Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-07-09
THE MANUFACTURING
JEWELLERS VS.. THIEVES
Large Element OF Trust in Business, But
1t Seldom is Violated by the
WOrkmen - Clever Schemes
OF Dishonest Men.

looks out for the safes of retail stores.
insuring their contents and running
down robbers. II keeps track Of
crooks and makes Il business of in
forming the trade abnut any new
lodges of jewel thieves.
For the retailer still has his trou-
bleS. In spite Of detective agencies. OF
mechanical devices and of education
in the ways Of crooks they are still
The point Of attack. Tho alliance re-.
ported last year about 800 robberies of
retail stores.
~ big retail store protects itself by
a dozen mechanical devices which the
public never notices. To begin with,
there arc The mirrors which nowadays
back up the counters Of nearly every
hig retail store. The careless observer
supposes that they are for ornament
MOI mt all. They are To enable the
clerk TO watch customers even when
his back is turned
Again, any store which is ut all care.
full has its show cases built solid to
the ilnnr-not raised on legs For an
old game with jewel sncakS is to
creep under the counter nj n time
when there. are few in the store and
open a case while Il confederate is
holding the clerks attention. Many
stores nave the front door connected
10y an electrical apparatus To push hut
tons behind their counters, SO that the
door may he closed from far back in
the store in case sneak tries dash
No jewclcr who is wise will have his
front door latch SO arranged that it can
he fastened from the outside. since
this is Il trick of window smashcrs.
TO beat these window smashcrs jcw-
clcrs used to fastcn an iron grating
inside the show window This spells
the display, and Il better plan is to
have Il second and stronger pane of
glass set few inches inside The first
This device is Invisible unless one is
looking for il, and the force of IL
| brown brick, in nincty-ninc eases ont
of IA hundred. will smash only the ont
or window. The bottoms and sides Of
show windows are often lined with
iron To beat the window thief who cuts
through 10 the display. 1t is consider.
eh nnwisc To display window goods in
| rays, since this gives the window
smaShcr chance to make n hig haul
in one grab.
In patent tray, su made that only
one ring can hr taken out nj n time.
This cuts Oft The sneak who smugglcs
| rings from a tray into handkerchief
or umbrella. 1t is the custom to show
| larger articles only one ut time. lcav-
ing the trays inside the showcase.
The jewellers have never found any
satisfactory way of beating the penny
weightcrs.' those sncaks who visit the
store in rush hours and substitute a
worthless imitation for n genuine ar
ticlc. Eternal vigilance is the only
way of dealing with them.
About Maiden lane there is n CON
tinual police Gordon AT least two
headquarters detectives and several
private watchmcn are in the district
all day. or course, The larger stores
all have their regular store detectives.
Against thicving employees the big
stores have no real protection except
careful choosing Sometimes clerks
and heads Of departments are placed
under bonds. In establishments OF
modern size every article is counted,
catalogncd and checked OF when tho
stock is put into the safes at night.
This method is too cumbersome for tho
great establishments There the own.
ers must always take more or less
risk
Yet they say al the Offices of the two
indemnity companies that thefts by
employees in retail stores are snrpris-
ingly nncommon.-New York Sun.