The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-02-14
THE HOTEL CLERK,
Some of the Incidents Of Life In a Bic
Caravsnsary Related by One.

Some of the Incidents Of Life In a Bic
Caravsnsary Related by One.
There are few places which furnish
better opportunities for the study of
human nature and for the acquire
ments of Il thorough schooling in the
habits of people in all vocations of life
Than that of chief clerk in iirst-class
hotel. He must, if lie becomes sue
cess. learn To read faces as he would
an open hook, and remember names
and incidents that are of no concern
Ia him except as matter of business.
He must treat guests in IL way to make
them feel that he is deeply Interested
in their personal welfare, while in fact
he is all the time simply exchanging
kind words for cold cash. But let the
hotel man tell his own story. He
knows it best. Yesterday afternoon a
Nebraska State Journal reporter called
upon K. w. johnson, more familiar
ly known AS Dick johnson, chief clerk
of the Capitol hotel, and asked him to
tell what he knew about the hotel busl-
ness.
''Of all the people that come to this
hotel the legislators are the easiest to
manage" said the affable Dick. s'They
take what is reasonable and fair, and
don't kick when they are crowded
They realize that crush is a crush
and they take what they can get. As
a rule l like The commercial trade.
The boys ON the road are the best trade
that goes. They pay their bills and
usually ask nothing but what is right,
''There are some funny things that
happen around hotels, and there are
other things that are not so funny.
remember the first dead man [ ever
found. 1t was about six wears ago
when l was clerk at the Palmer house,
Chicago. There was fellow that
slept very late one morning, and l
hammered on the door awhile but
couldn't rouse him. boosted boy
over the transom and he unlocked the
door. Then / went in and felt of the
man in the bed. He was as cold as q
wedge. He had accidentally turned the
gas on after turning out the light. It's
queer how MANY people blow out the
gas. A man may be ever so smart
and yet if he is accustomed to blow
ing out a lamp he is liable to do the
same act when he comes to put out the
gas.
About dead beats. I want to tell
you of the smOOthest trick ever knew
in that line. Four men went into
Chicago hotel and registered from diff
ferent towns, pretending to be perfect
strangers. One of the four had
trunk, the others had grips. As they
all had baggage the clerk did not de-
mand pay in advance. After the fell
lows had been IN the hotel for three or
four days the man who owned the
trunk paid his bill, ordered his trunk
down aud left. The other three never
showed up at the hotel again, neither
did they pay their bills. They packed
their grips in the fourth mans trunk
while it was in the room.
''As rule hotels suffer more from
dead beats and what are called Jolly
good fellows who live right in the
city or town where the hotel is located
than from travelling beats. There is IA
certain class of men who think that
their presence about the hotel is of a
great help to the business of the house,
when the facts are it is only dam
age, and every meal those men eat
without paying for it is Il dead loss.
''When women travelling alone come
TO hotel where am clerking never
put their names On the register. 1t is
a very unwise thing, to do. There are
always low-lived fellows, sometimes
tfansients and sometimes residents,
who the moment woman comes to
hotel with no escort, fly to the register
to see where sheis from and what her
name is. L keep the names of ladies
away from the eyes of snch men as far
as possible. Some women are awful
particular. We had woman here
not more than two months ago who
would not sleep in room with 4 glass
door to it. There is no more chance
glass doors than there is to see through
brick wall. but she. would not take
room with a glass in the door.
..But the greatest eranks in the whole
business are the opera troupes. The
dude tenor singers and the high So
pranu, they take the cake, There,i is
one prima donna singer who some
times comes to Lincoln who has even
gone SO far as to have us stuff paper
or rags in the key-hole to keep ont the
wind. .--.-- ...---,>-.-.,..
"One thing that hotel men need in
this state is a change in the law. so
that the proprietor will not sbe held
responsible for goods stolen from. the
rooms of guests. As the law now Is
man may come in half drunk, leave
his room unlocked and be robbed by
some sneak-thief and hold the pro-
prietor responsible for it. He may
even swear that he had a sum of money
in his pocket when in reality he had
not cent, and yet the proprietor is
held responsible. Guests should be re-
quired to deposit their valuables with
the clerk. 1t is utterly impossible for
hotel men to stand guard over every
room in the house.
Our American hotels are superior
for comfort and convenience to any
thing of the kind in the world. Eng
lishmen sometimes sputter around be-
cause they don't find things the same
In this country as in Europe, but
have tried both and l know that ouI
hotels lead the world.
/