Sharp County record., 1891-04-30
SUlClDING AT HOTELS.
Strange, Gruesome Disclosures on Uncanny
Subjects.

Strange, Gruesome Disclosures on Uncanny
Subjects.
"The strangest incidents in connec-
ton with suicides in hotels are seldom,
if ever, known to the general public"
was remarked yesterday by Henry j.
Ingraham, formerly one of the best
known of Cincinnati hotel men. "Few
people realize, either how serious these
affairs are to the proprietors. Potter
Palmer would give $1,000 any day rath-
er than have suicide in his house. At
ter each one his manager is forced to
have every bit of the furniture and car
pets in the room where it occurred de-
stroyed. The paper is torn from the
walls, and the rsom entirely repainted
and papered and furnished. This means
some little expense every year, especial
ly in Chicago, where the would-be sui
eide has a particular fondness for ho-
tells. In the case of really famous sui
cides it often becomes necessary to
change the number of the room, for no
amount of refurnishing seems to make
the superstitious American feel COM
Portable in an apartment where he
knows some one has committed suicide.
Superstition also influences the gen.
eral numbering of hotel rooms for I'll
venture to say that neither the Palmer
the Grand Pacific, the Auditorium or
any Of the large hotels has a room num-
bered IS. Odd as it may seem the aver
age guest will decline to be assigned to
No. 49, Consequently most of them skip
that number altogether or else call
thefr first thirteen rooms parlors, and
give them the letters of the alphabet
The proprietors have one way of get
ting even with the suicides. Nearly all
the large hotels in the country, includ-
ing to my knowledge, the Palmer
house, charges the family of the dead
man 500 for the privilege of having the
use of the room in which to kill him
self, Of course when the family is poor
the charge is never made.
Making charges to the hotel account
of dead men never had more ludicrous
yet revolving example than in the case
of suicide which occurred long ago at
Chicago's most prominent but for the
present un-nameable hotels. Up to this
time the story has never been told.
zone evening the body of we'll
known young Englishman was found
almost lifeless in his room. The resi-
dent physician and two others were
called in and labored with him in vain
for hours. The Englishman had no
friends in the city. Beside the chief
clerk and the physicians no one was
present at the death scene. The case
is hopeless; we can do nothing more,
said one of the latter at last
"'Well, we at least can have some
thing more nalafa,Ie- a,a.otAat,' ex-
-,ovvIe "a i1of pSfane on tis e7--- T.T zre7r--.--
and ringing the bell for a boy. 4 bottle
of champaign was ordered. The Eng
lishman was not yet dead though un-
conscious.
"'Well, old man., cried the clerk, ad-
dressing the dying man as the quartet
raised the glasses to their lips, here's
hoping you may have pleasant trip to
the happy hunting ground The toast
was drunk with much hilarity, the wine
charged to the suicide account and an
other bottle ordered. The English
mans account was again increased $4
As the glasses were again filed faint
groan was heard to come from the un-
fortunate mans lips, the eyes half open
ed and the CLASSY eyes glared for brief
second at the revelers.
Sorry you can't join us on this
round, old fellow, exclaimed the clerk,
noticing the movement Of the English
man, The body at this moment stiff
ened and the rattle was heard in the
throat.
"'lIe is dead said the resident physi-
clan, as he leaned over the bed Then
let's have one more. Hope that he's
better off than we are, said the clerk,
sounding for the third bottle of Pom
merry. 1t came, was finished, and the
dead man paid for it.
"Such conduct" concluded Mr.. In
graham, "seeihs unbelievably sacrile-
gious, but happen to know that every
word Of the story is true, and that it
was the scandal of the fashionable hotel |
in which II occurred for many day,
though the papers never told Of it,-Chi.
On upn G1nhn