The sun., 1903-04-26
HOTEL GRAPTERS ARE ACTIVE
SPRING VISITORS FROM OUT or
go, TOWN THEIR VICTIMS.
me Freedom Of tho Mig Hotels Enjoyed
by the Public Gives Them Their
Opportunity - Carelcssness OF Poo-
pie With vaiuabIes Eeips Them
Nome Women An,Ony the T'hieyeS

ny tue puOUc OtNet Inem Inetr
Opportunity - CarelcNness OF Poo.
pie With vaiuabIes Eeips Them
Some Women Among the Thieves
The spring always brings host o; out
of-;own people to Now York hotels. There
are those who come IN from the Wes; and
the South to buy for summer. Then u,r'
are buyers and salesrnea and sHirs~one,
from large wholesale houses. rianvor wnon,
travel In style that would suggest tie
possession Of unlimited means. This kind
Of display Ia necessary for the successful
salesman and the buyer. In addition to
those the milliners and dressmakers who
come East 10 stuC!y the metropolitan 81 yles
put up OF the best hotels and fondly imagine
that they are In the closest possible touch
with the Four Hundred.
These visitors are apt 10 he provided
with a supply Of real money rather Than a
checkbook. They wear good clothes and
jeweiry and by their appearance and man
ner give ample evidence that they are not
New iorksrs.
Whatever they may know Of the wicked
ness Of the big city, they hardly look for
thieves and conn.ience gaine- amid the
surroundings Of worid famous Lotels. Yet
these hotels are the very latest stamping
ground chosen by the men and women
known to detectives as hotel gral,:.s.
Hotel grafters are well dressed. the
women conspicuously no. and their manners
are distinguished by genlality and friend
illness that a. a rule win thcm many ac-
q,iaintances among the unsuspectns Wis
itors VINO imagine that they are meeting
desirable residents OF New York.
30 bold have their operations become
recently IN some OF the best known hotels
that II has been impossible 10 maintain the
1
round happenings OF an unpleasant char
acter In these places A detective who ilas
made a recon-, III apprehending thieves OF
this special class said last week regarding
the recent epidemic o. theits at hotels.
-Ipresume that il is tr.fic uni ust 10 class
the hotel lounger with the hotel thief, but
In INV business | make little distinction
bet wecn the two. BY hotel loungers 1
mean those persons who neither sleep nor
dine At a hotel. but put In frequent ap-
pearances In corridors. billiard rooms.
cate. and writing rooms.
Some pretext Ia always used to give
them an excuse to walk through the rooms.
TO wait In some department or perhaps 70
write a letter on the hotel stationery. In
this way the hote CRATER occasionally
gets a chance TO make haul.
The hotel thief Of recent development
may drive up In a cab and 60 direct to the
desk TO ask for some guest who may or
may not be staying there. There Is
more dangerous and elaborate Indoor
games and those who are simply on the
watch for whatever may come their way.
III the inquirer is a woman she Is directed
TO a parlor to wait, and the boy is sent with
her card or her name 10 look for the person
sought. TT,
stray through the halls to the dressing
ROOM Her appearance In no way sGG-
gest. ANYTHING so unpleasant as theft
But when the opportunity comes she is
quite ready to pick up a, valuable muh, an
umbrella. a purse, a book-anything which
may be within reach and forgotten for tie
time. Then, so quietly that she Is never
noticed. she slips into the hall and from the
hotel into the street or a waiting cab. The
NUT or the purse she has appropriated is
carried with an entire ease and manner
Of rightful ownership.
.It would ast onisb careful people TO know
how extremely reckless many are with
their belongings. Such things as sab,es.
and handbags are left about public dining
and waiting rooms In hotels while their
owners 20 to desks and elevators utterly
unmindful Of their property.
THE fact that many NOR more .S OF such s..s,, ar,
on the community generally. In womena
dressing rooms especially there is q reck-
less disregard Of the disposal OF purses, and
valuable rings are left on washstends
dozens OF times Gay anO are TetuIucQ ~
the maids by other women.
Sometimes they are stolen, naturally.
A valuable diamond ring can be quietly
slipped into q glove, and a woman thief
Of tho sort described will &C.. on arranging
her hair or her gown and will perhaps join
10 the general search which may follow the
loes. 50,
But q woman quite frequently will 20
of and leave her rings and will return an
hour later to look for them. II q maid has
kept them carefully for her she will thank
she seems to take II a. a m alter Of course
that gems worth several hundreds or thou
sands Of dollars have been left untouched
In a public dressing room.
women are always bothering the hotel
clerks in this way. as well as In the manner
IN which they dispose Of money or jewelry
in their rooms and then forget where they
have hidden IL. When a great commotion
has been made and two or three maids or
bell boys accused they will remember
where they have stored the things. or per-
haps a search will disclose them.
-The women hotel thieve, will pick up
gloves, wells. pocketbooks, the chain purses
that are carried 30 much. umbrellas. even
flowers. The men look rather for coats,
cancs. umbrellas. hats and travelling bags
-Thoee who carry on the larger games
will seek to mako acquaintance IN the
boldest manner. They gracefully address
the chosen victim, msn or woman. and
endeavor to win his or her liking.
They act In collusion with confederates
who may he guests at the hotel. and a.
general thing Q game Of whist or poker Is
proposed In private suite OF rooms. where
everything naturally has the air Of luxury
and quiet elegance which suggest nothing
OF criminal intent.
THE amounts that are lost In some o'
these games are startling and the victims
rarely wish any publicity. although they
do seek the return Of the notes which they
are sometimes induced to give or the jewels
of which they may be defrsnded.
There 10 a general belief among per-
sons with common eense that any ono who
IL fool enough to BE- caught In a net OF this
sort is getting the treatment he deserves,
but the hotel Ia ,used as a cloak for the game.
and that is what the hotel proprietors AMI
maj gers object to.
Il think that etrcter rules will have TO be
enforced TO regulate the hotel lounger's
visits to hotcle. His custom
Ia certainly rather q detriment than other
wise, and OF late the situation has grown
more aerious than ever before.