The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-23
T %R0BBERIES.
Encsts Who Arc Often Plundered by
Themselves

There are lots of these so-called
hotel robberies, and I've kept house long
enough to size them up for abont their
value" remarked the proprietor of the
American house the other evening to a
reporter of the Denver Republican ; land
that affair at the Albany is one of them.
Not only !, but any other hotelkceper,
can relate any number of instances where
people have lost their money of an even
ing at gaming or had their pockets picked
when full, or returned to their rooms in
q 'happy condition, to hide their valu-
ables in the mattresses, under the carpet,
or some other place, tumble into bed,
forget all about it, and then 60 downto
the hotel Office in the morning to swear
they have been robbed. But they don't
fool me, not much. man put up in
this house during the Grand army meet
ing who came in one night somewhat
mellowed, and, thinking to put his purse
in q safe place, cut a slit in his cot mat
tress and showed it in there. Well, in
the morning he came down to the office
with a face as long as Jacks historic
beanstalk, and with the doleful story of
his being robbed. He had put his purse,
he said, containing his return ticket and
what money he possessed, under his pill.
low when he retired, and now he could
not find it anywhere. He thought l
ought to make it up to him, and finally
wanted to borrow enough money to get
home. I knew we'll enough that he
hadn't been robbed in the hotel, though
he might have lost his money truly
enough; and under the circumstances l
let his hotel bill slide. The fellow final
ly raised enough money to get home on.
Well, sir, in two months, when the cots
were being put up for the winter, the
chambermaid happened to tip the par
ticular cot this fellow had slept on, and
the purse fell out through the slit in the
mattress on to the floor. And there it
was, Just as he had left it, railroad tick
ct, money and all. If the cot had been
tipped the other way, the purse would
have gone further in, where it would
have remained like enough till the mat
trcss was worn out. 1 sent the man his
purse, and he was grateful enough to get
it back.
"a guest came in one night pretty
full, but had sense enough to hand over
his money to be put in the hotel safe.
Then he tumbled upstairs and into
bed as best he could. In tue morning
he ,amc downstairs just roaring mad
and swearing he had been robbed, and
demanded restitution. He acted so
that T thought I'd let him sweat awhile.
! He kept on threatening to advertise the
house from A to Il, and would warn all
his friends to steer clear Of the place.
Well, he rammed around for two or
three days, until l got tired OF his NOISE
and then called a number of the guests
a-ound to see the fun. In the evening,
as soon as nc had come in, l beckoned
to him to come up to the counter, and,
taking his package from the safe, told
him / was the thief and here was the
stuff When he saw the moneyhe took
the whole thing in, and q more sheeplsh,
foolish, crestfallen man you never saw.
He reached out his hand for the pack
age. No you DON'T says l; you are
the man who was going to advertise my
house from A to q, were you, as a good
place for travellers to get robbed! Now
that you have had 50 much to say l want
some apology Well, he did apologize,
and more; he would advertise the house
as the best hotel in the country, while
tie guests thronged round to enjoy the
scene. Finally I gave him his money,
and he went away one of the most
oloooa1 man ever SAW.
: "a guest at the St. James, in a fit OF
absent mindedness not long ago. put a
roll of bills amounting to $40 in his
sock before he went to bed, and in the
morning he sent the sock off with other
soiled clothes to be washed. Then he
wondered where his money had gone.
Fortunately for him the Cinnamon was
honest, or was too badly scared at the
thought that the money might be traced
to him and he sent to Jail, so he brought
it back, to the owners JOY"