The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-01-04
UNJUsTLY SUSPECTED,
The Discontinue of Store Detective

Standish Foote the tioor-Walker' had
 orders to keep special lookout for
 shoplfters and kleptomaniacs' Ihls
 thing of stopping thieves in the big de-
 partment stores at Christmas time is
 delicate business There is always the
 danger of accusing some one who IS in- nocent and in cases of that Kind It gen orally takes a deal of explaining ana
 apologizing to set matters straight. But
 MT Foote had given up good many 1 of his spare moments to the study of physioenony and human characte1is-
 tics. In fact, he could often by consld-
 ering the expression on person race tell what that person was thlnking or
 So he began with a good deal ot con fidence in himself to watch the people
 as they came and went through his de- | partment One day he stopped a Wo-
 man who had slipped pair ot gloves
 into her huff. The mere look in her
 eyes had told him that she was thief. l On another occasion he saw woman
 with an unrolled umbrella that seemed
 to bulge suspiciously down around the
 middle He found that she had slipped ! q SlINEl idll t9li e'ttN' N''' ~Nt''AN napkin rings into her cleverly arranged
 reeept acle. Triumphs of this kind were
 of almost daily occurrence, and Stand ] ish Foote was complimented by his em- 1 ployers. . l The foorwalker was leaning against a showcase, wondering if he was not
 entitled to q raise of salary for what he l had done. when his attention became | fixed upon a man about sixty years of
 age who kept hand carefully placed
 upon one of his overcoat pockets, which
 bulged like a terrier pup after tapping
 up a quart of milk Standish Foote had | the mans measure taken in moment. 1 There was something in his look that 1 said sneak" as plainly as it is printed here. He went from counter to counter, handling things and apparently watch l ing for an opportunity to take some of l them At last he reached the jeWelry | department and asked to be allowed to
 see some diamond rings. Foote stood
 behind him and told the clerk in panto- 1 mime that dangerous customer was being dealt with. The man saw the
 clerk nod her head and wink, so he | looked around, and seeing MT Foote
 motioning like an orchestra leader with
 a boil on his neck, at once began to l show signs of nervousness. moment | later he started toward the door. The | foorwalker realized that the time to act had arrived, and rushing forward said: l "Just a moment, please. I'd like to
 have you step back to the private office 1 with me
 l What for?" the man demanded, try l ing to edge little nearer the door. | No matter. You come with me, and the less fuss you make about it the bet | ter it'll be for you"
 l "I want you to explain yourself the
 stranger replied. Who wishes to see
 me in your private office?' l q do," said Standish Foote. Well. what's your husiness?"
 You know; what have you got in
 that pocket?'
 l The old man was scared. He tried to 1 back toward the door, but crowd had
 begun to gather, and a hunted look crept into his eyes,
 Foote was in his glory It was evil dent that he had made an important
 capture.
 :, After moments hesitation the thief said:
 Come on. I'll go to the private office with you
 ! When they got there the manager of | the store and detective were sent for i and in five minutes the criminal was commanded to empty his pockets. | Very nervous. and with a face that
 was as red as an anarchist flag, he be- 1 gan by taking out his knife and bunch l of keys and some loose change, when | the foorwalker said:
 | Come we don't care for those things Let's see what you have in that over | coat pocket"
 l The man hesitated and tried to stam-
 mer something Then he produced sev-
 eral packages One was labelled; Dye | for the hair and whiskers." Another was a lotion guaranteed to remove
 wrinkles and third contained hair | tonic warranted to cause a full growth | of hair on the baldest head in six weeks" There was also wash for the complexion and a massage glove with directions for filling out hollow cheeks and reducing habby chins, - not to men
 ton package of tablets for sweeten- l ing the breath,
 ! The manager and the detective looked ! helplessly at Foote, and the hoorwalker, 1 pale and wild-eyed, gazed at the pack | ages which had been unWrapped and l piled in front of him, As for the mis- | creant, he tried to avoid looking at any | body, and still had the general air of | one who would have been willing to jump through a window to get away. l At last Standish Foote asked 1 Why did you want to look at rings?" "I-I thought of buying one for the | girl-I mean the lady--I expect to mar
 ry.' the man replied little above a whisper
 Standish Foote wilted down into 1 chair the manager looked for ladder | on which to crawl out, and the detec 1 tive said;
 1 Well, if you're willing to let it go we'll agree not to say anything about | it."
 The compact was made and Standish 1 Foote returned to his work without tho l glad hope of receiving a raise of salary as a Christmas present Rec | ord-Herald.
 |Eu0AE