Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-12-19
IN PUBLIC WAsH-ROOMs.
Men Steal Soap, the Bowls, Combs
and Towels

vas tho query of Cincinnati Times
Star reporter to Charley, the fat boot
black ut tho Gibson House. ''Well, l
guess drummors. l have had drummers
como In after making a good sale, and
they would get cleaned up and shined
up, and hand me quarter and refuse
the change. / tell you there's nothin'
TOO good for drummer when he's mado
dandy sale. Some men the more they
get the meanor they get, but not your
commercial traveller. Hos q dandy
every time. And then 1 have regular
customers Of gentlemen about town.
Governor Foraker comes in. He wants
good shine, pays for it, and goes away
satisfied. Sometimes wo have a man
come in who objects to paying ten cents,
thinks nickel enough, and will stand
and argue the case will you. Why, it
takes nearly dimes worth of blacking
to get around some mems feet.
'Somctimes men think this Is in
cluded in the board, and insist on not
paying for 1t. 1 have had men come
in here, walk up to the stand, cock up
their feet, get out q brush, open tho
hlacking-box, and proceed to shine
their own shoes. When 1 get over be-
ing paralyzed at their gall 1 tell them
to get up on tho chair and I'll blacken
their shoes; that make my living that
way. l had a follow do that on mo one
day, and when / saw he was about ruin
ing my brushes rubbing the mud off, I
told him to put it down, and he did, and
declared no would report me. / told
him to go ahead and report. / was look
ing out for my own property. / guess
he changed his mind. Cincinnatians
are purity we'll shod as q rule. They
wear purity nice shoes. How many
towels are used here in day? Three
or four hundred. Sometimes we have
to change them after once using.
"Why, Two seen mon come in here,
walk up and down till they saw good,
clean towel and then stand and wipe the
Precipitation and dirt off their faces
They will wipo and. then look at the
towel, and then wipe again and look,
just to see how much dirt comes off. OF
course that towel has to come down.
40, they don't think of washing
tho dirt off; they want to SEQ
how much dirt they can get of
on the towel They take dry wash.
How many mon come in here to
wash are guests at.the hotel? Not half
of 'em. Why, we've put mon out OF
here often. Regular loafcrs, you know.
These bum politicians about town are
the worst. Got gall? Well, haven't
thoy? We stand 'cm as long as we can
and then run 'em out. Why, fellers
come in here who carry off soap. That's
done noarly every day. Before we had
tho hair brushes and combs fastened
with rings, just hooked on, they used to
81
who come in here who would carry off
the wash stand II 1t wasn't fastened.
''Ihcrc arc fel1crs who never see any
soap until thoy core in hero, and then
sometimes we don't see it when they're
gone. Then good many mon don't
lalf wash. They will just wet the dirt
on thcir hands and face, and then rub it
OF on the towel. A man came in here
tho other day, set down his sachel,
opened it, took out his brush and black
ing and proceeded to shine 'em up him
self. ! told him l could do it better
than he could. Well, he 'reckoned NOT
ard finished the job-made o good one
Of it, too; and then he had me brush
him off nicely all over, and paid me just
the samo as though I had BACKED his
shoes, and then no walked away. Funny
follow, wasn't he? But you ought to SEQ
tho towels fly when the races arc on and
the hotel is crowded, and especially at
night, when they como back from the
faces all dusty and begrimed from head
10 foot.
Then we have to hustle up the clean
towels. But they're good fellows to
pay. Ill bet this is the most popular
Mushroom in town. Bot more men
wash here iii q day than at any place in
town. It's right hero on ono Of tho
busiest streets, in the centor of tho
town, and no trouble to drop in. Then
there is hot and cold water, and they
can Get good shine, and in fve min
Gtes they can go out again like new
r1cn. A good wash braces q man ND.