COOL CUSTOMERS.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 10 February 1917, Page 6

COOL CUSTOMERS.

EXPEKT SHOP-LIFTING

• The shop-lifter and the shop-liftrcss of the ordinary "snatch" variety is, unfortunately, quite a common visitor to the Auckland shops, but it is unusual to find a thief who visits a bootshop, deliberately uses the attendant's services for the purpose of being quite suited in the matter of shape, size and make, and then steals the selected

shoes and makes an inconspicuous exit. Such an instance of expert shoplifting, however, occurred in Victoria Street "West on Monday, when two good-looking and well-dressed women got away with a pair of shoes that one of them had selected wiCn great care as to fit and finish. Then, as though to "rub it in," the two Avomen returned that way the following day, and one of them, wearing the stolen shoes, stood 'with cool effrontery outside the shop window and scrutinised the goods on display. But in this display of impudence the women rather over-reach-ed themselves, for the lady assistant inside the shop, having the incident of the previous day very keenly in mind, recognised both the unprofitable patrons and the shoes, and she lost no time in getting on the street and accosting the shop-lifters. A threat to hail a distant constable induced the delinquents to go into the shop, and there one of them produced a roll of notes and offered to pay for the shoes. By this time the police had been already telephoned, and plain-clotnes Constable McHugh came on the scene, and arrested the two accused women. They gave their names as Ruth Young (23) and Mary Selby (31), and the former had 23/6 cash in her pockets, while the elder woman was possessed of just on £5.

The accused were brought up for trial yesterday, when the Bench decided to convict and fined each accused £2 and 3/ costs. It was left to Mrs. Young to deci3e whether she would purchase the shoes at their retail price ((22/6) or return the goods. She bought them.