Evening star., 1901-12-21
Shoplifters Much in Evidence at
Christmas Time.
PLENTY OF WORK FOR DETECTIVES
Must Exercise Great WatchfuIness
and Discretion.
APPREHENDING A. SUSPECT

| OF gtft-making lends fresh impetus to light
| fingered practices. The most promising
fields for these operations are the counters
devoted to small fancy articles, such as
leather goods. jewelry. handkerchiefs.
gloves, perfume and neckwear The de-
! tectiye force in a metropolitan store is
doubled or even trebled at this time. For
4 instance. New York firm that ordinarily
| carries staff of eleven detectives now
| has thirty on the pay roll. and each one is
| on duty from am. to pm. with an
| hour for luncheon. Four Of these are wo-
/ men.
Female detectives, like the men with
| whom they work, are born, not trained,
and work almost entirely by instinct. Some
! of the most successful women in this line
| Of work are discovered" quite by acci-
| dent. At a Broadway store last year
young woman in the jeweiry department
| tipped off, so many suspicious characters
| to the detectives that the chief of the bu-
| reau became interested in her. This year
| she Is on his regular force and is one of
| his most efficient workers. 1t goes without
| saying that her salary was very substan-
| tally increased when she stepped from be-
| hind the counter to the aisle An uptown
| firm had serious difficulty last season Sc
| curing competent female detectives. One
| evening the senior partner chanced to
| meet, in a social way, bright newspaper
| woman who hailed from Denver and who
| was trying to secure foothold in metro
| politan journalism. When she recited some
of her experiences In reporting criminal
cases. murders, confidence queens" etc,
the desperate searcher for female detective
| acumen grasped at her tale as the drown
ing man at the proverbial straw. She was
| only too glad to try the work, and so skill
| ful We're her methods, so uniformly just
her decisions, that she was retained the
year round at salary much larger than
/ she could earn at literary hack-work.
Try to Avoid Trouble.
One Of the hardest things for the newly
| appointed detective to learn is that the
| store is not police headquarters. where
| each arrest is regarded as veritable
scalp lock. His most important lesson is
| to avoid trouble for his house. A false ar
| rest is a costly mistake. Damage suits
| will follow. The store detective must De
| doubly sure Usually they work in pairs,
! and a suspect is not accused unless two
| detectives have seen him stealing and can
corroborate each others testimony.
What trouble a level-headed detective
can save his firm is well illustrated in the
following instance: A fashionable woman
whose trade was worth hundreds of dol
lars annually TO dry goods house sud
denly exclaimed at q bargain sale, that her
purse had been stolen. She declared that
| woman next to her, plainly dressed, but
Intelligent looking, had taken it. Accuser
and accused were rescued by the floor
walker from the mob which quickly form
ed about them and were conducted to the
detective bureau next to the main offices
of the firm. Here one Of the partners. at
the request of his excited and influential
customer, was about to have the suspect
searched, when the house detective a
quiet, unpretentious woman. interfered
She had been at the same counter and in
sisted that the theft had not been COM
mitred. The rich customer ragged, but the
firm, having faith in it's detective, hesi-
tated and finally offered to reimburse the
wealthy woman if she would drop the case
he a
this, however, the accused woman insisted
on being cleared, and though the house
detective refused to search her she de-
manded that her accuser should. Nothing
was found upon her. Thanking the firm
for its courteous treatment and giving
her name and address, she departed. The
| firm advertised for the purse and 1t was
returned having been found at another
store where the loser had previously been
shopping The woman who had been
falsely accused promptly sued her accuser
and the latter's husband was only too glad
to compromise the matter and avoid no.
toriety. The firm thanked it's stars and
its detective, the latter in q substantial
manner.
Clever Female Detectives.
In store where three female detectives
are employed each represents a distinct
type in bearing and dress, Ole is a typical
9Th avenue figure. always correctly gowned
in the latest tailor modes. The second is a.
rouge, powder and bizarre frocks The
third looks for all the world as If she were
taking her Thursday afternoon out Yet
each in her way is an effective worker At
another shop an East Side girl who has
pushed her way up from a position as cash
girl, and who has the keen. shrewd fea-
lures of a Ghetto denizen, works hand and
glove with the daughter of a successful
merchant, who wears evening frocks when
her days work is done Both young Wo-
men nave the true detective instinct, and
are enthusiastic over their work.
When a suspect is spotted by either clerk
or detective at least two detectives are
placed on the trail. Their vigilance does
not relax for one instant until they are
either convinced that the woman is inno-
cent or they see her steal If a man were
to do the shadowing at some counters his
conduct would attract attention. This is
where the female detective is needed She
worms her way close to the suspect finger
ing articles and frequently making pur-
chases. Her work ends at the door Of the
store. Here the male detective steps In,
shadowing the culprit until a favorable on
portunity arises for addressing her. No one
is accused in the store. He quietly ranges
himself alongside with the remark:
Catching a shopIffter.
Madam. l believe you have package in
your muf which you forgot to pay for at
Jones. Brown & Company's"
Instantly the woman is on the defensive.
How dare you address me- sir? / shall
appeal TO the police.
The detective Is suave. diplomatic. He |
has made the accusation and he must now
prove It or lose his position. She will not |
object to accompanying him to the storef I
She does not Wish scene on the street? |
OF course not! de is half apologetic, alto |
gether courteous as they retrace their |
steps. and by the time they reach the store |
the woman Is running a magnificent bluff, |
and according to her stor- will own half |
the establishment when the damage suit is |
settled. The detective is deprecating-until |
the door of the searching room closes De- |
hind them. Then his manner undergoes a |
sudden change. It is his turn now The |
proceeding is something like this:
SternHy-"Those articles In your bag, mad |
am. Lay them on the table!'
Defantly-'I bought themr
Exactly! And what did you pay for this |
bottle Of perfume?'
"Forty-five cents |
''Yesf And that silver comb?'
"a dollar
THAT miniature frame?
..Fwo-fifty.''
Then he turns on her. "The next time 4
You steal. watch the prices. That perfume |