The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1890-10-18
Getting Even with a Hotel.

l had aroOm next to a commercial
traveller in a st. Louis hotel and when
both of us We're packing up to go, after
a stay of three or four days, / heard a
sudden crash in his room and went in
to ascertain the cause. He had tie
lounge on its back and had broken off
a leg.
"You see," he explained, in answer
to my look of inquiry, 81 am getting
even with the house."
SHOW do you mean?h
"Sit down, my dear fellow he con-
tinued, as he reached up and cracked
one of the gas globes with the door
key. ''Let us theorize a bit. The OBJ
ject of a Lotel is to furnish a Temporal
~ home for a nan away from his own.
The idea is to feed and lodge him and
make him comfortable for a money
consideration. The rate here is 81 per
day. Did you fee the porter for bring
ing up your trunk?"
"Yes.n
$50 did I. That was sheer black
mail. Did you fee your waiter ~
YES"
"Sodid |. We had to or we wouldn't
have been half waited on. That's
more blackmail. How was the gas in
your room
Every poor"
Exactly. It is turned off so that no
one can get half a light. That'sa fraud
on the guests. Did you drink at the
bar 2"
"A glass of beer"
"And they charged you 10 cents and
the glass vas only "a pony. Theymade
fully 100 per cent profit on that beer.
That is extortion. Did you have ice
water at night ?"
Eyes, two or three times"
"And you gave the bell boy a dime
each time? You felt that YOU had to-.
He felt that you ought to and stood
waiting for it. That was more extor-
ton. Did the mosquitoes bother you
anyW
Eyes, nearly ate me up.n
and why not? There's not a screen
Of any sort at any window nthe whole
house. In other words, the landlord
hasn't the slightest care for your COM
fort. He won't go to the least cost or
trouble to give you a good nights
sleep. Buy any cigars in the hotel 7"
"Yes.n
"Well, they made from $50 to 200
per cent? on them. Have any laundry ~
Yes
"Well, they charged you from rs to
100 per cent above outside prices.
Perhaps you had a coupe
''Yes."
Ordered it through the office, prob
ably ~
"Yes.n
"Well, you paid from % to so per
cent above regular outside rates. A
man took your hat 1T the dining-room
door. He is stationed there to bleed
the public, and he bled you. If you
got shaved you paid rs per cent over
outside rates. Same if you got a shine |
on your shoes. AS a matter of fact
you have been blackmailed and rob-
bed from basement to top story. Now,
then, how are you going to get even ?"
II don'r know"
Then learn. | have broken a leg
off that lounge. The fact won't be dis
covered for a week or two. No one
can say | broke this globe. l take this
bottle OF ink aDd pour it on the carpet
move the bureau along. With my
knife | rip a slit in this mattress. It's
on the under side and won't be seen
for a month. take this paper and
it into the overflow pipe of the
washstand and three or four DAYS
hence they will have to call a plumber.
Now, with my knife | crack two of the
upper panes of this window. The
pieces will work loose before snow
flies. | rack these bureau drawers so
and so and shut them up, and that
give the carpenter a job. That's
all, l guess, and I'll leave it to any
man if l have more than
evened up aceounts.r-New York Sun.