Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-30
SHOPLIFTERS' ROAD
Is GETTING HARDER,
GIRL SLEUTH SAYS
Miss Margaret Leighton, Only
10, Tells How She Protects
Store and Shoppers
SHE is A LUCKY FIND"
Department Manager Discovered Her
BY Accident-How the
Detectives Work

although there Is always man at
the head Of the detective service of a
department store, our force consists Of
women mainly. Men are so conspicuous
in n department store and can't seem to
learn how to wander gracefully and
saunter about doing nothing" explained
the general manager of one of the city's
biggest stores.
"a store detective In many instances
Is n lucky find our best woman, Miss
Margaret Leighton, was n girl at exchange
two years ago. She lost her handbag
in the dressing room and In telling me
Of her loss | recognized the qualities that
so as to make n good detective. Let Miss
Leighton speak for herself"
Miss Leighton came into the office, cool
and dainty in white blouse and skirt,
and wide brimmed straw hat. Only 10
years old, she admitted and about five
feet in height
"Eight-tenths of the shoplifters are
women" she said; that Is, those who
are casual offenders. with the profess
sionals the figures are almost the re-
verse. And after n little practice It's an
easy matter to catch them. No matter
how experienced the shoplfter she
can't help looking around to see If her
neighbors are paying attention TO her.
She carries folded newspaper, an empty
bag and here are two of the cleverest ar
rangements we have found"
one was box, evidently carefully
wrapped up in brown paper. and the four
corners of one end of the paper were
sealed with red wax. But one side of the
box opened, and the shoplifter slipped
under this flap the articles desired. a
more complex tool was large square
box resting on u fiat package. The box
was easily lifted from it's foundation and
showed that it had only three sides. This
was a particularly useful receptacle for
books
Several boxes of photographs with his
tories attached are filed in this office.
Also eapons-revolvers knuckles, etc.
taken from the men. Every shoplifter
who Is sentenced ia kept track of and
looked out for on his release
81 don't think our customers realize
how much trouble we take to protect
them" Miss Leighton said. "for shop
lifters lift from them as well as from us.
At sales times the customer suffers most.
And we increase our force In this way.
We station men with hawkshaw side
whlskers. and we advise them to act like
a story-book detective. They must snoop
around and eye everybody. Women are
used here I'm the same fashion. They
must watch every one leaning against
the counters and act so ostentatiously
that the most casual observer will dis
cover that she is n detective The real
ones YOU never notice.
But it's the customers own handbag
that is the object of our care.
"G look after a we'll dressed woman.
who carries plump hand bag and often
arrive in time to scare off a sneak thief.
"Of course, would not be able to hold
a man or n woman If they tried TO run
away from me when | asked them to
come to the office. but the other day,
when n man would not stop, | called stop
thief and the crowd held him for me.
sometimes l think If the cunning, sue
cessful sneak thiefs uses We're given to
another work, he or she would land at
the top In short time. Most of the
people we find are degenerates. in some
way, but many of them are unusually
clever.
1T never pays in the end, know. We
detectives are cooperating with the CITY
Hall men. and the cities are sending one
another photographs and news of the
movement OF the most representative OF
the shoplfters.
"You might say the average loss for the
year Is around $1,000. but / know OF one
San Francisco firm which admits its
losses amount to 2ia per cent of its re-
Ceipts. But the life of the shoplitter Is
getting harder every day."
And when one noticed the energy and
purpose in Miss Leighton's blue eyes one
appreciated the perils in store for the
shoplifter of Philadelphia.