New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-19
JAIL FOR SHOPLTFTERS.
Crusade against These Petty Grim
inals Begun an Earnest.

The determination OF the Retail Dry Goods AS
ISOLATION to stamp out shoplifting by making an
appearance in each case and insisting on the pun
ishment provided by law resulted yesterday in a
man and a being sent to the Tombs. Both
of those sentenced could have proved their re-
spectability. and under the old way of treating
shopifters would probably have been let off with a
light fine a reprimand.
Thomas f. Wentworth. attorney OF the associa-
ton. said TO Tribune reporter that this new move
was IN no way in the nature OF a bluff. He de-
ClaTed that the twenty-three stores in New-Yors
and Brooklyn represented In the association lost
from 100000 to 100000 every year by shoplifdng
and that they were determined put stop to II.
John g. Church. sxty-three years DID, was the
first shoplifter TO suffer the imprisonment penalty
which the judges have decided TO impose in future
shopifting cases. He charged with taking a
pair of eyeglasses from a Broadway department
store. The property found on him when he
arrested. He said In explanation:
Il am not guilty but l absentminded at
times"
His attorney put in a plea of kleptomania, and
declared that Church not responsible for his
acts. Justice Wyatt sentenced him to thirty days
in the TOmbs. making this comment:
This court has decided from now to penalze
shopfters just do any common, ordinary
thief The high social standing this particu
lar prisoner him in this case. II YOU his
counsel think him insane. you should appeal to
a city magistrate and have his sanity inquired
into. This court is going to send to prison every
person convicted Of stealing. especially from big
department stores"
Later in the day R. Lawrence Church's counsel
appeared before Magistrate Cornell, in the Tombs
court and asked for an examination as 70 his
clients sanity Although the magistrate knew the
prisoner well schoOlmate, he said he could do
nothing until he had served the thirty days sem
tence imposed by the Court Of Special Sessions.
Louise Roberts. housekeeper. of No. 1863 West
Forty-third-st.. was charged with stealing four
yards of velvet, valued at s. 80. from big Sixth
ave. store. She sentenced TO thirty days In the
TombS without any alternative of paying fine.
a third shopliftng prisoner, who said she was
Mrs. Kate Smith. of No. 10 West Fortieth-st. was
charged with stealing a pin and d clock from an
other Sixth-ave store She was much worked up
over her arrest. She had the friendship OF
Mrs. Ferris. Salvation Army missionary.
Il know this woman" said Mrs. Ferris. pleading
with the court for her release. She Is not
thief. Her hands hard from toll, and l am
she did not mean to take these things l ask
mercy by the court in this case
Before the dryEoods association took its present
stand this plea would undoubtedly have had some
weight Lewis Lowensten. representing the as
ISOLATION. present. and declared that the time
for mercy TO shoplifters had passed. He asked the
court to hold the woman for trial Magistrate
Whitman said that he had no choice but to hold
her and that the association justified in taking
the stand it did.