The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-15
THE HOTEL DEFECTIVE.
Some Adventures In Guarding Un-
suspecting Guests From Thieves.
From the New York Herald

these stories: The life of a detective in a
summer hotel, while an obscure one. is
the most exciting and diversified of any
in the detective line. II is his duty to
guard the guests not only from outsiders,
but from chance wolves in the sheep fold.
He must never blunder in his arrests, nor
fail to find the wrongdoer His life is
rapid, anXious-of cruel My first
case this summer was a queer one. Mr..
S. and his wife have been coming here
now for five years. This year they came
up on the O'Clock train, and were as
signed to room No 20, their old quarters.
AT o'clock they came down stairs, left
their room key in the Office aud went into
the dining room.
AT 6 o'clock we change desk clerks, and
this year we have new man on duty
from q TO II. He had never seen Mr.. and
Mrs. S. About ten minutes after he
came on duty man stepped up to the
desk and said: "Give me No 26," adding,
pleasantly, "You see we have the same
old room.n The clerk handed out the key
and went back to his books. Ten minutes
later the man returned, threw the key on
the desk, gave the clerk a cigar and
walked out. Now, Mr.. and Mrs S., after
dinner, sat on the piazza awhile, listening
to the music, and it was fully 10 O'Clock
when Mrs. S. went TO the desk. asked for
her key and went with her husband to
their room. A minute after we were
startled by the news of a burglary, and
MIR. S., frantic with excitement, rushed
down to tell us that all Mrs. S. S jewels,
her laces and valuable keepsakes Of all
kinds were gone, while trunks. gowns and
satchels were torn in the hasty ransack-
ing.
l went to their room and found it all
true-but who and where was the thief?
Il have not spoken to anybody in the
place" said MIR. s., except a man | met
on the train, to whom gave my card.
asked him 10 call. and told him l should
be in the rooms Ihad had for five years"
This was good clew, and with the de-
scripJiou given by the clerk of the man
who had asked for the key, telegraphed
all over the country. was answered by
other hotel detectives looking for the
same man; and in week we had our
sleek bird landed in town, where he will
remain for year at least.
SLICK JOB.
Thieves, you know are a brainy class
of men. Sometimes l can't help admiring
their ingenuity and wishing it could be
put to better account You know that
hotel rooms mostly all lead into one an
other When only one room is wanted,
the door is locked between and bureau
placed against it, This was the case with
Miss Varicks room. The dresser almost
hid the door. One afternoon Miss Var
lex locked the door, took of her Jewels,
which were very handsome, and, laying
them upon the dresser with some other
pieces, which she intended to wear that
night, sat down in an easy chair by the
window to read. The day was hot. and
Miss Varick thought afterward that she
might have dozed OF. Anyway, she
awoke with a start looked around the
room, saw everything was all right, and
was about to settle herself for another
nap, when she happened to glance at the
dresser, only to find it empty of all her
Jewels. Not a ring, even, was left. She
got up and stared at its marble top 1t
was as blank as a sheet.
Quickly Miss Narick rushed to the
door. 1t was securely locked Outside
sat the chambermaid on watch. Both
agreed that the door could not have been
entered, although the cham bermaid ad-
mltted that she, too, might have been
asleep in the heat of the afternoon. At
the Office there was no trace of any
stranger in the house. | really was non
plussed this time. The rapidity of the
robbery puzzled me, and for awhile
thought Miss Varick might be one of the
somnambulists who furnish plots for so
many novels. But she was no somuam bu-
list, as search around her room revealed.
She was quite Frustrated with fright and
shock, and really had my hands full. In
the next room were two gentlemen, old men
and very dignifed. They left the after
noon of the robbery. AS 1 afterward
found, they left within five minutes af-
ter it was committed. l went to their
room and searched the door, but there
was nothing to show it had been un-
locked: The big nook that held it was
on Miss Varick's side of the door.
Yet through that door seemed to me the
only reasonable way o. accounting for
the robbery. The men had left very
hastily.
TIE MIRROR SWUNG.
AS I searched the door for the humid
reth time, 1 noticed that the paint around
one of the panels was scratched.
Picking at the fretwork around the panel,
l lifted it out easily, ana the panel Ipulled
toward me by inserting nail in an old
nail hole.
Now" said I to Miss varick, "seat
yourself where you were on that after
noon and keep your eyes upon the
dresser"
Very quietly slipped in the next room,
took out the panel, pushed the mirror OF
the dresser forward and removed the pin
cushion from the top. Miss Varicls sat
watching me with eyes wide open. THE
very sound that woke me thatafternoon,"
she exclaimed. 1t was the swinging of
that mirror" After that things were
easy. We caught the thieves in Boston,
but not until we learned to know them
without the wigs and spectacles which
changed them from well-known crooks to
respectable middle-aged citizens.
GENTLEMAN THIEF.
This was one Of the most serious hotel
cases have ever had, because woman's
fair name and fame were in question. T
had noticed for some weeks that Mr.
Blank was paying devoted attention TO
Mrs. Beech, although that ladys husband
came up to the hotel twice a week and
she was surrounded by five little children
She was evidently flirting with Mr.
Blank, and that IL was not quite open /
believed from the reputation which /
knew Mr.. Blank 70 bear in the southern
city from which he hailed. In short, he
had been implicated in one or two society
robberies. His thefts had been hidden BY
his family, who paid great sums 10 get
him clear and he himself had got scot
free by pleading that he was an uncon-
trolable kleptomaniac. The robberies
were years AGO, but IL is my business 10
remember these things against people
Mrs. Beech. always elegantly dressed,
began 10 wear new pieces OF jeWelry, and
by actual count saw her with seventeen
different diamond rings and dozen diff
ferent diamond bracelets. all IN a few
days. / became very suspicious She