The daily Alaskan., 1909-08-30
STEALING IN STORES,
The Ingenuity That Is Shown by
 the Woman Thief,
TRICKS OF TIE SHoPLlFTER.

Their Very Simplicity,
 AS numerous as they are ingenious are the tricks of the modern shopllft. CTS. declare store detectives, IL teers the detectives busy 10 "gct on" to thc devices or the men and women who live by their wits in stealing from stores For tricks that arc canny few classes of criminals. lt Is said. ap, preach them.
 | Tho method of stealing by using tho satchel with false bottom is o1c ot the clcvercSt of the tricks.
 Well disguised, tho shopliftcr enters a store. Her eyes run over thc coun- terS She pcrcclvcs the object she wauts-uSuauy something small and valuable, sometimes a purse custom CT has left lying on the counter.
 Over the object the shopliiter places her satchel. Pretending Co delvc into the satchcl to extract purse or hand kerchicf. the thief lirrs a false bottom | in the bag. reaches under it, draws in- side the desired article, adjusts tho i false bottom, closes the Satchel and 1 walks away.
 rRut this is only one of many clever ruScS employed" declared a detective | the other day, "Thc women especially i are ingenious, Their dress, of course, helps them,
 "Onc of tho methods of stealing is ! for the shopHrtcr to have slit In her ! dress near tho belt. As she stands near the counter she can dertly, seize the article desired, be it piece of ncc or costly fabric or bit ot icwelry, ] and slip it into the skirt Tho folds Of the skirt arc voluminous and conceal ! the thing stolen,
 some tricks arc successful because of their simplicity. X fashiouahly dressed woman may walk into tho ] clothing departments look over coat suits, pick up one, fold it neatly up | place it under her coat and walk away.
 "IC she is detected she will indig nautly declare that she bought the suit some time before aud thot she has | brought it back to bc altered
 "Or woman, her hands glitteying with rings and dressed lu the latest style, may walk Into tbS store some winter day she wears only rich coat of dark fabric
 "ln the coat department she win ask . NHH.H.sH .fFn Ha very particular and tries on one after another. Other customers come up, and the SalcSlady gets busy with them while madam Is trying to suit herself,
 While the Salcslady is turned she puts on one of the richest sable trim med coats, turns on her heel and walks away. Perhaps the salesgiri may not notice the loss until there is an account of stock.
 Each month from fifty to sixty ar rests are made Tn tho average large ! department store. The detectives must ] be extremely carcruL for false charge ! would prccipitatc a suit for damages, which would mean many thousands.
 "Ccrtan dcparunentS hold especial lures for shoplirtcrs. Tho jcwclry dc. partmcnt is invariably guarded. When the furS come m we have SlcuthS who keep their eyes open for the woman who likes to take a fur Co the window to examine it. then running for the ! door; the woman with the false skirt and the woman who puts fur on and | audaciouSly walks away"
 Although Che sales departments and ' the detective departments work to- gcthcr, there exists between them a spirit Of justidabIe rivalry 1T a dc, tcctive pcrvclvcs some one getting away with goods it casts diScredit on the person behind thc counter from which the goods were stolen. There ! fore the sales folk keep an alert watch for Shoplifters.
 One might Imagine that goods are dumped pcumcu on the counters of the big stores As a matter or fact, Che efficient salcslady will have everything so arranged that she win notice the disappearance of an article almost in,- mcdiatcly.
 If a SalcSwoman suspects a person she immediately notifies the head de- tcctivc. IT it is a woman, a woman detective is usually put on thc job. lt Is said store managers usually 0nd women moro efficient than mon,
 Few arrests are over made in tho stores, as an arrest gives only unde- Sirablc publicity. The detective usual ly follows suspected persons from the store and arrests him or her outside,
 It is said that arrests for shopllftlng In New York exceed 5000 a year. In that city fuu description oc all shop filters caught are sent lo the Retail Dry Goods association, which In turn distributes the Information to the va- rlouS members.
 Only by concerted action and with highly organized storrs Of detectives can the stores cope with the Ingenious shopliftcrS.
 The detective system of Che biz stores. however, Is now SO perfect that It Is dangerous to attempt shop H .a