The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-06

darn New York hotel. with its artistic
,,uishngs, priceless paintings. it's army OF
.,sndants. bright lights and music. have
",, ,hought OF the amount Of time and care
~, has been necessary to bring that mighty
.,,htue 10 the perfection which it has at
..,sd or the fabulous amount Of money
,hch has been expended on the building
and ts furnishings. and for which return
,,s, he made by making the slightest detail
,l.sstng to the patrons OF the hotel. minis
,srns 10 the wants Of all sorts Of people
team all over the world. IL Ia q work Of
.onius in its own way and the burden of the
whole great work is borne upon the shoulder
If one man, whose work is practically never
done and who has risked his money. bank
inu on the fact that his brains and personality
will carry him through. and that his hotel
will become celebrated throughout the la nd
and bring him fame and fortune. The sue
cessful hotel man must be essentially a man
Of high-strung temperament. man to whom
Noodle will warm. who. when he shakes a
man by the hand. makes that man believe
that he feels a personal friendship toward
him and makes the man wonder Of what jolly
GOOD friend he reminds him: the man
Immediately feels that he 10 going to enjoy
himself at that house. and after few mo-
ments conversation imagines he has known
him for some years. This personal magnet
ism, coupled with a hard-headed business
capabity. is the prime factor Of the success
full hotel proprietor. and Milton Roblee.
proprietor OF the Hotel Belleclaire, at Broad
way and Seventy-seventh street, 10 an exem-
pliAcation Of the type. Endowed with
cheerful and engaging personality. and the
manner of vigorous. clear-eyed. energetic
man of affairs he impresses one at first sight
as being the right man in the right place.
Perhaps his long experience behind the foot
lights and his political campaigning may
have had great deal to do with his manner
of convincing one of his sincerity. If SO. so
much the better for the hotel business.
HIS BoYHoop DAYS.
Milton Roblee was born in 1854 at Saratoga
Springs, and graduated from a public school.
from which he was sent to the Warrensburg
Military Academy. N. Y, where he spent
numerous days in the guardhouse on a diet
Of bread and water for his many pranks. On
firing OF this existence his father sent him
to his grandfather wheat farm at Fari-
bault, Mimi. where he MIXED cows. ploughed
and did general farm work While there
the nearest neighbors were q Chippewa
Indian family named Statler. Statler was
white man who had married an Indian
squaw and had very interesting family.
one OF whom. a daughter named Sophie.
afterwards became a protegee OF Bishop
Whpple and Ii now q teacher and PROM
inent magazine writer in the West. His
grandfather bought the first piano
eSer seen in that part OF the country
nd the houas became tho rendezvous Of
hJ' entire community for miles around
.litsr four years Of this life. to which Mr..
Robee attributes in large part his rugged
health. hSreturned home and entered SYRIA
cuse University. being sent by his father.
who. having been successful in life. had fore
ordained that his boy should be doctor.
n this respect Mlt Robes differed from his
father. for he had made up his mind that
he was going to be an actor. He had ap-
peared from boyhood in amateur theatricals
and had formed deep liking for the glamour
Of public life. One day while on an OK
cursion 10 WATERFOWL. N. Y. he met James
Gordon Bennett, proprietor Of the Woodruff
House at that place. Mr.. Bennett. who was
al. r;atn ~ he Y.ak 0aWa1O
and the Pinto Stock Farm in California.
became convinced that Roblee would make
good hotel man and offered him position
at the Woodruff House. which he accepted.
and there and then throwing up his university
career, he entered the hotel business and soon
became manager Of the hotel. The old
theatrical longing still held sway. and NJ. B.
Curtis Of "Saml Of Posen" fane. while stop
ping at the hotel became 90 impressed with
his evident ability that he offered him posi-
ton in his company. Here was the chance
for which he had been looking, and away
went the hotel business to the winds and OF
went Roblse on the road with the "Saml OF
Posen'' company, in which he was soon playing
leading parts. His preferment in the bust
Ness was rapid, and he played leads with
Nine. Janaus
He took the character Of Phileds Fo00 in
Around the World in Eighty Days. was
member OF George s. Knights over the
Garden Wall company, BARLEY Camp
bells Siberia, and was also leading man in
BARLEY Campbell's white Slave" for two
seasons with great success, as the following
extract from criticism shows
Milton Robee in the part OF Clay Britton
ably headed the company. He is an actor
of NO mean ability and portrays the chivalric.
gallant Kentuckian to the life."
He also played Captain MoIneaur in Dion
Boucicauts "shaughraun." AT this time
his restless business energy began to reas-
sert itself and the star Of hotel life again
rose above the horizon and shone so brightly
that although engaged by II. G. Kennedy
Tor his Lights and Shadows" company at a
weekly salary OF $50. and to be featured In
the production, he gave up the engagement
and accepted position from Mr.. Robert
STAFFORD. the proprietor OF the Bartholdi in
New York city. A. day clerk Of the Bartholdi
hotel at salary Of 500 per month. hoping
very soon to increase the amount.
Mr.. Stafford was ut the time building the
Imperial Hotel and promised Roblee q
position there when 1t was opened Roblee,
Ia a