Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-04-21

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had already commenced TO pack readv
for her flight. And In the dressing
table drawer. put there just out Of
hand. was the bunch OF keys 1 have
spoken OF. oh. yes, she'd probably
my coming along the corridor when I
did" continued my Informant In renIv
TO remark made; shed evidently
overheard at table d'hote breakfast
that most OF the actors had made up n
party TO go slght-seeing and would be
out the best part of the day.
"She Is undoubtedly an old hand Mt
the game. and I've little doubt but that
there are good many managers and
proprletors who would be delighted 10
know she is caught at last. Fortu-
nately. the husband OF one OF the
ladies' whose room was rlfied had NOT
left the hotel, 30 he was able TO Identify
some OF the jewelry ! found In her pos
ut Is n far safer game. OF course.
to work with pal, the singie-harness
business being very risky, ns you can
easily understand. II there are two
IN II there is often the greatest diff
Guilty IN bringing the robbery home.
+ You see, its iE this way: Two peo-
! ple--often man and a woman come
TO the hotel at different timcs, though
on the same day. They don't, OF
course, appear to know one another.
| They take two rooms, probably on
! different floors. and in due course.
the game begins. Valuables are missed
ana perhaps suspicion rests on one OF
/ the pair tsometimes it's the man and
sometimes the woman who net iaiiy
| does the thing. who makes no trouble
about being searched, as. II not aotu-
ally caught IN the act. the plumber
wont De found. II Is already in the
custody of the other one. / can assure
you 1t is a very difficult matter to
catch hotel thieves who work In this
way.
81 caught one pair. however In a
somewhat curious manner, and entire
~ through a blunder OF the receiver.
| J hnd FOR several days suspected Il
! manufacturing woman who occupied a
/ bedroom on the FIRST floor. and one
| morning several people came down to
the managers office and complained
that they had been robbed while down
at lunch. | asked the head walter IL
| Mrs. Courcy had been In 10 lunch,
| and found that she hadn't although I
had seen her In the hotel about lunch
time.
Several suspicious circumstances
were reported TO me by the chamber
maid on whose floor the ritiod rooms
were. and In the end Mrs. Courcy' was
requested 20 step Into the managers
| private room while her own room was
| searched. Nothing was found. and
/ Mrs. Courcy talked Of damages for
| defamation or character, assault. IL
| legal detention and | don't know what.
! Things. indeed, looked no queer that
| the manager began Ia wish we'd let
1 the matter rest, l happened to 90 out
| Into tho vcstibulc for n moment, and
saw that gentleman was leaving Inn
/ medinttly, l rushed into the office,
| found out the number OF his room. No.
/ 2e6, Discovered that he'd also not been
| in TO lunch, and had made up his mind
I to leave suddenly paying for the room
/ for the night because Il was after
noon. Telling tho porter 20 be allow
about getting the luggage down, l re-
| ported TO the manager what hnd dis
/ covered. To cut the matter short, the
missing jewelry and other Naluablos
were found IN No. 22Gs' possession.
/ In his portmnntcnu, In fact; and both
no and the woman, having previous
/ convictions against them, were som
/ fenced to term In the penitentlary
| which will free hotel proprlvtors from
their delicate attentions for some time
| to come"
Are the walters themselves ever In
| league with hotel thleves2" Inquired.
TIN afraid that sometimes they are"
was the reply. 81 don't mean TO say
| that they do much OF the actunl work.
Their part IL usually that OF warming,
giving Information as TO the visitors
habits and movements. and helping to
conceal the swag' whom obtained. l
once caught one at the latter game.
The thief himself had got clean away
| when my suspicious were aroused by
"a German. Sure enough, the missing
| articles were found IN Il hand-hng or
his where they had been put I'LL tho
| evening whom he meant 10 slip out,
and take them 20 the 'gentlemun' Who
had left who proved TO be his own
brotherl This came out at his eXamlna-
| ton. when he tried to get OF by blow
! Ing upon his more active and Daring
confederate.
81 don't sometimes much wonder at
n waiter being dishonest. He has gem
orally pretty poor berth, almost en-
| tirely depending upon tips for i've
| lhood nnd In some mot few, more
over) cases having TO pay for his situa.
| ton. or course the Item service
| charged on visitors bills seldom or
| never reaches the servant for whose
benefit II Is supposed to be.
"Exclting adventures? Well. only
once or twice Hotel thieves generally
TRY to brazen 1t out. you see. But once,
down at n watering place, where II %
| hotel was sandwiched in between
| terrace OF houses, / chased lady
| thief, who turned out to be man.
| along two or three parapetA, over one
or two roofs and houses into loft,
| where she drew q revolver, which hap
| PLY missed FIRE. and tried to despatch
me to kingdom come
"oh, rye nothing TO do with the or
| binary visitor, who merely swindles by
not paying his or her bill." concluded
my Informant. but with those who
rob either the hotel, by passing on
Hash notes or bad money. or our
guests"
A STRANGE CAREER.