, 1874-02-05
LOCAL MISCELLANY,


a BIG s0ooF.
About throe months ago tho metropolitan
Hotel, On tho cornor Of State and Washington
/ BtreotB, was openod by tho 1lrln OF George Z.
Gardnor i Co., undor apparently tho most
favorable auspices. Tho firm consisted Of two
| porBous, Afr. Gardner himself and George D.
11odgou, lato Of NoH York, aud formerly of
Bridgeport Conn.,, rs tho narrative will Bliow.
Ihose individuals were lotol mon in oyory 8onBe
! Of tho word, know all tho points, and moreover
represented. according to their story, an aggro-
| cato capital Of upwards Of 100000, and It was
tholr tntontlon, 80 thoy said, to mako tliB hotel
tho most agreeable hosto]ry In the broad land.
Now, in order to excel other struggling oor-
Germs OF this character, It wau necessary
Of courso to have furniture Of exceedingly fne
hxtlrea, md llno llnen, mud those, nndcr tho
| magic skill Of tho JUNIOR partners eocutionnry
powers, were all procured Of various morclanta
in tho city, to bo pasd FOR iu thirty mud sixty
days which timo 1t III customary to allow wealthy
| and desirable customers.
| Having thus purcEascd everything for their
| comfort and regalcmont, mud thrown out
such suitable advertisements az would attract
tho trayDlor and tho permanent guest, tho AouHo
waa aoon filled witl oustomora,, tho lantllord,
| Hodges (for in tho meantime Gnrdnor had boon
TALON soii, nnd Still ea in acrtical condition) WAS
In continually smiling MOOD the boartlerB wero
table sproud az monday and night, and, in fact
everything was exceptionally prosperous and
satisfactory. This state Of affairs continued
until about thirty days ago, when it began to DO
whispered abroad thai Hodges did not ray lis
bills with astonishing alacrlty. aud tho ploasures
! iu tho gastronomo wny also suffered quite aoa
change, and woro going from bad to worse:
| There was ea1so for THY, as presently appoared
tho Br1n Of Gardner l. Co.. DO adjudicated bank
| Fupta for the simple cauep Of failing to pay
| doDt judge Blodgett had, IN tho moantinlo,
thrown protective ehiold over hot tcl-koepors by
they could not be thrown into bankruptcy like
| ordinary beings for this cause, but only whore q
| fraudulent iuteut was apparent. Tho proceed
tnga woro therefore stayed. aud Hodges hroa.hod
easy again. Thoro was little improvement In
tho fare, however, md tho boardors, who only
folt roiative intcroetln the quoatonof Holvenoy,
and much moro active ona III tho matter Of
| cookery, growlcd loudly for better fare. Duns
also throngod tho corridors at all hours, and
things altogether. began to wear bad look.
Al noon yesterday tho mat<er oulminatel In a
grand denouemont which hna caused q fever OF
Excitement among tho creditors aud boarders Of
ths hotel. At this hour it was discovered that
the Hodgos family who lived in the house, bad
sold out the furniture and lease for $4,000,
and, to use tho expression Of the hotel-clerk,
'had shipped tho town." Yesterday afternoon
premises, creditors BY. the acoro, having
! got wind OF the affair coming in with
| their bulls made up to dato, aud ready
to scizo anything selzablo. The condition Of
affairs developed upon examination il truly de-
| plorabo one. Hodges, vino seems to have pos
Besaed al inspiration. at sharp practice, is
charged with having collected bils 10 advance OF
his 6oardets. and swindlng the servants out Of
their wages, and, 1t is said, having accumulated
Of his lease to the firm Of Holland l. Swift, aud
| taken Ills departure to unknown quarters. It is
reported thar before lowing ho also emptied tho
safe OF its contents. aud that ono Of the servant
p,le Of greenbacks IN that peculiarly feminine
savings bank whore cotton is frequently
stored. Various stories arc also told as to his
former habits. One individual. whoprofesaod to
Bridgeport, Conn., with tho muniilcent capital
Of 800, and having run In debt for several thou
eand, took leave in the same abrupt manner,
leaving the nutmeg-manufacturerB in eomo sur
prlse. Another man, not to be behnd-haud In
abusing the departed, called him a dead-boat by
profession. He had, he said, played tho oamo
gamo in New York and everywhere else no went.
lie had expected it. Among the heaviest credi-
tors of the firm arc Halo & Bro, who have
a large bill for furniture, and pardrldgo d Co.,
who have IN unsettled account for carpets. Field
& Letter also have q small bill for linen, etc.
Tho person who formerly counted the hotel
last evening to extract his last noto from 1t.
It was not greenbaok. Tho servants, who
haye for somo days been III state Of insurreo-
ton, are highly indignant, and threaten violence
to Hodges # they caieh him. The new proprie-
tors, who took possession last evoning, were
had been made, il any, with Hodeos
but said the lease had been transfer
rcd to them, and that they would hold the furnl-
tufe until sued. II thoy had to pay, for it thoy
would, but at any rate they intended to go on
and rim tho house in good style. 1t is proper to
state that Mr.. Gardner, the senior of the firm,
living on Wabash avenue, has beon sick since
the lotol was opened. His condition is so pre-
carious that he ia not able to attend to any busi
ness, and it is doubtful If be will recover at ALL
Ho formerly kept tho cigar. stand In the Gardner
House, aud, 1t is said, furnished tho capital of
$500 with which the metropolitan was ntartod.
NORTH SIDE RoLLINa-MrLLs.