Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-10-10

coming frosn relatives. OF tIVm Vuscss
ventures, but The authentic hoset oeatwon'u
never dream 81 plying bis art without tne
old-time fiction. II would be only natural
20 suppose that reference 70 the hoary pre-.
text would awaken immediate suspicion 10
The hotel or boarding house.keepers mind.
Perhaps II docs In many instances. but IN
the scurry and hustle OF lie IN the motrcp-
oils so many people become Temporarily
stranded that the finest sagacity cannot
always detect the fraudulent from the
truthful.
This year II would appear that the city Is
favored with greater influx OF botei Dcats
than ever before. The police OF Toe pre-
cincts in the heart Of the city had never so
many cases Of such swindles reported 70
them. '.Wc are called on every nixp,'
said sergeant Of the Tbirtieth'street stt
ton, "to bolt of In time to stop some one
from sneaking of with baggage. IL ma,
he either a man or a woman. But In any
case there Is more hubbub made than over
an ordinary murder. You ask how tnese
swjndles can I've suppresscdi by care on
the mart OF hotel-keepers and the ike. OF
course. n payment is cxacted in advance,
wherever such a course ean be followed.
there will be no show of swindling any
one"
HOTEL-LIcENsgs.
"what can be done now with an
offendery"
"Unless the house il licensed. nothing.
~ there l. a row, OF course We can make
arrests. but not otherwise"
"Haye clearinghouse licenses!"
"To secure police protection in cases OF
the kind they must have them. or course
a III 81. Ix.t to.
ple who are likely 10 be victimized. But
The law Is specific. and orr power limited"
"Of what class OF people are the hotel
beats generally composed!"
"Of every class. At all times there are
adventures who put up at frst-clas. ho-
tells, and on some preteXt swindle them.
These are generally professionals; but
nowadays, with business dull and so great
numbers out OF employment. all sorts OF
folks turn up as hotel beats. Many Of them
are honest in other respects. But they're
down in their luck, and it's eat or starye
with them"
GLOW do they operate, generality"
ooh. the old.time methods are good
enough for them. They bring in some
baggage. ID may not be worth anything,
but 1t insures them an abiding place for
while. Then they try TO smugglc 1t out
or abandon il. Some try the desperate
risk OF sneaking out with trunks at night.
Some boldly run the gauntlet in the day
time. / have heard OF yalisCs lowered from
balconies and flre-eSeapcs, and-whdt Is
not infrequent-the contents OF some OF
them carried away on the owners person.
Trunks aren't dear nowadays, and good
Saratoga i'm the hands oil a talented liar
can 90 great way. All he has to do is TO
STAY as long as he can on some preieXt ;
then put his clothing on him, suit above
suit. and nine times out Of ten he can pass
out without being questioned. am only
talking now OF the ordinary hotel beat.
"Thc real professional is holder. He al
Ways represents himself as wealthy. lie
may present false credentials. Then. ne
lives in the best Of style and often manages
10 have worthless checks cashed, or make
money out Of some such knayeTy."
TIE CASE OF sELM BEy.
.|Arc instances OF the kind frequent -
They are occurring every day. and
while hotel.keepers want to keep the GOOD
graces OF their patrons they must continue.
i have known all the big hotels to be swim
died. But perhaps one OF the most notable
attempts happened in the Windsor some
years ago. II never got into the hands oil
the police because the matter WIS settled,
but il was a bold bit of work. Once when
the Shah of Persia and lot Of high cOcka-
forums were travelling around. Mr.. Waite,
who then ran the Windsor. got Il
dispatch from SeIim Bey, an Abys-
Sinlan prince, who was travelling
in Europe. and intended TO extend
his trip to America. He ordered swell
r 4 IN 1,.e
When he reached here he proved TO be a
dark but rather Misunderstanding fellow.
and for long time he cut a dash on Muir
ray Hill. He gave dinners, supper', and
parties without stint. and became very in
innate with some Of the biggest families
up town. They were much tickled to be
on easy terms with a prince, and no one
knew it better that Selim Bey. Well. all
this time he was waiting for his remittances,
but they never came; and when Mr.. Waite
telcgraphed TO Egypt about him he
learned that SeIm Bey was a Hebrew guide
who picked up some knowledge OF the
EurOpean languages in Beyroot. and then.
for stealing. had 10 fly. He Jared as badly
at Cairo. and then went TO Alexandra,
where he induced some foolish girl to elope
with him. He managed TO get possession
Of her jewels, and slipped of alone, and
from that Selim Bey took TO beating the
hotels in the big cities Of Europe and trav'
elled about as prince. OF course Mr.
Waite called him TO account. But what
should be DO but appeal to one OF the big
bug families he knew, and, in spite OF all
they believed his story and settled his bill
Seim Bcy later on turned up at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel. But he was detected there
and fred"