Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-28
Advice to Women Shoppers.

Pickpockets have found women's hand
bags such lucrative field that thew are
working wholesale on the shoppers now
adays says the chief detective of large
department store. land believe that more
women have been robbed of both large and
small sums Of money at this season than
ever before. For there is scarcely dav
that l do not get several complaints OF
stolen purses or of money taken from bags.
and know that this srobbing Is going on
all over the shopping district.
Unfortunately most of this petty thievine
is done by women, and well-dressed ones.
TOO, VINO ride up and down in the elevators
When they are crowded, or who get in
crowds around busy counters and deftIv
open bags and cleverly fish out bills. change
or purse without the owner even suspect
ing tnat she is being relieved of her money
Only yesterday smart looking. well
gowned woman entered an elevator that was
iuil or women, and before the floor above
was reached she had opened the bag Of the
person standing next to her and had ex-
tracted SO bill. She fumbied in getting
out the money, however, and the owner
screamed that she was being robbed and
n nIJuSeu h Inc dasnonapie-iookirg woman of
denied. and in the confusion dropDed the
bill. One of the employees whoNw also in
the car had seen the whole operation and
stepped forward ready to call helm and
have the pickpocket arrested. but the
woman, who had by this time recovered her
money, while declaring that the thievine in
dividual should be locked up, refused to
make complaint against her and have her
arrested. So the wrongdoer was allowed
to go free.
Because so few women will make COM
plant even when a thief is caught red
handed and with the money, we have little
chance to punish these criminals. and as
they grow holder with every theft. and
especially each time they get away free,
the idea Of curbing their practices is az
most hopeless.
They come into the stores and stand
back from counter, yet close enough to
see where women put their loose bills
change or pocketbooks, and then, having
located the base for operations. they glide
UP to their prey, quickly unfasten the
clasp and get out the money before the
owner is even aware that some one has
brushed against her or before she has time
to shift the position of the bag after put
ting away her bills received from the shop
girl.
while know Of no new lodges that
ptckpockets are working, yet ! am conf
dent that few OF them ever attempt to
take watches. brooches or rings. because
most OF these are fastened so securely to
the body or portion of frock that RE
heving" the wearer would cause comm0.
ton. Then, too. they are clever enough
to know that jewelry is readily identified,
Of detection except where bills or coins
have been marked for Identification Then,
too, unless there are witnesses, one woman's
word Is quite as good as anothers, and If
one person accuses and the other denies
who can prove that one is a thief, though
the other has lost her purse?
The average woman shopper really en-
courages pickpockets by leaving her purse
on q counter while she turns her back and
In the coat and suit departments purses