The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-09-07

man who was so positive he had been robbed of two $1, 600 bills that he left the hotel to go to another place. On his way there he felt something in the toe of his boot and removing 1t, found the money. He came back, apologized and has been regular guest ever since
 Return of Valuables.
 But there is another class who some times forget to thank us when we are at great trouble to return cash and val uables they have never missed. or if lost do not report the loss to us, thinking that it may have occurred elsewhere.
 ''It Is not very long ago that we found wallet containing cash and negotiable paper to the value of $500. The only tangible clue to the owner was receipt. and after some correspondence we foun the, owner of the money in Seattle, to which place tho find was forwarded. Am other cage If even more recent occurrence was that of finding $30 with receipt from fraternal society It Bradford. Pa. This was also traced and the owner found. in neither case was the loss reported at the office.
 "One of the greatest finds we make is that of raZ0s strops. Of these we nave an assortm 'nt equal to any dealer in Chicago. Guests leave thess articles at- tached to all manner of places and we have laid them all away to be called for. Night dresses are also frequently found in rooms. It Is my experience that
  due to carelessness of guests"
 Diamonds in the Chimney.
 "One of the most peculiar and remark able cases that ever came under my mo- tice was at the old Richelieus under MT. Bemis, said Clerk Doyle at the Wash- ington. "A wealthy miner arrived from Montana to spend a week in seeing Chicago and he went about 1t in way that bld fair to uncover all the sights of the town. nv,n AHnln hot hn o1 m office and declared that he had been robbed in his room of $12.000 and 5000 In diamonds. He was positive that he had the money and diam 1ads when he retired and we knew that he was man of veradty who would not squeal if he had been robbed while about the city.
 ITO add to the mystery. the guest had not beer unusually full in going to hts room for the night. and the disappearance of shirt in which he had worn the dia- monds rather strengthened the reported theft. Detectives examined the keys, transom and windows of the room and were equally positive that no robber could have entered
 Finally we made another and more ex- tended search of the bed and in the mat tress was found a slit through which was drawn out the money reported lost. This indicated that the guest must have con- cealed the money on retiring In the old fashioned fireplace of the room was an open chimney, and, reaching up this to full arms length. an obstacle was found which proved to be the shirt and studs. soiled by soot but intact We came to the conclusion that the guest must have had a bottle in his room and opened 1t before he retired
 Vaiuables in Old Clothes
 Of the reported losses by guests MT. Doyle also recalled recent case in which man claimed to have been robbed of several valuable shirts. In cases of this nature there is possibility for claims against the hotel proprietors. but in this instance the guest was satisfied In simply making a report at the desk few days later Landlord Gage received a letter from the guest. who upon arriv- ing home learned that in packing his trunk for the visit to Chicago his wife had neglected to put the shirts in with other wearing apparel.
 A woman guest who had been out rid ing reported to the clerk that in her ab- sence her room had been entered and n diamond-studded watch stolen. Search was made, but without success. Several hours later the cabman. who had been called away on another trip to distant part of the city. returned the watch to 1t had been found in the carriage by the second party he had taken out, Yet the woman had previously been very positive that she left the watch in her room
 It was stated by a clerk at another ho- tel that in a case where a guest had reported the loss of valuables the search was continued un;il everything in the room was turned topsy turvy and only trunk had been neglected. It was in- sisted that this be examined and there 1t was found that the receptacle was half full of towels, sheets, pillow slips and even empty glasses which had mysterious ly disappeared. The articles reported stolen" by the guest were never found.
 Instances were cited where the hotel guests hide their valuables in old clothes picture frames, soap dishes and other