Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-19
HANDWRITING On HOTEL REGISTERS.
The Worst and the Best Signatures Abbrs-
viations-False Names.


From the New York sun
III the handwriting on New York's hotel reg
listers is any indication Of the education OF
travellers, the schoolmaster is very far abroad
and the copy book of our fathers has parted
with Its wonted usefulness. The average Of
penmanship is positively bad. The hand of
the traveller has been cramped by CARRYING n
bag; or he is wet or cold. hungry or dry' or MI
Of these and more. At all events. when the
bell boy has taken his valise and umbrella. the
wayfarer takes pen and executes a scrawi
that would befog dozen experts. In many
hotel offices magnifying hand glass is kept TO
decipher blurred signatures. Sometimes il ac-
composites its purpose by showing q
stroke that made when the men
was devoid of ink. In some houses ON
the European plan an illegible writer is asked
TO pay IN advance; in others he is asked to smell
his name, and the name is then written out
plainly, in order that he may get his mail and
kilograms.
Careless handwriting results in serious and
iudicrous mistakes. A man named Temple
was Swallowed by detectives because his name
looked like Wemple. Harris. Morris and Nor
ris are all one 10 the needless penman; at least
he makes them so. He does the same with
Norton and Morton, and all names of which
the foregoing names are roots Brown rarely
troubles himself about the rest OF his coeno-
men after he has written Br. The remainder
of the name is a dash. flourish. OF a scrawl
Meyer generally uses the German NJ, which he
Mldens IN the middle, making il look like
weyer. The Italian q is easily recognized by
the long curve to the left, below the line.
chicago sends the best signatures seen on
hotel books. Boston 10 fairly good. New Eng
land Is never at home. n the hotel register
tells the truth. A peculiar thing about the
handwriting of southern people is that the
men write small, clear signature while the
writing OF the women is larger and not so
good. ALBANY sends very good handwriting:
Troy Is correspondingly bad. The writing OF
Washington people seems always TO slant 10
the right. Many travellers grow weary after
their names are finished. Then they begin to
abbreviate. Buffalo gets down to BIO Cincin-
natl becomes Chit. Wash. stands for Washing
ton; Sp'gfd for Springfield. No one dares TO
abbreyiHte Chicago, but St. Louis often be-
comes st. Lou Saint Joe Is familiar 10 every
hotel clerk. He knows Just where il is San
fran. stands for the leading city of California
Poughkeepsie is abbreyia in more different
ways than any other town IN the country
P'k'psie one; Poke is another. Mr. smith OF
Doboln. W. Va, abbreyiates. -. j. Smith,
Horse. West Va" friend of his once sent a
letter to that address, but the letter did not get
there. Many poor writers are aware OF their
defects IN penmanship, and they carry hand
stamp which prints the name and address in
full.
Ii is usually mistake TO write false name
on a hotel register. country merchant was
obliged to decline an invitation 70 q trade con-
vention in New York last spring. While tho
convention was in session he was suddenly
called to the city on pressing business. He
arrived at hotel and seeing the register COW
cred with the names Of his friends at the trade
convention, he signed false name. The next
day he went out TO lunch with his lawyer leay-
ing his overcoat at the lstter's Office. In the
middle Of the afternoon he telephoned TO nave
his coat sent to his hotel The coat mas sept
but it took the owner two days to get il. be-
cause the lawyer had put the mans own uame
on the box containing the coat There was no
such name on the register, and the box was
put aside to be called for. Meanwhile the fall
sifer missed telegram from his wife, received
cards fr ON people he didn't know. and found
himself an object Of suspicion on the part Of
the hotel people.