The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-14
UP-T0-DATE HOTEL THIEVES.
THEIR WORK VERY DIFFERENT
FROM THE OLD METHODS.


From the New York Sun.
The up-to-date hotel thief is entirely
different from the old-fashiOned sneak
thief. who prowled through corridors,
often operating with the aid of serv-
ants or gaining an entrance through
the cellar way and back doors.
The new type of hotel thief drives up
in style to the summer hotel or city
hotel that he has selected for his field.
Sometimes he comes direct from an
ocean liner with his steamer trunks on
top of the cab Otter he has a valet,
and sometimes a wife but as a rule he
travels alone.
He is as picturesque a person in his
modern way as any of the famous
| highwaymen of history. Sometimes he
has followed his prey across the con-
! tinent of Europe without getting his
| chance; sometimes it is only from the
| steamer deck, where he has struck Up
| an acquaintance with some capitalist
| whose weaknesses he has discovered
under the guise of cordial good fellow
ship.
When the p-to-date hotel thief be-
comes a thorough master of his trade
and is successful enough to travel in
this fashion, he, as rule, operates
alone. Until he amasses experience
enough to aid him in carrying off big
| prizes that enable him to have periods
of rest and recreation between his en-
terprises he is Obliged often to take
chambermaids and bellboys into his
confidence, sending them on ahead of
him sometimes to prepare ways and
means.
If he has a wife with him she will in
variably be handsome and finely gown
ed and jewelled. She will be gracious
| often fascinating, and will pose as a
martyr to the male friends that are
picked up by the couple on their jour
neys. Nothing appeals to a great many
men so much as the idea of a pretty
and neglected wife who is sacrificing
herself for her husband
The couple Will be extremely hOspi-
table and win entertain in their hotel
rooms, Then there are various meth
DDS that are put in operation. Cham
| payne viii be consumed and whist or
| poker proposed. Or frequently, as there
has grown to be a degree of suspicion
about these hotel card games, there is
no talk of cards.
In the latter case the guest is boldly
| robbed. His money or ValuableS are
He may know quite we'll when he
discovers his loss that he has been
robbed, but he will have no proof In
| the case of cards he is cheated invaria-
bly, and led on to play further by va
rious means until he has given his note
for large amounts.
Sometimes he is allowed to seem to
win large amounts, but in the end he
is always the loser to an extent that
makes the game very profitable one
to those who pursue it.
| In the corridors of some of the fash
ionable hotels each evening one can
see many of these men and women,
| bearing in their dress and their faces
no mark of their pursuits They are
not, as a rule, known to New York de-
tectives.
They come from abroad. many of
them, and others from the West. Some
of them are native New Workers who
pose as brokers and spectators. They
belong to that large, growing
class whose calling and means of live
lihood are q. mystery.
They appear each evening in fault
less attire, frequent the cafe and bill
lizard rooms, make acquaintances over
tickers and at racing boards, often
| pose as generous patrons of the turf
| or of art. They are always we'll man.
nered. No hotel thief Of this class is
ever in the least short or brusuue in
his manner. FTe is suaVe, hat-lifting
cigar-giving and most cordial and af-
| fable.
Every hotel of note has it's private
detective nowadays, and some of the
| larger houses have a staff of sleuths
who circulate among the guests, their
real calling being known to only a few
of those with whom they come in daily
| contact
They do much clever work in ferret
ing out criminals, but their efforts have
been conspicuously unsuccessful OF
late, for despite the fact that hoteI
managers will do everything in Their
power to keep the news of a robbery
secret reports of many jewel robberies
of late have reached the general pub
lie. while stories of shady transactions
and sharp gambling operations are get
ting more frequent.
The large hotels make special efforts
to protect their guests known to be
men of Importance financially. Such
men are the faVorite prey for the ad-
venturers of this class who will endea-
vor to dupe them by plans we'll con-
ceived and executed, appealing to some
special fad or folly of the man to be
| victimized.
Many men nowadays carry not only
| large sums of money with them, but
also quantities of unset gems of value
this being one of the eccentricities that
modern millionaires indulge themselves
| in.
Such men, if once caught in the net
are willing to double their losses as a
| rule rather than have amy news of their
experiences get out. When it is re-
corded that one hotel detective was
discharged not very long ago for in
| PRODUCING a Chicag crook, posing as a
dealer in art treasures, to a New York
millionaire, it will be seen at once that
| the hotel sleuth is not so astute nor
| so lynX-eyed as he should be in all
| cases.
Sometimes it is trihe difficult to tell
the knave from the fool among these
| hotel dwellers. Women and men who
acquire wealth in other cities, in repu-
table as we'll as in questionable pur-
suits, will come to town with un-
limited cash and plenty of good clothes
They may choose to maintain abso-
| lutte secrecy as to their previous con-
dition. Nobody knows who they are
| but they are guests a one of the high
est priced houses in town and they
! pick up acquaintance in the parlors
and halls entirely on the strength OF
their dwelling place.
A successful dressmaker from a
small town will visit the city for the
purpose of studying the fashions. She
| will have an excellent wardrobe with
| her and she will make for the best
hotel where she fances that she can
get in direct touch with womensof fash
| ion and position.
.g.,N -,