Birmingham age-herald., 1895-08-26
Hoi FL sWlNDLERs.
Methods of kdventurers Who Live at the Ex-
 pense of Landlords.

penSe of Landlords.
 Lendon.Tid- Bits.
 s1Iotel keepers are peculiarly liable to be swindfed So many people of all sorts ate constantly coming and going in the Is4sy season that it is next to impossible fesr the most careful man to be sure be- fafehand that his guests are all honest and straightforward, and will not be f6lnd to have skedaddled when the time cpanes for the little bill to be collected, after they have fared sumptuous1y for many days. The best the sorely tried landlord can do is to steer, as well as he may, the happy middle course, without offending the solvent by raising suspi- cfsns of their solvency beforehand, and watching the doubtful lest they suddeiy disappear in the night. And he may be tThsted to be pretty sure on the average tes make. up for his losses by sticking It off to those who do pay up. 1t is bad enough for mine host to have tas bear his losses by beats, without lftvingN to pay up for the losses, real or pretended sustained by his guests while under bis roof at the hands of the trained hotel thief It is a favorite trick of the pdrticularly willy kind of thief who r5akes- his living by playing his little games in well-frequented hotels to pre- tend to have lost valuables, and to claim tEfir value from the landlords
 sAere is a specimen of one way in which the business is' worked. The case was rdcently published as warning to other hotel keepers. Two well-dressed young fellows, apparently strangers to each other were given rooms on the same hoor of a certain hotel. A day or two Iaser one of them said his trunk had been-,stolen and. made such an outcry that to get rid of him. the unsuspecting landlord paid him the value of his trunk and it's contents, amounting to something like i'll. The young man left ana pres emily the other gentleman paid his Diii and also took his departure. But In some way the defrauded landlord learned lafer that when gentleman No. left he took with him not only his own trunk, but the one for which No. 1 had been pad, concealed inside 1t.
 .E'rom Margate there comes tale or beld attempt by foreign countess to get the better of a hotel manager. Aware that hotel keepers are liable for the prop erty of guests up to certain amount, irrespective of negligence" the count ess, when her bill was presented to her. dsclared that she had been robbed of valuable silver belt, worth more than the amount of the bill. But while the man acsfs was dubiously discussing the point there stepped forward the head chamDer- lain and quietly said that he had heard that identical silver belt story twice pre- yiousfy-at Monte Carlo two years be- fore and at Scarborough last year. At both places she had happened to be serv- ing as housemaid. The countess quickly paid her bill and departed. The fact is that there would be much more of this sort of thing but for the constant CIT culation" of hotel SeryantS-usually a sharp class-among the great hotels of the continent and this country.
 One of the most extraordinary robber- ies recorded is one which was effected short time ago at hotel in the Rue arsiC a wefl-dressed man and woman arrived at the hotel in question and took the best bedroom in the house for one night, pay ing for it in advance. and requesting the waiter to call them at o'colck the next morning. He did so, and they left at 5 o'clock But when the chambermaid went to put the room in order she met with an astounding sight. The place was nearly bare and, in fact, every movable article of furniture had disappeared. The visitors, with the aid of accompliees Tn the street. had managed to lower 1t all through the window without being per ceived.
 The death was recently recorded of a remarkable scamp, who must surely nave been the champion hotel thief Of the world He rejoiced in the name of Col. William Addison, and is estimated to have departed in his lifetime from 5000 hotels without at any time leaving any money behind him. His mode of opera ton was peculiar and ingenious. He had devised contrivances for carrying on his nefarious career in the shape of an Addison collapsible trunk and an Addi- son balloon handbag.
 The trunk appeared to be an expensive leather-covered affair of large size, which, when contracted, could be carried under the arm like an artists portfolio while the handbag could be diminished so as 10 gos in a pocket. Selecting his hotel- usually high-class one-the colonel would fill his trunk with bricks and blow out his handbag with straw and proceed to take up his quarters.
 At the least indication of impatlence on, the part of the landlord for payment of his bill the colonel, announcing that he was going to the bank. would pack his trunk in his portfolio and put his bag in his pocket and depart for good. In this way he had lived in luxury for many years, and, consistent to the end, he died in a hotel and left no money be- hind him.
 dangerous kind of robbery has been taking place in Paris in several hotels. In one case the thief who temporarily lived in the hotel, watched traveller ar irving, and by means of skeleton Keys entered his room, got under his bed and during the night chloroformed the vic tim and made off with his valuables From another person he stole 10000 francs and some jewelry. Both victims slept heavily for a long time after this villain had put his bottle under their noses
 Notice.