The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-12-04
LONDON sHoPLIFTERs.
Them at Autumn Sales.

Them at Autumn Sales.
" Please let us have detective for
our autumn sale
THAT is the kind of request the Com
missioner of Police has in dozens just
about this time"
The speaker was a well known Lon
don detective.
"Most people imagine shops have
their own detectives; but this is very
rarely the case. As such times as they
are needed they rely on the regular
detective force. For many years
have done special duty, as 1t is called,
at various sales in most of the big
West End shops. A detective in the
force, as you may know, has two holt
! days month-alternate Sundays. To
go on a special job he has to sacrifice
one of his Sundays to make up for the
weekday he is away. Such jobs are his
own private business, for which he is
paid by the shop employing him-a
guinea day and refreshment.
Before a sale all the shop assistants
are in formed that a detective is c5m-
| ing. 1t is not possible to make his per-
sonalty known to every assistant by a
formal Introduction, SO word rs given
out that, at a certain time, he will
walk through the shop accompanied
by the manager In this way he is re-
cognized, and any assistant will know
where to find him in case he is want
ed Suppose, for example, that an az
! sistant has suspicious of particular
customer. She goes towards the spot
where the detective is stationed. un-
der pretence Of getting a bill signed,
and let's him know that he is wanted.
Then it is understood that the first per-.
son she addresses when she gets back
to her place is the ssupect The de-
/ tective closely watches her, and draws
his own conclusions.
"The autumn sales offer particularly
good scope to the shoplifter, because
the cold weather enables her to wear
her big cape, under cover of which she
commits her theft, as a natural course.
expect you know how they work
They hold up a garment or fur If
their right hand, and under cover of it
gently draw the stolen article off the
counter with their left hand, quickly
Isecreting it under the cape. Shoplifter
work generally in twos and threes.
They never retain a stolen article. A
slight kick of the foot is a signal for
the confederate next them to take it,
and so it is gradually and cleverly
passed to a woman who is yards away
from the counter, and could not be ac-
cursed Of taking anything from it.
"a shoplifter's cape is truly
wonderful thing, and has as many
pockets as a poacher's coat. AS soon
as thief gets away with stolen pro-
perty she gets rid of as quickly as
possible. How? Well, at a receiver
During sale times many Of these re-
ceiyers' houses are closely watched
The women know they are under vigil
liant eyes, and don't attempt to go near
They get hold Of street urchin. Here
Tommy d'you want to earn tuppence?
Then just run roun to Mrs Whatever
iher-name-is, and tell her lady would
like to see her in the Red Lion The
receiver goes there, the. property
changes hands, as also does the agreed
cash consideration, and Mrs Receiver
issues forth with the greatly reduced
bargains hung on hooks under hel
skirt,
"All the notorious shoplifters are per
fectly well known to us. ! have seer
at sales and bazaars, and am sure they
have gone off with articles at different
times, but of course, could do nothing
They must be caught in the act 1t i.
amazing to me how successfully they
work On the stage and in fiction the
shoplifter is quite a superior person
In real life she is the lowset type o.
women possible. They all come from
the East End. They are common il
appearance, in manners, in everything
"Why do you think a shopliftet
would dare go back home with he
cape? Not she, She goes to a public
house, takes it off, and wraps it up ii
bundle Just before a sale she take!
! it in a Newspaper parcel and leaves 1t il
a cloak rom near the big West shops
Before going into action her little bo,
or girl calls for mothers parcel bring
it to a bar and therefrom she issues il
full war-paint, seeking what she ma,
/ convey. That's how it is done, sir
| Answers.