The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-10-07
GUARDING ENGLISH HOTELS.

The advent of the big American style
I hotel in England has also witnessed tho
evolution on this side of the Atlantic OF
the hotel "crook," a peculiarly danger.
Gus type Of swindler, thief and al
round scoundrel who finds his victims
exclusively among the well to do cos
mopolitans frequenting the public
rooms of these vast caraVanseries He
| is usually a superlatively well dressed
and ultra-affable individual, often
though by no means Invariably OF
American nationality or extraction, and
what he doesn't know about working
big hotel isn't worth knowing. IT.
protect himself and his guests against
| the Vaccinations of this pest-and also
| incidentally to detect and weed out the
dishonesty disposed from among his
army of employes-the modern hotel
| manager has had perforce to provide
himself with that evolution Of the
| mammoth" the hotel detective.
| This latter is literally as Wel as
metaphorically q man among thou
| sand, and earns a salary that would
make many a professional mans mouth
water. The writer knows one such, for
instance who gets twelve hundred
pounds year, in addition to his rooms
and board, and practically unlimited
| expenses. But then he is acquainted by
sight with all the leading Continental
crooks, is known and dreaded by every
American sport" from Maine to Cali
fornia, and can pick out a dishonest
waiter or a pilfering cellarman as sure
ly and as instnctively as a truflle dog
smells out a truff1e Under him, report
ing to him, and obedient to his orders,
is a secret staff of maybe score or
more of employe detectives--cha
bermaids, porters, walters. etc. These
are unknown, as detectives, to one an
other. or to the rest of the staff, al
though care is taken that all the en-
ployes know, or. al all events, suspect,
that some such organization exists
among them. 1t is the system of the
Russian secret police in miniature, and
it is very effective. The would-be pill
ferer, the possible embezzler, is kept
straight, owing to the haunting fear
that his fellow servant may be one of
the chosen agents, of the suave. frock-
coated gentleman with whom they are
all acquainted, and who, for his part,
seems TO know almost as much about
their outgoings and their mornings
the company they keep outside the ho-
tel, the haunts they frequent as they
do themselves.
This is one side, and not the least i'm
portant side. of the hotel detectives
duty, but there is, of course, the other
side Regular frecuenters Of really
big, first-class hostelries must have
noted how, occasionally, a guest who
has made himself a s9ecial favorite in.
the smoking room over night, ingratia
ting himself with everybody who would
listen to him, standing" drinks t. all
and sundry, and generally conducting
himself after the fashion affected by
the typical hail fellow well met, and
who has, moreover, openly announced
his intention OF staying for at least II
month, don't We know" has vanished
mysteriously ere morning. The reason
for such q disappearance would not be
FIR to seek, did any one care to inquire
into the matter. He has been "ar-
preached" by the chief of the hjtal'' de-
tective department. No fuss has been
maze; no scene created just gentle
tap Oh the shoulder, whispered word
or two in the ear, have suff1ced. Occa-
si1nally, it is true, crook will kick
and t.. to brazen the matter out. but
not often He is usually man of the
world, who is content to ac22rt the III
tNitahle, and seeks to revenHa hiniSHf
by warning his pals" against the par
ticular hotel wherein reside the deiec
live who has spotted him, course
of procedure which is, needless 10 say.
precisely what that gentleman expects
aid desires.
"Cnly, of course" remarked one lay
recently to the writer the chief 1T the
Gctec ave staff of one OF Lol 1or1 very
largest hotels. 1.-The hotel detective has
to be very, very careful. He must
know Eis man, not merely suspect. A
single mistake might easily involve his
employers in heavy damages besides
the gr1"est kind a discredit
unon the management of the house !
or2e was within an ace # coming
chastly cropper in this "a%rctt. y
man registered hero who was the Ierv
type. in appearance and general get UP,
uf tho usual cos 1oDOit n adv "ntILer,
who also acted the part to perfection,
and who, moreover, answered in every
to detailed description wired
me from Constantinople of sharper
who had been working the Pera Palace
Hotel in that city. | had just about
made up my mind to tender him the |
usual warming, when | discovered, |
though more by luck than judgment,
that he was wealthy and highly re-
5pectable subject of the Gar over here |
III some secret diplomatic business. On |
another occasion / more than half sus-
lected the bona fides of an American. |
who one day in my presence, incau |
iously, as | thought, let drop certain !
words which revealed to me that he |
what / considered an alto |
yether too intimate acquaintance with |
lotel crooks and their ways. I cultiva-
ed him. and after considerable trouble
ound out that he was none other than
he chief Of the detective department of !
he Waldorf Astoria, New York's big
rest and 'tCniest hotel. London Mail. !
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Magnanimity- became necessary
or an Ellsworth papa to chastise mild |
Y his, small son the other evening Some
ime later wishing to negotiate for a
avor, the chastised one stated his
wishes. and as an inducement added:
Papa We'll James?" IF youll do
|