The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-07-05
rhty Claim That They We're Taught Hsv
to Steal Things From Stores
But they GOT CAUGHT
Arrested in a Department Store Tell
Strange Tale on Instruction M
shoplifting.-Won Prizes in shape
*
of Sticks Of Candy for Proficiency
in Stealing.

The New York World says the
pretty, starched> frocks of two girls,
each about ten years old. with anoth-
er girl, about three toddling between
them, attracted the eye of Miss Marie
Young detective, in the Greenhut-
Siegel Cooper Company~store at 18th
street and Sixth Avenue Friday after:
noon. At the lingerie counter, Miss
Young says, she saw one OF the girls.
hide slip in her sleeve. A moment
later the other took a similar gar
ment, the detective says
She followed them and saw them;
take garment after garment making.
frequent trips to the waiting room.
Finally Miss Young invited the chill;
dren to the Office, where Miss Young
asserts she found s9.37 worth OF.
silk and linen slips pinned under the
older girls skirts and one silk, gar
Eent pinned to the little chil6s dresa.s
At the police station, where they
were taken, the older girls said they
were Helen Stewart and Helen Hen:
wood Of No. 421 West Th,rty-ninths
street, and the baby was Agnes Han:
ley, Of the same address. When
charged with stealing one OF the girls.
said earnestly: -
ttNo, mister, We didn't take the
things. Some one just put them
there" @
The police then gave up their ef-
forts to learn anything and took the.
three to the Chl:dren's Society.
From the time the smallest gir!
reached the station house she began
to cry for her mother and father.
All attempts to comfort her failed.
The detectives went out to look mp
the address, which was found to be-
fictitious. This was about nine p. NJ
Soon after they left the West Forty
seventh street station called up: the
Gerry agents and asked If they had
a lost child there, giving a description
Of Agnes. An hour later Edward Ah-
earn, a city fireman, and his distract
ed wife, appeared at the Gerry rooms.
When they saw Agnes there was no
need for Identification. The mtoher
seized the baby in her arms, crying
Historically.
Mr.. Ahearn said she had missed
Agnes in the afternoon, and neigh
bors told her that two little girls had
taken the child away as if for a walk.
The next morning the baby's COM
panions were arraigned in the Chill
dren's Court before, Judge Hoyt-
There "Helen Stewart" said she was
Helen Birmingham, of No. 541 West
Fiftieth street, and the other said
she was MARY Murch, No. GAL West
Fifty-seeond street. These names
and addesses were verified by the
detectives.
After telling their right names the
police say the two girls told them
the following amazing story: They
had been taught to steal by a Mrs.
Kiernan, who lives in West Fiftietu
street. With other girls about their
same age they had received regular
course in shop1ifting. To make them
proficient in the art their instructor.
they said, converted her parlor into
a shop. Tables and chairs were plac-
ed in the centre Of the room to rep
resent counters, which were covered
with ribbons and various articles OF
wearing apparel. Then they were
told they would "play store" The
woman's 15-year-old daughter acted
as the store detective.
"You come in as if to buy" the
girls say their instructor told them,
and the one who can take the most
without being caught will receive
stick of candy"
The two children boasted that they
had won four sticks Of candy In sue
cession, although the girls pitted
against in the contest Of wits were
much older. Encouraged by this
achievement, the detectives say the
girls told them, they decided to work
for themselves" instead Of for their
instructor and deserted the school
and successfully pilfered articles
from several shops.
Woman Starve to Death.
For the second time within forty