The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-03-10

the time. When we caught the woman
who carried this, she had il filled with
costly stockings and lace. They gen
orally carry a bag of some kind beneath
| their coat. Here is a small black one
that we took from one litter. 1t is, as
you see, a common affair that can be
| pulled tight at the neck by a string.
She carried this just inside the opening
OF her coat, and under the cover of her
muir had been very busy dropping
small articles of jewelry into il when we
| spotted her. Speaking of muffs, they
are the best friend the litter has 1t
is the easiest trick i'm the world to rest
| the muff on the counter and engage a
salesgirl in conversation while the hand
Is pushed through the muff and kept
at work drawing articles from the
counter into the safe hiding place of the
| hand-warmer The girls behind the
counter can scarcely be expected to
have eyes enough to see the lightning
like movements of the hand as it darts
| out of the muff and back again with
its stealings. and it would be necessary
to employ an army corps of detectives
| TO watch the actions of all suspected
| persons in the store.
The third-hand game is worked re-
peatedly and is very difficult toadetect
The litter uses an artificial hand her
real hand being hidden beneath her cape
or cloak To the unsuspecting eyes OF
the salesgirl or observant floorwalker
the woman at the counter has both
hands in plain view. and both are per-
fectly still The artificial hand is, of
course gloved, exactly like the real
| hand that it is supposed to be the fellow
! to. and as it rests on the counter or Is
| clasped in the other it looks so natural
that detection is almost impossible. But
while this innocent-loOking, neatly
gloved hand rests in plain sight. the
hand beneath the cloak is reaching for
everything that is worth stealing and
passing 1t quickly and easily into the
bag beneath the cloak.
When the litter has made her haul
she raises in a dignified manner and
marches off, the hidden hand closely
concealed and the false one looking as
natural as life. A common trick of the
litter is to walk to a mirror to try on a
skirt, watch her opportunity and escape
wearing the skirt. The other day we
arrested a woman who was wearing no
less than six skirts that she had picked
up IN her days campaign Clever lift
ers VIII stand at a counter side by side.
One will reach around with her hand
hidden by the others coat, pick up ar
ticles of value from the counter and
drop them into the open bag at the
other woman's belt. The beauty of this
trick is that the one with the wander
ing hand is almost invariably bounced
upon, while the woman with the bag
escapes in the confusion. Result: Ar
rest, indignant protest, search, nothing
found, detective or flOOrwalker covered
with confusion and chagrin
THE suit case trick is another clever
device. The suit case used is bottomless
and is usually carried by crooks who
prowl around railroad stations Many
careless travellers leave their suit cases
on the platform or on the floor of a
waiting room while they purchase a
ticket or seek information a the bureau
window. Along comes the crook with
the bottomless suit case, drops the case
over the top of the one that lies un-
watched on the floor, lights a cigar or
does some little stunt TO convince any
one looking al him that he merely drop
ped his own suit case for such a pur-
pose. and when he leaves the victim $
case Will go with him, caught up inside
by his bOttOmless bag. Lifters adopted
this plan with success Their bottom
less grips rest on the counter and pinch
off all kinds of things that vanish as
though reduced to ether, while no one
sees the going of them. One has to be
very sure before accusing a woman of
SIMPLIFYING. Even when we are certain
an article was Intentionally taken, il is
difficult to prove. and enforced restitu-
ton is the only remedy"