The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-12

ing or serve guests after II 80 o'clock. |
remarked that there was a number of guests
VINO had just come in and that, if my eyjs
dld not deceive me, the cook was still
preparing the luscious oyster for guests. He
Then pointed 10 the clock and with the most
laughable gravity inf rmed me that it was
Two minutes past l 80, and that under toe
rules of the house it would be impossible to
serve me. So left the place amid the ill
concealed filters OF several young women
on the upper floor.
Next | rolled over to the Fifth Avenue
Motel, fully determined to put up there for
the night. | walked through the long cor
rldor to the desk and stated my wishes |
was again Informed that with all their hun
dreds of rooms there was not single one
vacant in the whole house. This was be-
coming chestnut, and | merely remarked
mat they must be doing a rushing business.
| left, remarking that either New York
motel clerks are an awful set Of liars or that
transient travel must have reached pro-
portions heretofore unknown, when at four
OF the largest hotels in the city not single
sleeping apartment could be secured. A
later investigation proved that my first sur
mise was correct, and | have since offered
up prayer for the delivering of the souls
OF those wicked hotel clerks from the
eternal fires of sheol, to which they must
ultimately be subjected.
determined to make one more attempt,
however, and was driven up to the Hotel
Brunswick. / walked back to the desk
and my reception here was decided change
from my former experience. 1t was a re-
lief, to say the least The clerk is big.
bullet-headed fellow, with cloSe-cropped
hair, who is inclined to be rather tough
When | asked for a room he smiled hard
smile at me and asked: 'Where did you
get it,"
''Get what, sah2,' I replied.
That collar and your nerve" he replied
u am not here to joke" | replied. 81
want to know whether | can get a room
hero or not"
We'll, hardly" he said. "You can get
one on South Fifth avenue, guess"
When demanded to know why couldn't
get room he evidently remembered his
catechlsm, and gave mo the same old an
swer of No rooms vacant" AS | went
out | heard him remark to afriend: swell,
that coons nerve takes the cake"
l made up my mind that | would not be
able to secure sleeping quarters in any of
the large hotels, so | thought / would go to
the Hoffman house bar and get good drink
of mellow rye whisky and go home. was
driven up to the Twenty-fourth street en-
trance and entered the wonderful b rroom
Sitting at table was the renowned 'Billy"
Edwards, filling dudes ears with tales of
great mills of the past. 'Dooney" Harris,
the veteran prize-ighter, "Joe" Coburn. the
manager of the barroom, and gray-haired
gentlemen were standing in group at the
end Of the bar. The attention of all was
attracted by my entrance, and got a scru-
timing weighing-up.
COULD NOT GET A DRINK.
81 would like a drink of your best
whisky" | said to the white-aproned bar
tender. he stood and gaped at me, but
made never a motion to comply with my
request. | then made the same demand of
another bartender. They seemed to be sud
denly turned into statues. | Indignantly
asked the cashier why l was not served.
He ordered one of the barkeepers to fill my
order. The superintendent, whom l was
observing out of one corner of my eve, held
up one finger to the bartender and said in
an undertone, Zone dollar" This was for
the purpose of charging me a dollar for
glass of whisky. 1t was intended as a pro-
hibitive price, and | would have paid it.
but the bartender, who had evidently lost
his senses, said: I'VE don't serve anything
after II o'clock"
1T is only a few minutes after 10 O'Clock,
and see numerous parties standing about
drinking. That's no excuse, sab, =" said l.
ooh, no. The only party that is drinking
the bartender.
This struck me as being rather funny, and
when he absolutely refused to sell me the
whisky turned about and left the gorgeous
hall. And here was the only place that any
one had a suspicion that 1 was made up
And that was Joe Coburn. After | went
out he said to his friends that he didn't be-
lieve | was negro. That didn't walk or
carry myself like one. A discussion arose.
some claiming that was bona fide colored
man, and the bartender received lecture
for not charging me dollar for the drink
Joe finally offered to bet that | was made
up, but as | was gone and there was no way
to prove it, no one took his bet.
At the theaters colored people are sold
seats without any attempt being made to
prevent them from entering the theater.
drove off to my own apartments and
consumed an hour in washing and scraping
the black from my face, which was any
thing but an enjoyable task.
The results of my enterprise proved that
the old prejudice against colored people is
as deep-rooted as it ever was, and it will
probably never entirely die out
w. j. CURTIS.