The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-05-31
Copyright 1908 by Doubleday, Page 6 Co.
We are conducting hotel not Gem,

We are conducting hotel. not a GEM
etery."
But he was very indignant, and made
remarks which were painful to one OF my
shrinking. sensitive Organization.
once had q peculiar dazzling suicide
at my place in which two persons
Quenched the vital spark and destroyed
new Wilton carpet simultaneously.
This accident was splendidly written up
in one of our leading journals. with
lovely portraits OF the principals evolved
from the imagination OF the artisD.
My portrait was also printed. together
with brief synopsis OF my life. shall
delight when the article was shown her.
and her simple. unaffected Joy and prido
at seeing my picture side by side with the
deceased was truly touching.
1t Is needless to say that for long
time thereafter our place was thronged
with suicides. and all without costing us
cent. SO I never let an opportunity
pass to say a good word for newspaper
| men.
l always have tender spot in my
heart toward newspaper men. What
would hotels do without them? Whenever
VIC have fire or n robbery or suicide.
who is the first to fly to us In the hour
OF our aftllction? The newspaper man.
And he proceeds to give us big send-ofr.
] say "send-off." for 1t generally has the
effect OF sending OF lot OF star board
ers.
It's no trouble at all to beat hotel.
The law says we must take any one who
comes, without regard to age, color, or
previous condition OF servtude. The only
thing we can look to Is the baggage.
All beat has to do is to present him
self with fair array of baggage. We
take him to our bosom.
After few days. or weeks, or month.
according to the custom of the particular
hotel concerned, he is asked to pay. He
hasn't any money. A remittance he ex-
pected hasn't come.
We hold the baggage. He skps. We open
the trunk and find soled handkerchief
and three dirty collars. There we are!
We can go to law. What good will 1t do
us In nine out Of ten cases?
Some OF the beats are not sharp enough
to work the thing that way, They re-
0y we ean cac6 them be dons thsf w
intent to defraud, the law can hold them
In criminal proceedings, but It Is almost
der del, such conditions that We can prove
intent to defraud,
The average man who doesn't pay his
hotel bill Isn't without pride isn't reg
wel We'll d or has been We'll t,sed dis is hard
rup for the moment. He expects to catch
on next week, and goes ahead and blows
IllIIlSefl III Btou lhllH NeSL week uOeSIl
come loaded with bank-notes and he
can't settle.
It's the fashionable hotel that loses
heavily through bad debts. The real swell
houses lose thousands OF dollars every
year through debts run up by social
THESE establishments can't turn down
patron OF high social standing, He Is used
to burning money and runs up sky-high
bill, 1t seems natural enough that he
should. Then he can't pay.
What's the hotel man to do? He may
eventually get the money. Then again,
he may not, He can't afford to raise q
/ don't know but what the old-timer
has been the most fatal proposition for
me. Sometimes n man who has been COM
ing to the house for years, and has all
ways been on the straight. strikes hard
luck and asks for time
We let him run along for the sake CT
his record His bill climbs high, he
doesn't puIl out of the hole, and he lands
us for a good round sum-
But 1t Isn't only the old-tlmer who
beats MS Why. even the children can play
with MS hotel men,
Only a little while ago three small boys
came to my hotel. They We're small sha-
vers and they stayed three or four
days before we asked them for money.
They confessed that they didn't have any
that they had run away from home and
had spent every cent they had brought
This seemed like good deal Of a joke