The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-14

Both women will keep strict silence as
to their antecedents and each will lie
picturesquely in her endeavor to con-
vince the other that she is a lady of
quality.
Frequently the honest dressmaker
will be Swallowed by the hotel sleuth
on account of her suspicious stories,
reported to him, perhaps, by the West
ern widow Some amusing complica-
lions occur which would make good
material for a comedy drama. When
crook meets crook and dressmaker
meets drummer, all four posing as mil
lionaires and all meeting frequently at
gay little theater parties and over sup
pers, the situation becomes tensely
amusing.
The hotel adventurer is always ready
to turn jewel robber if the chance pre-
sents itself and IL his funds be low
He will secrete himself in closets and
under beds and use false keys and dis
guiseS in his effort to consummate a
robbery. He does his work cleanly
and cleverly. as a rule
A hotel clerk, who has been twenty
years in the business said in regard to
hotel thieves:
There is no doubt that hotel rob-
berries are increasing to a dangerous
extent. High class crooks are choos-
work, and some houses have had the
hard luck to be selected specially for
this purpose.
Your hotel adventurer is always
ready to become a jewel thief if his
schemes do not carry. These men live
by their wits and have big hotel and
livery bills which they settle weekly.
They are difficult to catch because they
are clever, and their being guests of
the hotel protects them.
"Of course, the ordinary crook is at
once spotted and turned out. But this
new style of hotel thief will have no
mark of the criminal to the outward
eye.
HE makes a great bluff, forces his
companionship upon men of standing
Then he uses the fact of his acquaint-
anceship often with the most marvel
Gus success.
"The summer hotels have fairly
teemed with these thieves within the
last few seasons. At Bar Harbor and
at one Long Island hotel of note the
rQbberies of jewels and cash were so
frequent that there was no sort of
doubt that a gang was working skill
fully on the same lines in both resorts
"At summer hotels there is much
freer access to rooms than in town
houses. There are fewer watchmen
anu WINDOWS are always open, OHer-
ing entrance by balconies and over
roofs and porticos.
"Then, too, women will leave their
jewels around so carelessly that it is
a wonder they do not lose them often
er even than they do. In the hotel
business we become quite accustomed
to having our chambermaids find
thousands of dollars sworth of jewelry
and hundreds of dollars in cash left
under pillows by guests who have de-
parted.
1T would seem as though there is
no use in calling attention to the warn
ing that is posted on every hotel door
calling for the deposit of jewels and
cash in the hotel safe. Women will
not do it, although men make a rule
of leaving large amounts of cash at
the desk in preference to carrying it
about with them at night.
Women say it is too much bother
but this is ridiculous. Women who
own these great outfits of gems al
ways travel with maids, and it is just
as easy for them to send their jew
elry and cash to the hotel desk as to
streW them about their apartments.
GAS yet the hotel thieves have picked
out say half dozen of the best-known
hotels in different parts of the country
for their operations. Unless a speedy
stop is put to their success, they will
doubtless enlarge their field"