Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-02-25
USELESS LOCKS.
How the Hotel Thief Enters the
Room Of His Patient"


Room of His Patient"
A friend of the writer retired to his
room in the best hotel in one of the
large Western cities in fancied security
a few nights ago, and awoke in the
morning to find himself bereft of his
money and every article of value he had
possessed. The reporter went with the
facts of the, occurrence to Pinkerton
detective of his acquaintance and asked
him how general hotel robberies were.
''For several years past" said the
Vidocq, "the hotel proprietors all over
the country have been made to suffer
for the appalling number of robberies
which have taken place in their re-
spective establishments. Hundreds of
these cases occur which are never made
public, or which are never placed in
the hands of the police or detectives for
investigation, for the proprietors in
variably prefer to arrange matters with
their guests and reimburse them for
their losses rather than give publicity
to robbery, which would have the eff
feet of injuring their reputation and
frightening away their customers.
Every possible precaution has been
taken by these landlords to prevent
the depredations of these midnight
marauders, but the evil has simply been
abated, not abolished. Private watch
man and detectives have been placed
on every floor assigned for sleeping
rooms, and still thieves continue to
gain access to chambers, and unconsci-
GUS guests are dcspoiled, almost under
the eyes of those who have been ap-
pointed guardians of their safety.
"All iirst-class hotels, in addition to
the maintenance of corps of wakeful
and alert watchmen on the outside of
the chambers, have also placed safe
guards within the rooms. Every door
is provided with double lock-that is,
alock which can only be locked from
the inside of the room, and can not be
reached from the outside. as the KEY
hole does not extend through the door.
The ordinary lock on the outside serves
to admit the guest to the apartment
assigned to him, and once in, he Sc
cures himself with the outer lock.
Chain bolts, another ingenious contriv-
ance, have also been put on many Of
the doors, and yet, with all these pro-
visions against the entrance of the
thief, the occupants of these rooms
awake in the morning to find they have
been robbed, and their doors show no
evidence to the inexpert observer of
having been tampered with in any way
10 those unacquainted with the ingeni-
ous workings of the professional hotel
thief this is inexplicable, but to those
who have studied the work of this
class of criminals the solution is as
plain as the sun at MONDAY.
Let us first consider the tools used
by an expert hotel thief. In the first
place, must tell you that this class of
thieves is composed of exceedingly
sharp and intelligent men, who are
thoroughly alive TO every circumstance,
whether of favorable nature or other
wise. They are experienced in the use
OF tools, and will handle brace and
ont with all the skill of an educated arti-
san, They are seldom caught mapping,
and are better posted as to the where
abouts of the watchman than that
worthy is of their proximity. From
external appearances no one would
think OF suspecting the well-dressed,
gentlemanly-looking individual who
registers himself with quiet and un-
assuming air, and whose tone and con-
Versation bespeak education and
travel In the reading-room and at the
dinlng-table he is digniied, vet affable,
and his department is at all times un.
obtrusive and polite. He never dresses
IN ,gaudy colors or in the height OF
fashion, but his apparel is usually
chosen with the best taste.
His tools, which are generally of the
plnest quality of tempered steel. consist
of 'barkey, a set of six bits of various
sizes, and arranged for either stem oil
tumbler locks, a small drill, file, a
i'sectional stem'-or what is called the
l'wlddy;' several pieces of wire and a
pair of nippers. These are all the
articles he needs except one, and fire.
auently but few of these are required
These implements do not occupy much
room in the travelling satchel of the
nomadic thief and are frequently car.
ried IN his pockets. The article which
lhaye still to name is very important
II is piece of white putty or pigment
Armed with these matters, and quail
ned by long training, the hotel thief is
prepared for work.
Hotel thieves almost invariably
travel in pairs, though their compan.
lonShlp is never manifested in public
and to all observers they are as distant
and uncommunicative as the utmost
strangers. They generally manage
however, to secure their rooms upon
the same floor, and, if possible, with
out attracting undue attention. in closC
proximity to each other Once estab
hshed in their apartments. the habit,
oi the guests on the floor are carefully
studied, and they soon ascer
tain which of the rooms are unoc
eupied. These preparatory steps arr
taken during the day. Having dis
covered the numbers of the vacant
rooms, they make thorough examina
non OF the locks on their own doors. a.
1t Is reasonably certain that every othel
door on the same floor will be similarl,