The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-21

their country homes for day or so
IN town. This is known generally as
the town, and country trade, and here
is where the hotel manager loses mon
ey, rather than on his transient Gus
tom. Certain names, we'll known in
society at home and abroad, are inval-
liable on his register. They draw the
Would-be social element, with money
to spend, but just lacking certain
qualities which alone can carry them
into the inner circle where they would
be. Now if the owner of one of these
desirable homes absent-mindedly fails
to settle his account, the proprietor of
the hotel does not push the delinquent,
for the transfer of his account and oc-
casional presence to another house
would carry away a certain number Of
satellites. 1t is said that one family
of considerable social prestige owes
the house six thousand dollars.
A third class includes those who
have the means and who at regular
intervals dine at the hotel and would
think of going nowhere else to give
supper party after the play. They are
the people who enjoy life in an utterly
uusensational fashion, but who like to
watch the passing show about once
in so often.
"The Ice Walkers"
The fourth and last class are the
people who walk on ice-who are keep
ing up appearance at any cost. The
men wear evening clothes with shiny
seams, the women gowns that are
trimmed with soiled lace or last sea-
sons passementerie. 1t may be for
business they make their appearance
night after night at this fashionable
gathering place. Often they live in
oh
and rolls for breakfast, lunch on tri-
fes and have the one respectable meal
of the day with the world that shrugs
it's shoulders in passing them.
The policing of house like this with
its $50 guest chambers, it's accommo-
dation for 1900 guests, it's force of L.
200 servants, its great corridors and
stately apartments open to all, is a
problem equal in seriousness to the
protection of a small city. All classes
fore-gather here-the man who in
dulges in excuses and is willing to pay
any price to have his indiscretions
overlooked and the man who believes
that because he has paid a good round
sum for his own accommodations the
entire house should be run under the
blue laws of old New England. To
screen the one and propitiate the other
demands tact. To bar suspicious char
acters and to guard the innocent vic
tim of circumstances from false accu-
Stations would require a Sherlock
Holmes. While each hotel of this sort
has it's well organized detective force,
more or less detective instinct develops
with time in every employee about the
establishment.
An elevator attendant can tell by
the manner in which a person ap-
proacheS his car whether he is a guest
or a chance caller bent on Investigate
ing the house with curious or evil in
tentions. The house-guest almost in
variably will enter the car with a GER
tain expression of inquiry on his face,
a shadow of hestancy. The sneak
thief. the man or woman who has no
right to enter that same car will have
an indefinable braVado or effrontery in
carriage.
An Embarrassing Situation.
A Western woman, key in hand, was
recently met by a male guest of ire
proachable references, wandering anx-
iously in the corridor. She could not
find her room in the velvety maze and
she appealed to her chance acquaint-
ance. The man knew no more than
she; but he stopped the next elevator
and asked the attendant where room
No. was. Its occupant, Mrs.
X of Denver. could not find her
bearings.
In three minutes, a house detective
was politely, but persistently endeavor-
ing to find out why the unfortunate if
obliging gentleman was interested In
the location of Mrs. KS room: what
he was doing in New York, etc. The
news seemed to travel from the small
est page to the floor clerk, and the
man felt that he was under surveil-
lance during the remainder of his stay,
and all because he had meant to
be courteous to a woman, who,
as he said afterward, ought not
to have ventured into New York with
out a guide.
A peculiar duty of the regular de-
tective force is following up the SER
wants when the latter leave the hotel
after the days work is over. In this
way they ascertain what sort of home
life the help lead, where they choose
their companions, what their amuse-
ments are, how they spend their money,
and most important of all whether
they live within their income. A sur
prisingly low percentage of thefts are
traced to servants, though it has often
been said that crooks get hotel posi-
lions with a keen eye to business. The
house detectives are supposed to keep
in touch with the municipal police de-
partment, to know their rogue gallery
and prevent any possibility of man
or woman from the underworld secur-
ing a position in the hotel. The ma
iority Of thefts are traced to guests,
and in some instances are due to
"kleptomania-"
There is everything to invite crooks.
Money is spent with prodigal hand and
Jewels dazzle. The average check for
a. meal is So and walters who re-
ceive a regular salary Of SIS month
carry away three times as much in
tins on New Years night 1900 peo-
pie sit down to supper, the tables over
lowing the dining room into the cor
ridors. This means that at least s5V'-
600 is spent on eatables, turntables ana
cigars between p. m. and a. m
every day.
The Power of Money
Money win buy almost anything here.
A guest may telephone 70 any SHOP
nd have goods sent on approval, Hlth
a shop employee ia attendance WIN
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