaper men, with one
exception, knew Of the depredations
that We're being committed, several
weeks ago. They were a unit in keep
ing the matter out of the newspapers
until the officers could get the necessary
evidence, The process was interrupted
by the printed story that put the gang
on its guard, and the police have re-
moved their objection to the facts being
printed
The members of the gang are all
women, and they live in Clinton, and
not as was said In the printed story.
out of town. The name of each woman
In the gang and her street number is
known to the police.
Mrs. feathers is not the ringleader
Of the gang. There are some facts in her
favor that predisposed the authorities
to treat her with leniency, otherwise
more severe measures would have been
taken against her, doubtless, than have
been.
Whether arrests will be made depends
somewhat on how her story of her con-
nection with the other persons con-
cerned tibes in with the facts the police
have gathered.
Mrs. feathers is about 80 years old.
She is a fairly good looking woman.
She has lived in Clinton for the past 10
or IL years. She has been married for
two years and has two children. Her
husband is respectable, hard working
man. He is employed as a teamster.
The representative Of The Spy learned
this afternoon that Mrs LeatherSDhad
been called in to take the third degree.
Chief Bates refused to reveal the sub
stance of his conversation with her. 1t
was learned, however, that she con-
fessed' her, guilt in at least one instance,
and that She acknowledged acquain-
lance with all the suspected women.
She acknowledged that two of the sus-
pected women We're intimate friends. In
how far her confession implicated her
confederates could not be learned.
Mrs. feathers begged piteously for
leniency. She said: Drink is at the
bottom of it all. Whenever have ia
ken anything it has been because I
have taken too much"
AS she referred to her two children
tears ran down her cheeks. ,"If Moth
ing is done about it this time" she
said, IT will never steal anything
again." At the conclusion of the con-
versation, Chief Bates told her to go
home and take care of her baby.
The police say that all of the sus-
pected women are fond of drinking
They travel two or three together and
go into the stores at the noon hour,
or in the evening, when the places are
full of customers. They had lifted a
good deal of property before their OPP
erations were reported at the police
station. The suspicious of the police
were Immediately turned to Mrs.
feathers and her companions.
1t is difficult for policeman on the
sidewalk to catch a shoplifter operating
in "a store. There is no detective on the
force, but Chief Bates did the next
best thing. He caused officer Michael
F. Smith to call at all of the stores
on High street and leave in each a de-
scription Of the suspected persons, with
instructions to watch them carefully
whenever they entered. One member
of the gang was shortly afterward
caught red-handed. But the woman
told such a pitiful story that she was
allowed to go. In the meantime the
women spotted Officer Smith and would
not go on to the street while he was
on the beat.
At last Chief Bates adopted the ex-
pedient Of employing a person to watch
the operations Of the shoplifters and do
nothing else. This method was bearing
fruit, but was suspended when it was
made futile in the manner stated
Mrs. feathers is not suspected of op-
Grating since Wednesday Of last week.
She was seen to pick up six under
shirts and put them under her cloak.
She was stopped and required to give
up the property. She did so, but begged
so hard for mercy that the police We're
not called in
The attention of the clerks in the
store was attracted to her because of
the warning given by the police.
Mrs. feathers said to the representa-
tive Of The Spy this afternoon regard
ing this latter incident, that she would
not have taken the stuff if she had been
sober. She referred to Mrs. Mary
Burke, who was with her when she
took the shirts, as evidence of her con-
dition. Mrs. Burke lives in the same
house with Mrs. Leathers
The strange thing is that all Of the
suspected women have borne good rep
utations.
The theory Of the police is that they
spend the money given them by their
husbands in having good time, and
then take without paying for it such
things as they need in the household.
Whether any arrests are made or not,
the police are confident that it will be