Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-10-08
AUTOGRAPH FIENDS
BusILY BUYING UP HOTEL REGISTERS
STHE SOUTH.
Undoubtedly Money i'm the scheme-Sis-
natures Written Before the Owner
Came into Prominence-Mountin
the Autograph and Residence.
Savannah News.l

"W hat do you suppose that man wantedP
asked Pulaski house clerk the other day Of
. News reporter.
A neatly-dresssd and shrewd- looking
young man had just turned away and was
lighting a cigar. He had heen talking earn
estly in an undertone for some minutes and
the reporter thought perhaps the stranger
wanted TO borrow a few dollars.
"No, be does not want to borrow, but had
rather buy" replied he of the sparkling
Koh-i-nooE And you might guess your
teeth loose before guessing what he wants
to buy" continued the hotel clerk He has
just made me an offer for the old registers
of this house,
"What woull he do with themi Keep "a
directory inquired the reporter
Not much. He claims to be travelling
for northern firm that il collecting hotel
registers. The older they are the more they
ars worth. Hotel registers are the greatest
autograph albums i'm the wurli. There is
not a man who travels whose autograph is
not scattered all over the country. All
prominent men travel Tho signatures of
hundreds Of these have a commercial value,
even when not attached to n note or a
check. The autographs OF statesmen gen
orally sell the highest, those Of ex-presidents
lection q curious manuscripts, letters and
autographs were under ths hammer in New
York. A dozen autographs were knocked
down az from S. to SO apiece
THAT would-be purchaser was telling me
that in a few months il will bs the proper
thing = mount the autographs OF ex-presi-
dents, literary men, generals end all men OF
note in some unique style and give them a
Nlacs beside tbs plaque. This firm i now
buying mp all the registers it can get hold
Of Some bright men 90 over each page
carefully, and cut out the signatures of all
the most prominent men. They have quite
a long list, ani whenever one OF the names
is found il j. clipped out and attached 10 a
little slip on which are noted tie date and
city. The register. Of course, indicates each.
He says that right now Grants signatures
are in demand. lie never stopped at hotels
much, however There were generally peo-
pie in all of the cities through which he
passed who wanted 10 entertain him, and
never knew him to decline.
This enterprising firm you see, are first
getting a supply on hand, and will then in
troiuce the rage and fill the demand
".Thrift j. a blessing Shakespeare, T"
gaspei the reporter dazsd by the wonler-
ful display Of enterprise.
"The registers are really no uss 70 US AMI
most hotel men. believe, ara willing To dis
pose Of them at low fyure,' resumed the
clerk One Cf this size, which is the
standard, will hold 5000 names. It is
seldom thar a register in the large hotels
Of big cities does not contain half dozen
good names. know that from personal
observation. In some seasons there are 100
good names. a great many of ths
signatureS 10 10 sure, were written be-
fore the owner came into prominence. When
the autographs come to be sold, however,
half suspect they are dated s.p though they
may not be The residence, which l. writ
ten opposite the name, is also cut out In
mounting. which is generally on card board,
Bristol or some such kind, the residence Is
placed below the name. It is done so neatly,
too, that more than n casual inspection is
necessary to discover where the two pieces
are joined. In this way the purchaser gets
the autograph in the shape of a visiting
card, ami the uninitiatei viii be anxious to
learn when the dignitary called ani if he is
one Of the family's intimate acquaintance.
"The agent then showed me some fns
specimens and thers is undoubtedly money
in the scheme. He told me, too, that they
not only take the names OF persons who ara
now and have been well known, but also
the signatures Of number who they believe
are rising and will lie prominent in few
years, such as leading members Of congress,
United States senator's, leading judges and
members OF the bar Besides these they
have such names as Beecher. Talmage and
Ingersoll, popular poets and novelists and
actors and actresses by the score. The au-
tographs OF Booth, Keene. Lawrsncs Bar
rett, Irving, Patti. Mary Anderson, Lang
try. Lotta and dozens OF lesser lights are al
ways in demand and admirers viii pay for
them"
well, are you going to strike bargainP
"He will have to see the proprietor about
that reckon there Is ton Of them stored
away, some Of them pretty musty, doubt
less, on the outside, but souni and well pre-
served inside