The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-01-05
TILE MErRopoLE CLOSED.
The Proprietor Departs Without Paying the
Employees of the Hotel

"a steak, rare, some soft boiled eggs,
hot cakes, cup of coffee and glass of
milk. And say, waiter, bring it quick,"
said a well known railroad man at the
Metropole hotel yesterday evening.
Yes, sab" answered the Senegambian,
but be didn't.
There was no steak, no eggs, no hot
cakes, no cook. no proprietor, no nothing.
Only lot of hungry boarders, hotel and
some unpaid help.
About six weeks ago young man
named Frank Rannels came here and
opened the Metropole hotel, it having been
closed since Colonel Stewards removal to
Chicago. The hotel is a good one, well
furnished and under the former manage
ment always had the reputation of first
class hosiery and catered to the best class
of the trade
Mr. Rannels took the house when it was
in good shape and started off well. A
number of the former boarders returned
to it and, apparently, he was getting his
share of the transient business, but it
seems he had laundering for his first love-
the Fifth Avenue, at Arkansas City and
on being rendered a position there as
manager he went without as much as say
ing goodbye.
He went on the $50 Santa Fe train last
evening but how he got away is best told
by j. A. Boston, who was the 300-pound
head cook under the Rannels regime. He
said:
He owed me 50, the dishwasher $40 so.
the second cook S12, and like that.
He owed the help altogether
about So. He started to the train
without telling US, but we got onto it.
We were all at the depot to meet him. He
then said he would pay us and we went
back TO the hotel wi b him to get our
money. Instead of money he told US he
had instructed the clerk to collect the bills
the boarders owed. and pay us. He then
got in 6 hack and started to the depot
again, but be did not know that two of the
walters were on top of the hack
] was in another hack with the porter
and the runner, and we all got around him
at the depot and told him we must have
the money He made Us grand-stand
talk. and some of the boys wanted to
punch his head, but told them not to do
it. Jack Horton, though, grabbed his
overcoat away from him and
gave it to policeman to keep
until we got our pay. We wanted him to
give up his watch but he would not do it.
We finally let him go and on examining the
overcoat we found silver watch and his
trunk checks in the pockets. They are at
the police station. My wife is sick with
fever and doctors bills and rent to pay
and have not cent besides being out of
a job"
Last night the house was in charge of
the steward. so pretty young chamber
maid said, hut she didn't know where he
was. The front door was locked and the
only way to get in was through the side
hall. Several of the employees were about,
laughing, talking and some swearing
about their back pay.
The chambermaid said that three Of the
girls that he had not paid sued for their
wages last week and garnisheed some of
the boarders. They got all then due them
and only lost what they had earned this
week She also said that Rannels opened
the house on $50 capital.
Whether the house will reopen will be
determined tomorrow.
The steward, "a man named Jones, was
at the station last night trying to find
RannePs overcoat TO get the checks for
his trunks. Attorney Eckstein was in the
station at the time talking to Mr.. Van
Ness when Jones called him out and con-
suited him relative to proceeding crimi-
nallY against the men who, as he claimed,
stripped the overcoat from Rannels' body.
He said they rode on the train to the
crossing and there took the coat and
jumped off the train. One of the walters
said last night they would all place their
claims in the hands of an attorney TO sue
and garnishee Rannels' wages every week
until he paid up.