Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-03-24
SP0TT|NG CRIMINALS.
Plans Of London Shops and Banks
For FoiIinQ Thieves.
A CODE Of SECRET SIGNALS.

The Moment a Suspect 10 Discovered
In an Establishment Re Warning 10
Quickly Given to the Employees. Who
Are Instantly on the Alert.
do you know If Brown has returned
that parcel Of stones YETI"
The scene may be the shop Of fash
ionable west end jeweler. Costly
frock coated shopman turns casually
to another with the perfectly natural
question quoted above.
To those customers who may be In
the establishment the remark means
nothing, but: to the man who Is ad:
dressed it spells volumes. Brown" is
a secret code word, and It means that
the elegantly clad woman to whom
the speaker is displaying a tray OF
sparkling stones is suspected by him
Of being a thief and that her every
action must be watched.
Quite recently I'm connection with
terrible outrage in the west end OF
London, Tn which m unfortunate mon
ey changer was done to death in his
Office by desperate robber. the fact
was disclosed that I'm the case OF
sudden attack It had been arranged
that one Of the assistants should en-
ploy the distress signal" Of hurting
brass paperweight. through the WIN
dow Of the Office.
Although most people are quite IN
aware of the fact, practically every
banker, money changer and jewe1er
in the fashionable quarter Of the me-
tropolis has some prearrnnged code by
which one employee may warn his
fellows that dubious character has
entered the establishment
In one well known bank this IL the
system adopted: Should a cashier 8
suspicious be aroused by the actions
or speech Of man upon the other
side Of the counter he will step across
in a perfectly innocent way to a GER
tain desk which stands quite apart
from the others. The custodian at the
doorway sees the action, knows Its
significance and is instantly on the
alert.
In the case of another bank the
cashier whose suspicious are aroused
need not even move away from his
desk to warn the watcher. The
scheme employed is this: Along the
guarding rail of the counter are Sc
ries Of plates bearing the woro
"Prayer' or Receiver" according to
the duties of the cashier in each par
ticular section.
These. by design. are all placed
slightly askew. Should one of the Of
hcials behind the desks suspect the
good faith of an individual to whom
he is attending all he has to do in or
der to place the patrol in uniform
upon the qui vive IS to reach up
leisurely hand and turn one Of these
plates so that it Is in perfectly
straight line with the rail from which
it projects.
The ingenuity Of this idea lies in the
fact that, while the action is perfectly
natural. it is 80 unmistakable that even
when the bank is full Of people it can
not fail to be observed by the mar
who Is upon the lookout.
Quite the most elaborate system OF
which details are obtainable is that In
stalled by a firm of electrical engineers
for one prominent west end jeWeler
The manager who is on duty sits at
glass screened desk in the rear OF the
shop in such a position that. while
scarcely being seen himself and Ger
he has an absolutely unimpeded vie"
of every counter and show case.
Near him, on a small board. shielded
from view, is a row of tiny red electric
light bulbs. One corresponds to the
position Of each Of the suave assist
ants who attends to the wants OF the
Jewel buying public. Sunk in the floor
near the foot Of each assistant. Is
button, and his duty is done when
should he think customer he is serv'
ing may not be Ion the square" he
places his foot on this convenient but
ton. The little glow lamp lights up at
the other end Of the wire. and the
managers attention is promptly TO
cused in the direction indicated.
Should his keen scrutiny reveal ar
actual theft from the articles displayed
on the counter or from some unpro
tected tray he himself presses but
ton as the thief turns to leave the
shop. This serves to warn smart at
tendant who is on duty at the portals
and the wrongdoer finds his or hel
pathway barred without word hav'
ING been uttered or sign Of warning
given.-London Answers.