SUSPECTED WOMAN

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1929, Page 11

SUSPECTED WOMAN

CHASED BY DETECTIVES SYDNEY, Marchs. Exciting incidents at the premises of Anthony Hordern and Sons, Ltd., yesterday amazed many shoppers. First a shopwalker was knocked down by a woman who rushed headlong from the shop and then shortly afterwards another woman ran through the restaurant, descended from floor to floor until she reached the street, and then struggled on the footpath with a detective who had overtaken her. Both the detective and the woman were breathless almost, and the detective was bleeding from a slight wound on one of his hands. The affair, which arose out of attempts to prevent the operations of a notorious, clever and persistent gang of women shoplifters, was really the result of a casual visit to the premises by the detective. Detective-sergeant Sedgwick restored to Anthony Hordern and Sons yesterday about £BO worth of property which he had recovered recently, and while he was there he was informed of the activities of a gang which was making levy on certain' valuable stock. Several women, he was told, visited the shop regularly, and purchased a cheap attache case for a few shillings. After this had been wrapped it was taken away and the paper was cut from around the lid so that the lid would open without any apparent difference being made to the wrapping. By this cunning trick the case could be filled with goods and removed without suspicion being aroused. The women operated systematically. The woman carrying the spoil would be guarded by her companions, and at any sign of danger the case would be abandoned. An assistant, hurrying after the woman would say. “ You have left your case behind madam.”

“Oh, no,” would be the reply. “I never had a case.” And turning to her friends. “Did I?” “Oh, no,” they would answer. So, after hearing this, the detective decided to take a walk through the shop. On one of the floors he observed three women, and, with a shopwalker, he approached them. One woman hurried away, but the - other two were being questioned when one felled the shopwalker and rushed from tho premises, hotly, but unsuccessfully pursued. The remaining woman was taken to the office,■and after an interview, the detective said he would take her to the Central Police Station and lay a charge against her. She was being quietly escorted through the crowded shop by the detective and the shopwalker when at a moment when the detective was hemmed in by the crowd she knocked the shopwalker over and rushed away. The detective followed. He was trying to keep the woman in view, avoid colliding with anybody, and look as if he was merely hurrying towards the shirt counter. It was very difficult, even for a detective. Through the dining-room they raced. Waitresses anxiously shielded their trays, and disturbed diners spilled their gravy. Then down a flight of stairs —two stairs at a time —and around a mountain of feather beds. Another flight of stairs and further dodging, scurrying, and excitement. At last Pitt-street was reached and the detective pounced on a woman who struggled violently with him. “I don’t know you. Let me go,” she said.

“I know you,” muttered the detective, and a crowd commenced to gather wondering whether the struggle was the result of love, jealousy, anger or hate. Later at the Central Police Station a woman was charged with being in the unlawful possession of a handbag and with beingf a suspected person. De-tective-sergeant Sedgwick slowly wiped his forehead and went out to secure another “case.” At Anthony Hordern and Sons an attache case, tampered with in the usual clevel way, was found abandoned half filled with valuable silks.