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Way* Ttwt Art Dark And Trick* ThatArt Vain. „ .,,Where!* mo itction of criminal* thatdisplay* auch varied ingenuity asahoplifttra, said a clever,, detective Who baa had a Ion* experience.of; the fraternity; and I can assure you that many of them might give lessons in cunning to the moat artful Chinee.Shoplifting is a science that appeals largely to -women. Their sex, to a certain extent, disarms suspicion, especially whan, as is usual, they are elegantly dressed, and do their shop-ping in .a well-appointed brougham. Their, dreas gives them unlimited gcop*, for the coheealment of small articles; and again, the game is so comparatively free from risk, for ifthey are caught red-handed, as a r,ule it simply means an awkward Inter?view, with the proprietor, and pay ment for the goods appropriated., You see, It does not pay a fashionable shopkeeper to give his house a bad reputation as a haunt of thieves; and, further, many of the lady-lifters are women with some standing in society, who are either kleptomaniacs, or who cannot resist the sudden temp-tatlon of annexing a pretty thing without payment.Ladies of this class are novices in the art, and are readily detected. A common practice with them is to slip any small article„from the counter into their umbrellas when, the assistant’s back IS turned, if detected, it Is the simplest of accidents, and the culprit apologizes prettily, and restores the article.One lady, who had quite a long and successful career at counter-stealing, was always accompanied by a little fffrl, ostensibly her daughter, carrying a large doll. The mother, who -was young,, and pretty, and faultlessly dressed, would hold the doll while she was being served (a very natural and prudent act with a valuable doll which the child might drop at any moment) ; and when the assistant’s attention was withdrawn she would slip into the hollow interior of the doll any small article; from a bottle of scent to an article of Jewelry, that might be lying near her.Of oourse, nearly all city firms employ women detectives, smartly drees-
Newspaper Details
Brockport Republic
Brockport, New York, US
Thu, Jan 25, 1900
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Dianne P.
WI, USA 06 Jul 2018
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