The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-06-15
Tho Romance of Hotel Keeping.

"Havlng staid too long In the bath at
Long Branch recently, ] lost the train to
the horse-race, and Col. Prcsbury, of the
" est End Hotel, gallant old beau, of fine
worldly style, offered to take me out. He
was about to give away $1,000, as It
proved, to George Lorillard, and had only
time to see that stake run ior and the fol.
lowing two miles and a quarter. AS we
went along tho road said: you were the
first big hotel man l ever saw, and have
been afraid of you for about twenty years.
How did you start3' said tile straight, mil
itary like old man. Il came from Balti-
more. My mother was a, Howard. | was
cashier Of the Bank of Maryland, and also
of the Bank Of Louisville | had put by
some money, and one day MIR. Billings
came to me and said, Colonel, there Is a
big hotel to be crested in Philadelphia,
called the Girard House. If you will let
me have some money to furnish it, think
l can get it, was banking then in St.
Louis. l went on with Billings to see the
hotel, and AZ it cost large sum TO furnish
it, $R5, 900, | was compelled to be part.
ner. We leased tho hotel. Billings made
$l00, 900, which paid to him. lie wasn't
equal to 80 much luck, and is dead My
inside steward was named Darling. got
him from the fremont House, Boston, and
paid $4,000 year. He was so efficient
with me that he got the new Battle
House at Mobile, made money and was
enabled to take the Fifth Avenue Hotel,
New York. There he became the wealth
Jest American hotel man, and is worth 49,
100000. If had begun business with as
good man as my present partner, Hill
drcdth, | would have been as rich Us Dar-
ling
How came you to go to Washington
City during the war;
had to give up the Girard House af-
ter running it four years, on account of the
hoggishnes Of those who owned it, asked
for reduction of rent on tic ground that
the Continental Hotel, much finer strncl-
urc, was going up right opposite me- They
said that was a reason for raising my rent ;
Very we'll, said /, Il will sell out the fur
niture and close the Girard House for a
year, and you will never make money out
OF /! again. They never have. went to
Baltimore and the war broke out, and the
first thing l knew Simon Cameron, Secrc-
tary of War, tclegraphed me to come TO
Washington. l went down there and he
opened the conversations:
Hrcsbury, l want yon to take Will
lard's Hotel. IL will be the Cnlon head
quarters. l want a man in control there
whom know!' Gen. Cameron l ro-
piled pm hardly your man. While
think our people are foolish to talk about
leaving the Union, my sympathics ure with
tho State of Maryland whatever she does. ;
%, pshaw = lie said, you goand take that
hotel. Willard is scared, and you can get
it cheap. l called on the " lizards, They
offered me the hotel for $500, 600, furniture
and lease. had the proffer written out
and signed. rented it without looking at
1t, seeing there were six hundred guests.
When | went next Monday to take the
hotel, Willard said, 'Presbury, we don't
want to give this up. What will you take
to give the property up2 Wen give you
500, 900 for your bargain Said l, 'Gen-
tlomcn, l will take 800, OO0.' I got the
hotel and made $l65, 600 the first year. l
then sold the lease to my partners for $40,
600, which they paid In full, except $20,-
O00 In the West End Hotel here I have
invested with MIR. IIildrcth $3.50, 900, and
spent 500, 900 on the property, and we get
500, 600 year out of it,"