The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1899-10-22

Men BunkOcd a Hotel Keeper Out
of $1,000.
Il dare say you never heard of the
great smallpox swindle." said the ho-
tel manager. 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 1856, when a
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 a private interview
with the manager. 1 regret to inform
YOU he said. after the door was clos
ed, that my friend is down with Sc
we're attack of smallpox
The proprietor nearly fell out of his
chair. There was known to be small
pox in the city, and the bare sugges-
tion that the disease had appeared in
the hotel was enough to empty it in a
twinking. 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.
'Removedr exclaimed the other
Taken through the cold air to n laze-
retto. Why, man. that would be mur-
deri I'll not permit itP
ThN
struck Do you mean to say he must
stay here? he gasped.
Certainly said the stranger.
at was a ticklish situation. The ho
tel keeper dare not enforce his sugges
ton while to let the case remain was
like storing gunpowder in n 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. III publish your inhlmanity
to the entire community
FINALLY it occurred TO the distracted
proprietor to see, first, whether it was
really case of smallpox. So he sent
for a physician, swOre him TO secrec!
and hustled him up to the room. The
doctor took one look at the distiSured
face on the pillow and reported that
the malady was there in a malignant
type He advised the mans immediate
removal at any cost. If you keep him
concealed be said, the disease may
spread, and it would ruin you for life.
You owe something to your guests
Again the proprietor interviewed the
friend, and again the latter refused &c
bulge from his position.
"'Where can take him? he demand
ed. You know very well can't get
comfortable quarters for such pur
pose, and won't have him butchered
in a fs,sthouse to please any landlord
on earthr The hotel man felt his hair
stand on end, but concluded to let
things stand as they We're until morn
ing
Next day he sent for the sick man 5
friend and asked him whether he had
any Suggestions to make.
Yes he replied; 4 thought up 4
plan over night, which you may adopt
or not as you like. AS | said before.
he continued, it 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-
siblity. | make the offer entirely out
of sympathy for your guests.
THE landlord looked him in the eye
4, 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 IT," 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 i
worth $1,000 to get rid of YOU
THE other man smiled ironically
Cali a cab and get out your money,
he said, and inside an hour the incubu!
had been spirited through side doc
swathed in blankets and driven away.
LAS the landlord shrewdly surmised
the whole thing was confidence game
and he learned the particulars later OF
through a sport he had once befriend
ed There was nothing the matte
with the rascal up stairs except tha
his face had been pricked 2 little witt
a quill dipped in croton oil, somethin;
that makes a horrible looking pustule
which disappears in a few days ant
leaves no mark. | always thought tn
hotel man showed good sense in TAX
ing the course be did. He was caugh
in trap and took the cheapest wa.
out. The bare rumor of even a sus
pected case would probably have in
volved a loss of $4,000 or 100000.
was far better to pay the $1,000 ant
charge it to education. New Orlean
Times Democrat
BE True ~ Yourself.
Nobody is more entitled to the graf
tude of his country than the man VIII
is true to himself-who is a usefu