FEMALE PRIGS.

NZ Truth, Issue 136, 25 January 1908, Page 6

FEMALE PRIGS.

, Married Women Strike Trouble. The ever-alluring draper's shops, with their elegant displays bf fancy goods and multitudinous other articles dear to the hearts of the ' embroidered petticoat brigade, are always the scenes- of most bold-faced prigging en the part of women. In their dainty hands thieving develops into a fine art, and < the delinquents aren't easy to detect, no matter what precautions are taken to prevent unbridled robbery -during the festive season. Christchurch shopkeepers, big and small, have lost large amounts, the aggregate total being shockingly large. Three married women who worked iii^ concert .have been bowled out and dealt with at the Police Court. They snavelled something like fifty quids' worth, but didn't dare to DISPOSE OF THE WHOLE SWAG at once. Some of the stuff was popped through and the rest put by for a rainy day. All tho articles have j been recovered. One woman, Gertie Buchanan, admitted looting both the Farmers' Co-op. and Strange and Cos. premises, her prizes including 44 knives, 30 spoons, a number of forks, four purses, clocks, and what-not. Mary Williams's little lot included 38 knives,- 60 spoons, a dozen forks, and clocks, ladies' companion, boots, blouses, brief bag, underskirts, a dress, scissors, and ( other sundries. This precious pair pleaded guilty when confronted with Magistrate Day, who rematked that he didn't quite know what to do WITH; WOMEN LIKE THEM/ It transpired that Mrs Buchanan is tho wife of E. Buchanan, who is em- j ployed as an insurance canvasser and j who 1 at one time ran the Halswell Ho- j tel. The woman has three children, j Mrs Williams is the wife of a Christohurch plumber and has five children. This drew from, the Bench a remark i tbat a woman like her shouldn't go round the shops thieving. The husbands of the couple were m "Court, and said that they weren't aware that this deliberate plundering had been going on: The S.M. fined the accused £1 each on each of the two charges, or a month in-'prison, and also ordered that they must, refund their ill-gotten gains and^ the money they got from the pawnbrokers, which m Williams's case was £4 15s and m Buchanan's £2 7s. The fines were ordered tq- be paid right on the nail, but the guilty females , or their husbands, .WERE GIVEN A , MONTH! m which to pay the Jews. There was a third woman implicated m the raid. She is named Marion Farrow, and her husband as kicking round Australia. She was charged with receiving goods from Buchanan, knowing them to be dishonestly obtained, and she pleaded not guilty, and Mr Donnelly defended. When 'Tec. Chrystal called^ Buchanan, the latter swore' that although Mrs Farrow had popped new. articles for her she didn't know that they had been stolen, until she told her afterwards. -It appears that the police had been told a very different story, but the evidence was conflicting and the case was dismissed.