The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-05-11
sHoPLIFTING DoDGEs.
A saleswonlan Tells Some of Her .-. Novel Experiences.

A Saleswoman Tells Some of Her .-. s Novel Experiences.
 T tell you some of the women cus- toners down here are the smoothest, propositions when it comes to sur rounding things that you could picture in a hurry, remarked a pretty little dark-eyed shop. girl in a big down town store. She was sorting dainty lace stocks as she spoke, and used them in her gesticulating For the better em- phasis of her righteous indignation. Why, some of thenl," she went on earnestly, would freeze you, simply freeze you, They look all right, style and all the rest of it, and I'll bet they have money in their pockets, but they steal! Oh, my, how they steal:' Anything they can lay their hands on, whether they want tor not.
 "0f course, the old dodge of putting on gloves and taking up .handerchiefs and walking off with them is played out; so is the careless dropping of a huff on counter and then carrying off more than the huff. They don't do
 
 days. Our detectives have arrested too many of them. See, there's our head detective, now" She pointed out a stout, nliddle-aged women dressed in neat black, who was examining col ored embroideries at an adjoining counter with an attention which seemed complete.
 She's great" rattled on the pretty shop girl. @Spots them every time that is, whenever it's possible to spot them. But, say! How would you spot a woman who hauled things off the counters and dropped them in a little heap on the floor, hidden by a skirt, and picked them up under the pretense of tying her shoe And sometimes when you do spot them you can't ar rest them, and half the time you can't get the things back. saw woman take a $15 lace collar the other day, fold it up nicely inside her coat and go off with it. Well, that lace we got back. for we sent a detective out to the front of the store, and when my lady sailed out he walked up as polite as you please and requested her to forward the lace!
 But the case that got me was the ostrich. boa affair we had here. I had a pretty lot of boas tied on to show stand, with tags attached. We'll. this fine lady strolied up and examined them. I don't know how she man aged dt-they being tied on and all-b but she certainly got one of the ostrich boas off that stand and round her neck without a soul spotting her. Then out she marched, if you please, and the boa looked mighty becoming all but the tag hanging down her back. She had a black dress on, and the little square of cardboard did look so queer and white hanging down behind. Two of our men detectives followed her down the street. You could track that while tag a mile and three-quarters way. She went into restaurant. But ' do you know. they couldn't arrest that creature. They'd nothing but our word to go on, and they don't accept saleAladies' testimony against cus- toner's apparently, in the law" The pretty shop girl shipped and pushed a tray of gay neckWear under the glass top of the counter. And though they could see the boa and see the tag, they couldn't have her up, and we never saw that feather boa again.
 T don't believe any one has any idea of how much shoplifting goes on in the big houses. It simply jars you silly. But as I say, what gets me is that { half the time they get off scot free, and keep the things. Yes, ma'am, did you tsay you wanted a feather boar, and | she turned to smile, with a certain yelled suspicion, upon an innocent looking customer. Kansas City Star.