The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-12-22
Characteristic Of the Crookedness
Of San Francisco.
LITTLE GIRLS ARE ARRESTED
A School Organized Where Girls Are
Taught the Art of Stealing
Goods From the Various
Stores in Bay City.

San Francisco, Dec. st,-The police
have found. right In the heart Of san
Francisco, what they declare is a
school Of shoplifting. In that school
women, il is said. have been taught
with painstaking care TO go into the
big stores and steal clothes and gar
mants-steal them with such skill that
a watchman's eye would not be able
to detect them in the act. And TINS
is no story OF Fagin and his school for
pickpockets-no tale from the brain of
a novelist-but hard fact In the
Christian city Of San Francisco and
in the unimaginative year of 1904.
This school. where. the police allege,
crime was taught by criminals, was In
fiat ID at 5i3 Larkin street, between
Turk and Eddy streets. That is no
noisome den up reeking alley. II is
a medern fiat, on modern street. with
cable cars continually changing by. 1t
is not far from the great city hall,
where the solemn judges sit dispensing
varigated justice. But when the po-
lice pounced upon the place they ar
rested six persons there-three men
and tnrae women-the instructors and
the pupils.
The women were Lizzie Pierce, Maria
Wagstaff and Bertha Allen. The men
were 8, H. Hook. ]. WagstaH and l. c.
Robertson--the last named said to hold
nosition as janitor in the city hall
The six are now on the detenue book
while the police are looking further
into their methods.
Already goods worth $500 have oeeh
recovered-goods that the pupils OF
that school of crime had lifted. the de-
tectives say, from the counters Oh
Weinstock, Lubin & Co., Prayers, the
Emporium and r. d, Davis Co. OF
this city. and the Eastern Quitting
Company Of Oakland. The search
goes on for more.
When Lizzie Pierce was arrested
she sparkled with diamonds worth at
least $1,000. She said they had been
given TO her by former husband. The
police are of opinion that she lifted
them as she lifted valuable articles OF
wearing apparel The loot Of the gang
was secured inside of two weeks, SC
some idea may be had of the industry
of the pupils of that strange school.
Two weeks ago the fiat was rented
Ii was at once fitted UP with dummy
counters and shelves. On these were
placed dry goods and garments. The
men gave the women lessons in how
to take the goods and garments from
the shelves and counters. While the
men stood off like watchmen in q
store, the women walked up and down
taking the things and secreting them
under their garments. II they bungled
so the men could detect them in the
act, they were forced to try again and
again. just as students are made to &c
over and over some task on which they
have stumbled. When the women
acted with superior skill, making il
impossible to detect them at their
work, they were encouraged and APP
plauded.
The women became so expert that
they could secret under their clothing
heavy blankets and give no token to
a watching eye that anything was
amiss The blankets were the ulti-
mate test. When they could be Sc
cured the pupil was ready for gradu-
alton into the practice Of crime. The
woman who could grab blanket with
three men on watch without being
caught in the act was turned out as
skilled shoplifter.
And so the school of shoplifting was
conducted right In the center of the
city, on the street with the cable cars,
and not far from the great city hall
where the judges sit. But the trained
eyes Of Detectives Ryan and Wolters
had found that there was more than
the usual shoplifting in the crowded
stores. They soon were on trail On
Wednesday night they arrested Lizzie
Pierce in all her glitter Of diamonds,
and S. H. Hook. Then they slowly un-
rayelled the threads of the strange
story Of the school Of shop-liftng.