, 1885-02-14
HOTEL sPoNGEs.
PROFESSIONALS WHO THRIVE At THE
EXPENSE o. 1oTELKEEPERs.
The Tactics J,,ey Adopt in Order to Sue
eessfury s~inais the House a Pc
euiiar Method Of Operating
r Loss


oAAnA Rul1A AAAN1t NAlA t'~loAAAy " -
association, gave some interesting facts In
relation 10 the professionals who thrive at
the expense Of hotel keepers.
There are innumerable modes Of swim
ding u.s. he said, hut since the formation
Of our association we AVE been abs 10 pro-
tect one another to a very considerable ex-
tent Tho most respestabls style OF impos-
ing on US Is known as the family mode. A
gentleman with his wife and daughters viii
engage board and select the most expensive
rooms We have. His tastes will be the
most fastidious, and the daughters will re-
quiro Attendance danced on them constantly.
The bills will DO paid tho first week, the sec
ond. and perhaps tho third Next week pay
mont win not be made on tie regular pay day.
but a fow days afterward, and after that
they viii shut down altogether and in
form you that a remittance which is ex-
pected from some distant point has not ar
rived. and that husband. wife and daughters
do not understand what could havo hap
pened, and that they arr panied beyond
measure at the suspense. Meantime they
are ~unrenstting in their demands for sxtrn
attentions, and nsvor appear to imagine
that a hotel manager has feelings that might
possibly DO panied also, and bills that must
b mst"
slow do you deal with such peoplei"
@Ws would sei-s their baggage rs security
for board, but professionals who CONS 70
your house for the purpose Of swindling you
do not bring valuable baggage, and you
have really no remedy against them Thsy
scent trouble ahead, and when they find IL
coming thsy adopt tactics suited TO the oc-
caaion. They lodge a complaint at the Office
charging that valuable jewelry has been
stolen from their roons, and thus assume
the aggressive. We are compelled to in
RUmffrufm the rHarran and ruhfIn Aafssr =.
our worthy guests obtain another lease Of
Life at our expense. Occasionally they will
condescsnd 10 compromise by paying some
thing on account, which we arc usually glad
to receive"
@Who conducts the diplomatic work on
behalf OF family guestsf
9Th gentleman usually leaves these dali
cats affairs In the hands of the ladies. who
manage systematically. Tho lady win toll
you that her husband is full Of business and
has no time to attend 10 the details OF house.
hold affsirs. She will generally try to make
arrangements by the month, and II you drop
a hint about security she will grow Indignant
and take from her trunk a big bundle Of
mining stocks, which she will exhibit before
your eyes. II you happen to smile on be-
holding these securities she Is liable to go
on In a at.
another class Of swindlsrs with whom 1t
Il hard TO deal,H continued Mr.. Garrison.
"are member Of the learned professions,
usually b-rokon-down lawyers. The limb OF
the law viii register and give you his business
card He viii pay his first bill promptly, and
then the trouble commencea When you pre-
SAINT the second bill be viii offer
you a worthless note or an indorsed
check drawn by a party whose
existsnce Is simply mythical. He will
mt admit that the L. rr48tS uw1
whom the paper Is discovered TO be Of no
value he viii rave and swear, and insist that
DO himself Is tho victim OF a swindle.
Does the lawyer come out ahead in the
transactionf"
an all cases We hold the baggage, but we
are losers all the same These men never
pay their bills because they never intended
70 do 10. They will often replevy the bag
gage and we usually ind It most economical
to grin and bear the loss, as it does not pay
10 retain counsel In all these cases. We arr
not allowed TO open the baggage, and as II
may DO worthless to any person but the
owner we lot 1t go, and report the swindler
70 the hotel fraternity. who viii be placed
On their guard. Hotal men, as a rule, how
ever, are considerable and kind hearted. II
they bslieve that ono Of their guests has me.
with misfortune and that be means to dc
right he is met with courtesy and generous
treatment
There Is another class of swindlers.H he
continued, "who are characterized by hotel
Keepers as professional beats. Their method
OF operating is peculiar. After one Of these
gentlemen has registered he takes a violent
ct, and as he wrlthes and groans great com
passion Is excited In his behalf. We sond
for q physician and do everything we can
for our guest, VIII give Us the address of his
friends In an hour or two he Is GONZALES
cont, and orders meals and delicaciss ssnt 10
his room, OF which he partakos heartily.
Next day we discover that his friends are
not to b found at the addresses given. and
that our guest has fitted. The losses we
sustain from such men are not serious. but
they are very annoying. Should we happen
TO capture one OF these patients while making
his way 10 the street we ring for a police.
man. and the magistrates usually send them
TO the island for ton DAYS In default Of nav
ment Of a fine OF s10. Ladies feiQn sickness
on our hands also. and II Is not so EASY 70
deal with them as with tho men. Invariably
they secure the sympathies Of the servants
by telling sxtrayaeant stories Thev can
play sick Tar better than men. and We can
only dispose Of them by sending than to a