The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-09-19
CAUGHT IN THE TRAP
THE GREAT SMALLPOX sWINDLE AND
HOW IT WAS WORDED.

THE GREAT SMALLPOX sWiNDLE AND
HOW IT WAS WoRDED. !.
A Brazen and Well Planned Scheme
by Which Two Sharp Confidence
Men Bunkoed a Hotel Keeper Out
of $4,000.
Il dare say you never heard of the
great smallpox swindle," said the ho-
tel manager. 1.-THE facts of that re-
markable affair were withheld at the
time for the most urgent reasons of
policy, and even now prefer to tell
the story without names or localities
1t happened in the fall Of 1885, when
certain hotel in a large western city
was crowded with tourists. One day,
at the height of the season. two gen.
tlemanly looking strangers put up at
the house and were assigned to what
we call double room About week
later one of them appeared at the Of
fee and requested private interview
with the manager. i regret to inform
you,' he said, after the door was clos
ed, that my friend is down with Sc
we're attack of smallpox
1.-THE proprietor nearly fell out of his
chair There was known to be small
pox in the city. and the bare sugges
ton that the disease had appeared in
the hotel was enough to empty it in
twinkling. To let the news get out
meant the loss of thousands upon thou
sands of dollars. 1t meant the ruin of
the seasons business He must be
quietly removed at once said the pro-
prietor, trying to control his agitation.
'Removedp exclaimed the other.
Taken through the cold air to laze-
retto! Why. man, that would be MUIR
derI I'll not permit itY
1.-THE hotel keeper was thunder
struck. DO you mean to say he must
stay hereT he gasped.
Certainly said the stranger.
''It was q ticklish situation. The ho-
tel keeper dare not enforce his sugges-
ton, while to let the case remain was
like storing gunpowder in a furnace
room. He pleaded, protested. begged,
threatened and clustered, but all in
vain The man was firm as a rock. If
you attempt to eject my sick friend he
declared, IN publish your inhumanity
to the entire community
FINALLY it occurred to the distracted
proprietor to see, first, whether 1t was
really case of smallpox. So he sent
for a physician. swore him to secrecy
and hustled him up to the room. The
doctor took one look at the disfgured
face on the pillow and reported that
the malady was there in malignant
type He advised the mans immediate
removal at any cost. If you keep him
concealed he said, the disease may
spread, and 1t would ruin you for life.
You owe something to your guests
Again the proprietor interviewed the
friend, and again the latter refused to
bulge from his position.
"'Where can take him he demand
ed. You know very well l can't get
comfortable quarters for such a pur-
pose. and won't have him butchered
in pesthouse to please any landlord
on earthp The hotel man felt his hair
stand on end, but concluded to let
things stand as they were until morn
ing.
Next day he sent for the sick mans
friend and asked him whether he had
any suggestions to make.
Yes be replied; I thought up a
plan over night, which you may adopt
or not, as you like. AS l said before
he continued. 1T is useless to try to
rent quarters for such a case. We
might. however, buy a small cottage
and take him there. have figured the
thing up and the total expense would
be about $1,000. If you are willing to
hand over that amount, / will take him
away and assume all further respon-'
sibllity. l make the offer entirely out
Of sympathy for your guests
'"The landlord looked him in the eye.
I, too, have thought the situation
over he said, and I'm convinced it's
a confidence game pure and simple.
I'm convinced there's nothing the mat
ter with your dear friend up stairs,
but am also convinced that the slight
est breath of the affair would greatly
damage the reputation of the house.
AS business proposition consider it
worth $1,000 to get rid Of you
"The other man smiled ironically.
Call a cab and get out your money!
he said. and inside an hour the incubus
had been spirited through a side door
swathed in blankets and driven away.
"As the landlord shrewdly surmised.
the whole thing was a confidence game,
and he learned the particulars later on
through a sport he had once befriend-
ed. There was nothing the matter
with the rascal up stairs except that
his face had been pricked little with
quill dipped in croton oil, something
that makes a horrible looking pustule,
which disappears in few days and
leaves no mark. always thought the
hotel man showed good sense in TAX
ing the course he did. He was caught
in trap and took the cheapest way
out. The bare rumor of even a sus-
pected case would probably have In
volved loss of $4,000 or 100000. 1t
was far better to pay the $1,000 and
charge 1t to education. New Orleans
Times-Democrat.