The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-05
WHAT RATTLES THEM.
BoTEL CLERK OWN TO HAVING
SOME S PERSTITIONs.

Really Have the CranSlest Notions.
From tie Ner0 York Nelcs
"Hotel clerks superstitiousT' repeated a
hotel clerk when a reporter put the question
20 him. He unused over it for a few min
utes and replied;
among Intelligent people, next to actors,
hotel clerks are probably more auperstltious
than any other class of men. But, singular
as it may seem, we have got nothing but
executions to the rule in this house, and YOU
will find that every hotel clerk will tell you
the same thing.
owe been told that another clerk, who
used to know me in st. Louis, tells people
that will not give room to a cross-eyed
man, but it is a lie and he knows it. The
story has stuck to me, and may as well
tell you about it, for If you see him he will
surely tell it and tell it all wrong
lie was day aud was night clerk 10 the
old Planters hotel. The incidents ran
along from Christmas eve to New Years
day. A oross-eyed man began and ended
it, but there were TWO more cross-eyed men
in it.
ION Christmas eve a well~dressed, fiue-
appearing fellow slung his grip onto the
desk, asked for room and started TO regis
ter While he was writing happened TO
look at him, and his two eyes were looking
righ~at mine, while he kept on writing his
name and address. This was the first intima-
tion had that his eyes were out Of gear,
and his cold stare
GAVE ME A CHILL
which 1 did not get over for an hour. I
told Bob about it the next day, and he
laughed at me heartily.
ION Christmas night a second cross
eyed man arrived on the eastern train and
registered about the same hour that the
first man had thrown the pen at the blotter.
He was q nice, pleasant sort of fellow and
wrote the worst scraWl ever saw.
Before l had a chance to enter up an
imitation Of the signature in the ledger a
couple of headquarter detectives dropped in
AMI showed me telegram from New York
asking for the arrest of a oross-eyed man
for forgery. There was very little more to
the description, and cross-eyed No. 2 was
freshest in my mind.
The detectives agreed with me that his
bad writing on the register was purposely
done SO that nobody would think that he
could write we'll enough TO be a torger.
The officers went up to his room, which was
2l3, and placed him under arrest.
he showed them letters aud documents,
proving that he was banker in Austin,
Tex, and was also member of congress.
They at once added the charge Of robbiGg
the congressman to the original one of for
gerry. He was locked up till next day, when
be was able to prove his identity by some
politicians who knew him.
Meanwhile, the first cross-eyed man,
about whom had forgotten in the excite
mont. was living quietly III the hotel, taxi
ing his meals in his room and avoiding the
public part Of the house. l did not see him
sgain alive.
The third cross-eyed man turned up on
the third night, and l confess that l was
nervous when he asked for q room. No. 2
was
TALKING ABOUT SUING
the hotel, police and everybody else for
damages l vas afraid to tell the police
about No. 3.
ITO cut the story short, on New Years
morning the dead body of No. l was found
in his room. Among his papers were proofs
that he was the wanted forger, and that he
belonged to a good New York family. A
CHASTITY wound in his temple showed how
he died.
His family sent for the body, the search
for the fcrger was ended, ana the newspa-
pers lost big story. Hotels never like to
have news of deaths, much less of suicides,
get out, for they have depressing and dele
FERROUS effect on business. Nobody wants
to take chances on sleeping in room occu-
pied by CORPSE
do you ever do itF' asked the reporter.
Cert; no hotel can afford to lock up
rooms on any account" replied the clerk,
"for space in hotel is valuable.
when told you just row that there
were no people who were more superstltious
than hotel Jerks, except sctors, l made a
mistake. Hotel patrons beat everybody
else. They will not sleepin rooms with I'M
lucky numbers, and few hotels now have a
room Is.
This was suggested TO me by what was
just going to say, that in all regulated hotel
rooms that have been the scenes OF death
Et,spf IA =
promptly wiped out OF existence, numeri-
oally speaking. People read the papers and
remember numbers.
Last winter l assigned Syracuse man
to room 1872. he wouldn't have it under
any circumstances. because he had read in
tae papers that man had killed himself in
the room. He remembered the number
y" AS matter OF fact the suicide happened
In another hotel In
ROOM OF THE SAME NUMBER,
and l showed him his error next day.
meanwhile giving him another room, Of
coursen
"Mr. - says he is not superstitious about
crosseyed men, does he! Well, I'd bet he
would faint il one turned up to take the
pen. The man would get room all right
because there would be another clerk there
TO give 1t to him while the usual restoratives
were being used.''
SO said the other clerk, who knows all
about the first mans dislike for men with
minated eyes,
81 am not at all superstitious myself
about cross-eyed people or men who put q
pen full Of ink in their mouths while they
are thinking about something, but always
have bad luck after a man has registered
who first asks when the next train by some
particular railroad leaves town.
Perhaps the finding Of two successive
Vallses full OF bricks in frst-class rooms
may have started this superstition. but I
am free to say that If man asks me that
question, unless l know him, even trunks
cont go. The rule is for the people with
baggage to pay in advance but in almost
al hotels the clerk is allowed and is ex-
pected to use more or less discretion. He
must not make mistakes"
- Frequenters OF the old Hotel Royal, at
Forty-second street and Sixth avenue, will
remember a clerk NAMED Harry Frothing
nam, who used to be there. He was the
most superstitious fellow that one could
run across, and left his employment be-
cause be dreamed the hotel had been
burned down and several persons killed.
de played policy and WIN a gig, which
ne played on the line appropriate to a fatal
Motel fire in the dream book Winch he had.
News Of bis luck got round among the other
employees, and Harry was told 10 give up
MS nonsense or quit