The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-17
WOMEN SLEUTHS IN DEMAND.
STORES, FACTORIES, HOTELS. ALL
NAVE NEED OF THEN.
Supply Not Great EnOugh-Ty pical case
Of the Training Of \ Store Detective
Clever Work In Factories Good
Character One Requisite for Success.


| Just now the woman detective is almost
| scarce. That Is due mainly to the in
creased demand for her services
The demand Ia especially hard to supply
because there is no school for training
women detectives. They just happen.
One Of the most successful store detectives
in New York began her training when she
was ~. First she was a cash girl in one
of the large department stores. She was
a saleswoman al the age Of TO-
She always kept her eyes open and before
she had been many days behind the coun-
ter she caught a woman stealing From
time to time thereafter she detected other
shopliftere. She accomplished feat which
at once stamped her as q detective Of no
ordinary merit.
For many weeks small articles had been
disappearing. A detective worked upon
the case day after day. but in vain. The
other saleswomen In the department had
been there long and apparently were above
suspicion. At any rate no evidence could
be obtained against them by the detective.
Just as in sheer desperation he was about
to arrest the night Waterman the amateur
Of the brown eyes made discovery that
NuOnSi tlit- hIIcsl VI tlS ICdu SAitS"oiiah
| in the department and the finding Of most
of the stolen goods. Az a result she was
soon after asked to accept the post Of store
detective-a post, by the way, she was one
| Of the first women to fill.
| The rise OF the woman store detective
has been rapid. Ten years ago very few
of even the largest establishments thought
of employing her: to-day 1t is hard to find
ono where she is not Some of the more
conservative firms held out against the
woman detective until year ago. There
! is still one In New York which employs
only men detectives.
One of the largest department stores
employs two women detectives the year
round, ard sometimes third at the holi-
day season, This gems the more remark
able when it Ia understood that none OF
these women takes the place of man
detective, that they merely supplement
the work OF the men, and that few If any
| ever attempt to make an arrest.
II the force Of women store detectives
has been increased and the male force has
not been reduced, it may be inferred that
| differing In the shops has increased. and,
moreover. taken on new features with
which women are better fitted to cope
than men. Probably for the reason that
women do most Of the shopping it happens
that most Of the pilfering is done by women,
some Of whom are professional shoplifters,
fertile in tricks 10 deceive the men and
women hired to catch them.
The woman detective on bargain counter
days is invaluable. On such occasions,
outskirts of a crowd and peering over
women's shoulders with interest at apparel
essentially feminine is apt to awaken suH-
| pcion. whereas woman detective may
rub elbows with her suspects without the
latter being bit the wiser. and afterward
point them out to the man detective, who
makes the arrest outside OF the building.
As one of the detectives explained:
We gave mp long ago trying to arrest
we saw them take the goods or not, for the
| reason that they would crawl out OF the
| hole by dsolafing that they were merely
taking the goods to better light for e1-
animation OF that they absen 1ta minded!
and 30 on. Afterward some OF them were
nervy enough to turn around and sue the
firm for defamation Of character
1.-The way we manage now is to wait
until the women are in the street. and then
ask them to accompany US back to the
| office. whore they are searched by woman I.
| or course. before pilferer, whether she is
an amateur or professional. leaves store
| she Will nave concealed ner DOoty soHle-
' where on her person.
[ Women detectives are more in demand
| now then they have ever been before
| demand.
women who were born and brought up In
crowded section OF New York and who be-
gan to earn their living very young. A
country-bred girl has little chance Of win
ming laurels in the profession
\ i. e. -. 10. -
where wearing apparel Of any kind ia manu-
featured now employs a woman detective,
said member OF one of the largest detective
agencies Of New York. THAT is necessary
to stop the leakage Of materials.
must be aware Of her identity, or her Use
| fulness is at once at an end. The factory
| detective is hired ostensbly to do some
| part OF the factory work. and she does II.
! too, meanwhile moving about among the
other women and getting to know them all.
Whatever discoveries she makes are
| told to her employer only who in turn never
| let's the suspects learn the source OF his
information against them:
! ITO be a successful factory detective
requires an absolute control of ones tongue
| "A hard task to set a woman-an almost
omnipresent eye and good Judgment. In
! one factory for instance. where friend OF
forewoman, Il was found that considerable
sewing silk was disappearing. not by the
SPOOL. exactly. but in smaller quantities.
| FOR a time the detective was puzzled.
Finally she noticed that the shortage hap
pened more often In blue silk than In any
other color, and from that she fell TO paying
particular attention to a girl who displayed
a peculiar fondness for blue. She wore
blue ribbons nearly always, and liked blue
gowns she confessed, better than any
.On some pretext or other the assistant
| forewoman, so called. had the girl trans
ferred to anot her room for one week, during
which. as abe quite expected. the leakage
of blue silk stopped. A few days later,
when the girl was discharged. her en-
nloyer telling her he had reason TO believe
She had been stealing she made no de-
fence whatever.
Another place where the services Of a
woman detective are becoming more and
moro In demand ia at the crush receptions
given in the homes of tho rich, especially
When there ia big display OF wedding
preeen,s to he shown 10 guests. 1T Is a
well-known fact that no end OF thieving
is done in tho dressing rooms OF private
houses at elaborate functions and that
on such occasions valuable furs. street
garments and even jewels have dieap-
feared from under the very noses OF their
owners
Under such circumstances set woman
to catch a woman and the results are better
OF course no arrests ever take place, any
exchange or appropriation OF garments or
Jewels which goes, on during these p7vate