The Indianapolis journal., 1896-10-11
COLLECTING "souvENIRs.~
Risky Proceeding When the Articles
Are Hotel Spoons.


The other night my attention was drawn
to an alteration which taking place
between the manager, a waiter and a
young man in evening dress. the scene be-
ing the lobby leading from the table d'hote
dining room of a very fashionable hotel not
hundred miles from Charing Cross. The
gentleman in evening dress had dined fair
ly expenSiVely, had taken wine fairly ex-
tenslvely and was retiring from the scene
when the waiter noticed somewhat to his
astonishment, the rim of a plate sticking
out from the parting of the gentlemans s
coat tails. AS the waiter could not recall
that the wearing of a plate in that position
mad recently become part OF the attire or
the aGornment of a fashionable Young man
about town he arrived at the rapid con-
clusion that in a moment of mental aberra-
tion the gentleman had slipped the plate up
his back; but as the majority of the plates
used in the dinner service at the hotel
alude to are of considerable value the
waiter felt bound to mention his discovery.
The gentleman was loud in indignant pro-
test; so loud that the manager and or
fhe plate stlil remained up the back of the
gentleman's coat. Before continuing your
abuse to the waiter" observed the man
ager in very German English permit me
to remove the boneI mean The plate-of
contention. and with a deft movement of
10 and behold it was a dessert plate of
Dresden ware worth about $l2 It's value
perhaps was a little diminished by the fact
that a coat of arms which is used as the
sign of the hotel was burnt into it's rim.
Under ordinary circumstances, when the
takes with him spoon or fork or other
odd trif1e which moves his fancy, but is not
his property he is on detection, given into
custody. Then it is explained, perhaps,
when the scene is changed to the magis-
trates court. that the person charged suf-
fers from kleptomania or something of that
sort, and in nine cases out of ten the hotel
or restaurant keeper forbears to press tie
case any further. The other night the man
was not even given into custody. He was
simply told not to enter the hotel again,
and in order to prevent this. dozen wait
invited to inspect him before covered with
confusion, he was permitted to take himself
thence.
[ regret to say that the gentleman who
was thus detected is an American on tenn
porary visit to the islands. He is a Young
man of excellent family. excellent means
and [ have no hesitation in believing Eith-
reto equally excellent in character. He has
the mania; however, which is known IS
that one of the hotel dessert plates would
make a trophy in his collection. He had
no idea of its value. He confessed TO
that during his present tour in Europe he
had gathered together nearly two score of
what he called "reminiscences of where he
had been, and he added:
Lots of others do the same. Why [
know a nan in New York who has plates
all around the walls of one of his rooms
ropean hotels, but of some of the highest
toned American hotels. Then there are
lots of ladies who collect spoons. not only
those you can buy in the shops, but hotel
spoons as we'll | am perfectly sure that
nobody wishes to steal anything. I am
sure [ never wanted to do that. Indeed, |
would have stood a case of champagne
willingly just now to have removed the
bad impression; but it's just the spice of the
thing, don't you know. Still, L hope shall
never do it again: if 1 ever feel tempted
to. l shall remember this experience
/ must say that the whole thing, as re-
vealed by my friend and the plate, or per-
haps under the circumstance I ought to
say by the plate and my friend, was
From inquiries that I have been making
at hotels and restaurants, 1 find that at
this season of the year it is very true that
spoons, forks and plates, glasses. ash trays.
salt cellars and other things are constantly
missed in London, and always placed to
the credit of American visitors. The head
waiter at a Piccadilly restaurant told me
that on several occasions he had noticed
something else from the table, and that he
had abstained from taking any notice of it.
You see sir he said, the things, are
not silver any longer, only plate and we
don't put out our best plates unless We
know the customers very well, and so if I
see a lady or gentleman slipping a spoon
or something else into a pocket / just
charges pint of wine or a double omelet
souffle, or four expensive vegetables to the
bill, and I looks the customer straight in
the face while he or she adds it up. Lord
bless you, sir, they usually knows what 1
means and they pay hup without a muir
mur'
I should. however. advise American vis-
ttors to be very careful as 10 how they col
leet souvenirs" as it is very certain that
directly one or two of the leading hotel
proprietors make up their minds to prose-
cute as thieves all persons making col
lecticns'' some very unpleasant examples
will be made in the police courts. 1 don't
mean to say anything unkind; [ am per-
fectly sure that my fair eountrymen and
country women have no dishonest inten-
ton: indeed. / must confess that in years
alas, long past, had quite a, little colec-
ton OF what are known as "crushers'' my
self. Crushers" are obsolete now; they
were little wands of glass. which were
served out in the days 2 quarter Of n cen
instead of WHISTLES and sodas. The little
glass wands were used to crush the sugar
in the tumblers. and were worth about a
quarter of a cent apiece. Young men de-
lighted at stealing these things and hang
ing them on the walls of their chambers