The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-24
HOTEL ASToR WATERS INPLOT
MUSCHENHEIM SAYSTHEY STOLE
r AT LEAST $500 A DAY.
Makes Charges Against thirty Of Them.
and Four Arc Arrested At Once
Worked with the Checkers, Who Made
Prices to suit-some Made Sl7 Day.

FTlces 10 Sult-DOihc Wsuo SAA De'
w. C. Muschenheim Of the Hotel Aston
went to the West Forty-seventh street
station last night and told the police that he
had caught thirty OF his walters and checkers
in plot to rob him. As a result Of his story
a number Of the hotel employees were
arrested.
About a month ago." said Mr.. Muschen-
helm, Il became suspicious OF wrongdoing
because the receipts from the restaurants
were far below what they should have been
compared with the purchases OF food.
I employed private detectives, watched
various of the employees and became con-
vinced that there was an elaborate con-
spiraoy between walters and checkers to
defraud the hotel.
To-day we gave the third degree to
three jof the walters and they made ful
confession, The one In whose information
l place the grea test confidence told me
that he had been employed in the hotel
since October S, and that he had been in
on the graft ever since that time. The
checkers he said, gave the walters in the
ring checks below the bill Of fare prices
if they gave any checks at all. Very often
no checks were given. ,
According to the information obtained
from this waiter and others, the money
of my guests was divided into three parts.
The waiter kept 50 per cent, gave Is per
cent. to the head checker and divided the
remaining rs per cent. among the other
checkers who were in the conspiracy.
One of the walters said that his share OF
the graft had amounted to $40 to $l2 day
for two months
Mr.. Muschenheim said he could not even
approximate the amount taken from him
by the conspirators. The conspiracy be-
gan very nearly year ago, he said, but ne
did not think that the stealings were at all
large in the early innings,
in the past month";" he said, i have
undoubtedly lost at least $500 day on an
average. The money has been taken from
every one Of the dining rooms, for one
kitchen supplies all. I am certain that none
of the cashiers was involved in the conspir-
acy.'
Capt. Gallagher put Detectives Quinn,
Fitzpatrick, Waitzfulder and Curry on the
case. Early in the evening they arrested
these four: John Campbell, lls West Sixty
first street, chief checker; Clarence Sheldon.
s47 West Fifty-eighth street, checker;
Thomas Greenwood, "a Amsterdam avenue
checker, and Michael Spohr, 1874 West FL
tenth street, waiter. They were locked
up on a charge of conspiracy to defraud.
Mr.. Muschenheim leases the house at
2oe West Forty fifth street. which
adioins the hotel. Many OF the
walters, who get S25 a month and board,
also have rooms there at nominal price.
While the detectives were searching TOT
those Of the suspected walters who do not
live there. Mr.. Muschenheim had In this
building his private detective force keeping
watch over q dozen other walters supposed
to have been in on the game.
They were not arrested Immediately, Tor
the reason that the detectives hoped to
secure further evidence from them. The
three men who confessed were assured OF
immunity from prosecution.
Mr.. Muschen helm does not think any
of the guests Of the hotel have profited
from the conspiracy, unless such guests
happened to be personal friends or the
walters or checkers. 1t was very easy
matter for the walters to provide them
selves with dummy checks showing the
full amount Of the bill, collect the full
amount and turn over the check on the
hotel blanks to the cashier.
Only one guest, Mr.. Muschen helm said
noticed the crookedness, or at least only
one called the attention OF the manage
ment to it. He was eating dinner there
last night, ran up bill OF 90 cents and
when he paid it noticed that the waiter
neither brought check nor took the money
to the cashiers desk. He reported the
matter at the desk in the main ONCE, but
was unable to identify the waiter posi-