Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-07

will be quickly singled out as an object Of susp-
ciOn, and, If admitted at all, will not be given
much show to get the better Of his entertainers
The expert clerk has not acquired his experience
or position in flrst-class hotel in q day or q
week, but probably by years of service in other
departments or lesser'houses, where it was ne
cessary to closely observe and study character.
In fact he should be, in reality for the interest
clerk. although many of the larger resorts en-
ploy professional detectives BESIDES who gen.
orally soon ascertain, by private inquiry, the
truth or falsity Of any doubtful story told the
extension or other favor and who are acquainted
with the faces and tactics Of professional beats
and hotel thieves and crooked characters gen.
orally.
One of the detectives furnished an Inquirer
reporter yesterday with the details of several
shrewd methods Of swindling In vogue by hotel
sharpers.
THE FOLLOWING TRICK,
which was recently played on most Of the prom
inent hostelries throughout the country by q
trio Of professional skins, was exposed by the
detective alluded to: One travelled with a
goodly-sized trunk of the finest and most FASH
ionable character, and the other two had valises
of different styles and evidently well filed.
All Of these rogues wore good clothes, but
neither their dress nor manners correspondent
sufficiently to afford the "cutest" clerk clue to
the fact that they were in any way connected
one with another. One with valise would
walk briskly up to the hotel desk and, slamming
his baggage down, register, be assigned ROOM
and order his baggage up stairs 1t may be
here necessary to state, explanatory, that a
''solid" looking ''front" or in more refined
language, gentlemanly or busness-like appear
ance, is all that is requisite to secure a person
class hotel, those in charge, under such circum-
stances, seldom requiring the, at commoner
places customary ''pay in advance"
The man with trunk would next put In an
appearance and go through about the same
formalities, and lastly would come the other
man with valise. The order Of going, how
ever. would be somewhat changed. The tray
eler with trunk would promptly make his
appearance at the end Of the week and settle
for his accommodation, state his intention of
leaving, express entire satisfaction with the en-
tertainment he had received, and his determi-
nation to patronize the place again when next
he came to town, say "good-bye' to the clerk,
shake hands pleasantly, and order the porters
to bring his trunk down stairs in readiness to
go to the depot, where he intended or not,
as the case might be- to take the train for
some other city, the hotel men of which it
had been decided to "play." The other two
(his companions) would never show up at the
desk at all for their luggage went out safely
their companion. To the clerk it is a puzzle
how the pair Of rascals got off with their
valises, as they were probably seen to go out
empty-handed.
A REMARKABLE AND UNIQUE WAY
Of getting the best Of hotel keepers developed
itself with the coming into vogue of the long
and clumsy ulster, and has since been played
with success in different parts Of the Country
The trickster would commence operations In
house convenient to the place intended to
be victlmized by dressing himself in warm
Undertaking, clean shirt and collar of the
finest fabric, and over these a huge ulster
cased in highly polished boots. hat, cane
and satchel complete his outfit In this scant
and deceptive attire he would walk boldly up
to the hotel desk and secure good room,
paying for it, and at the same time taking
good care to display large roll Of bills
probably stuffed with green paper.
In the morning there was sure to be an I'M
earthly pulling at the bell indicating his room,
and the person answering it would find an an
parently indignant gentleman in a fearful frenzy
of excitement, who, between curses and rawlings,
tenders, by installments the startling statement
that some one, during the night. had robbed
him OF clothing. money, and he twas in a pretty
fix to be sure" Thesympathetic servant rushed
forthwith to inform the proprietor of what had
occurred. and this worthy man, in fear that the
is very likely to compromise by furnishing his
supposed unfortunate guest with q new suit of
clothes and the amount Of money claimed to
have been stolen; at least the matter would
PROBABLY be settled in some way profitable to
the bold fraud; any way at all being, of course,
to his advantage.
An original genius, who eked out precarious
existence by his wits while stopping at q we'll
known hotel in this city. went to good deal of
trouble to get good pair Of boots for nothing
besides beating his stopping place out Of its Just
dues. He went to frst-class shoe shop and
ordered a pair Of the very finest articles that
could be made, being very exact in his stipula-
tons as to the material and style, and ordered
them to be sent to his room at a certain time
Then he gave the same order in another store,
except that the delivery was to be made half an
hour later. The boy who brought the first pair
was sent back to have the left boot stretched,
and the boy who carried the second pair was
sent back with the right. one. The swindler
then put on the remnants, for which he had not
paid, and caught the next outbound train.
HOTEL KEEPERS HAVE LOST CONSIDERABLE
by cashing checks, and it is pretty hard mat
ter for anyone who has a draft for which he
wants the money value to get accommodated at
hotel now.
The following incident related by hotel clerk
is to the point:-Formerly we did guests favors
BY cashing their checks and drafts, but we soon
got bitten. A gentleman in the dry goods bust
ness stopped with us for sevefal seasons and
promptly settled for whatever he contracted for
This gave US implicit confidence in him. How
ever, the last time he was with us he stopped
but a few days. He claimed to be doing plenty
of business and his sample trunk was with him
| as usual. One evening he came to the desk with
an open letter in his hand and requeted us to
cash draft Of @100 for him. He claimed to have
Just received it from his establishment, and
being short OF money and desiring to leave on
the sn, evening tr,In was very necessary he
with portion of th0 money he Maid HIS hill