New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-02-16
A FAMOUS HOTEL CLOSED.
COMMENDED BY CHARLES DICKENS.
SOME HUMOROUS "REMINISCENCES OF THE
a" OF ST. LOUIS.

| SOME
PLANTERS y OF ST. LOUIS.
aso the old Planters Hotel has had to close up al
! last - said a gray-hared st. Louis merchant IN an
uptown cafe the other night he read the dispatch
to that effect in Tho Tribune Of February o. lha1
one of the old landmarks of 81. Louis gone wOhocr
| what they'll do with it now. 1t seems only lhe
| other day when the building Of II was begun WIN
much ceremony, though when you come TO think OF
H. that was over fifty years and the centre OF the
town was down In the River District then and We
Thought II was going to stay there. But II couldn't
Everything goes west, even ST. Lous and not all the
attractions of fine and generous table could
keep the travelling patrons, or the local ones etheF
loyal to the old house. That hotel sir is closely as"o
cated with all the stirring incidents of the citys his
| tory Around IL chung all the memories on winch
your oldest nhabltant loves TO dwell and Charles
Dickens immortalized IL in his American Notes by
calling it, | believe, the best hotel In the country, or
at least "a most excellent house, Many's the merry
! aight I've spent there, and many a good story has
bcen told about the old house, It's inmates and It's
patrons. which are not true, perhaps, amusing.
IL remember one day when a number Of wealthy
ard wcldrcssed planters from the South came in and
veg particular TO secure good each other
on the second floor. The prices were high, but that
did not matter, and they we're all suited but one
! rough old fellow, who kfIIed vigorously about the
| price and declared that he would never pay more
than a dollar day for and meals in any
! tavern His friends laughed al him, but he per-
sisted, and declared that he would have good a
room as any of them. with meals for dollar day.
| or he would 90 where else.
Now the clerk was a shrewd fellow, and he pre-
tended TO take the old mans clOse-fstedness good
Joke. So nc gave him a suite OF rooms the
same floor the others. and in all, accommodations
worth at the current prices about 80 day. for 81.
Tho others were immensely tickled at the Joke and
| 10 the hotel wanted to and ret acquainted with
| tho man that cOud the best hotel acc0mmOda-
tons St. Louls could afford for 81 day The result was
that the old chap found himself the lion Of the hour,
and a. the Planters was the rendezvous for all the
big and politicians Of the town. he 10 know
moro distinguished people in few days than he had
seen In all his life before. lie was rich and a
vival old cuss. too that wine flowed like water in
his rooms, with his old AID new formed friends, from
noon till daylight for week. Then the time came
| for him to go. ard amid a crowd Of laughing ac-
quahltanccs he went down TO the Office. paid in his
| little dollars and went away.
"'Didnt make much ont OF that old chap. Charlie. >
said Of the bystandegs the hotel clerk. seven
| dollars for accommodation worth $40 is too biz A
discount to grow rich on. even If 1t Is for Joke
"'Dol't fret. my friend. said Charlie; know my
business. How much. now. do you think that oil
fellow spent for wines and liquors here 20 toast his
new found friends, who would never have noticed him
| but for hi, little incident
Don't know said the man addressed. Fact is
Just S2Is 49, said Charlie. 4 gave orders to
have H. cash payments for liquor watched closely and
| that's the sum total Of them % a cent
! You're a hard mar 10 boat Charlie was the
'hlu. I'm ue "amrmS crowd -, ..,.,...,,,.,,
~ Louis AAd a sort 81 tpldeWc OF SplrltaaIl ,h
some y"Us ago continued tho tllker and one Of The
negro poker, about the Planters smart fellow with
some white blood in him, used tO work Tie feeling
Of the otlnr boys much by his talk on the subject
that he had most Of them pretty badly scared lie
came % the Of the proprietor. who called him up
one day and told him he must stop talking such non
| sense tho other pOrtcrs get ont.
III yon,c fool enough to believe in It Yourself.
which don't believe YOU do said Mr. IL. L won't
nave DON '' fa r tue to- sS Se cn 'Mtah Il .ays the
! boy. They aus assin' me bout it, and can't hep
~lou a mediunl' said Nr. IL. Don't talk
such rot 10 me. boy. How did you ind out you're a
~ kin do some mysterious things, sah., ssId the
darkcy. i kin make a bel! ring 'taOut t)uchin' It,
600 along, boy' said Mr. IL, don't 'cA me any
1Ge' you ny next wee Mto goFfi snn't pes
YOU set dozen Of dem call bells dcre iinglns
| 'thout ever touchin' one oh dem
don't try to beg your wages after you've lost them
scancc summon the splrts. stand back boys or tho
ghostf may get their long fingers In Your ~! nus
to Of the other porters who were half srnnins
49,. . me smart darscy Immediately stepped into a
| O'Clock in the eycningtook of his white Jacket.
stopped down and did something We could not see what.
tho bells. and waving hi, at them iabhcng some
! thing intended for impressive iuclntdton. In
about lily score Of the bells jim ding like mad
The darlcy grabbed the ten dollar bill he had won. from
the hand, OF the stakeholder. and Nr. Il said rather
| anCry.:
Now stop their confounded noise. can't youi
! Quickp
| darkey with grin.
Just then a furious guest bounding down
stairs. shouting What's the gas turned of for in this
! outrageous way, up,ttirsp
o" stop that black Tscalr yelled Mr.. IL, as
| lla main 1n hraat for lao lugL
! trance, but he gone before any could catch
| him. The scamp had turned of the gas from the
upper part Of the house and il tOpk deal OF trouble
! To- around to all the and shut OF the burners
before the gas could bc turned again and relghted'