Mexico weekly ledger., 1906-07-26
GUESTS SETTLE OLD SCORES
Managers Of San Francisco Hotels Re
ceive Checks From People Who
Fled.

The great American conscience was
stunned but not killed by the unpleas.
ant conduct of the earth on April is.
Managing Director John @. Kirkpat-
rick Of the Palace Hotel is willing to
vouch for this over his own name since
the flood of checks from suddenly de-
parted guests began to pour in upon
him.
There were about 700 persons at the
Palace when the jar occurred. They
were from all parts OF the world OF
every creed and no creed, business men
grand opera singers, poets, speculators
foreign princes, professional beauties
and nondescripts. One and all left In
a hurry. There was no one at the
desk to remind them to pay their bills
Even Manager Kirkpatrick was indif-
ferent as to the income OF the hotel
that morning.
So the guests scattered to the four
winds and when The fire was out, and
then the time for sober reflections,
the hotel keepers came to the conclu-
sion that they were several thousand
dollars to the bad on account of un-
paid bills. They forgot that most eff
cient of collecting agencies, the great
American conscience.
"It was natural that our guests
should hurry away without stepping
up to the captains Office, y said Kirk
patrick Monday. 1.-THE captain him.
self was busy saving bis own baggage.
We did not care who, when nor where
they went to. Our interest in our
debtors was almost as slight as our in.
terest In our creditors. The world
was coming to an end when the Palace
was burning. Nobody needed the
money.
when the sun began once more to
shine through the smoke, however, we
felt unfriendly to ourselves. 1t was a
pity to let all those people go without
so much as an /. o. u, when we might
have had the cash for asking. They
had no more use for worldly things
that morning than the rest of US.
"Then there came check from Paris
signed by a well-known author, whohad
been stopping In San Francisco to pick
up some grains OF information about
human nature In the United States
"'I think l was at the Palace for
threee weeks, read the note which &C
companied the remittance. i don't
remember exactly what your rates
were but my room was a good one and
l hope the inclosed will be sufficient
"When recovered from the surprise
l argued that this was an exceptional
case. Then grand opera singer sent
me about twice the amount of bel
bill, with q perfumed note Of apology
for having delayed 1t so long. Pretty
soon checks began to come In from all
quarters Of the globe, and from al
sorts and conditions Of men. never
realized so thoroughly before from
what an immense territory the hote
trade Of San Francisco draws its pat
ronage. Europe, Asia, and Australif
we're all represented by these voluntary
contributors.
"a hotel man is not supposed tt
have very rosy opinion OF human ma
ture but it is certain that the substra-
ia of character laid bare by a great
calamity, like ours is poor mine fo
the pessemist. True most Of thes'
wanderers who are deluging us Will
coin are Americans, travelling in var
ious lands for pleasure. They arr
globe trotters. But this makes it only
the harder for US to locate them. Wha
are we going to do when man pays u
twice the amount of his bill, ant
forgets to send bis permanent address
If he has one?,'
| Other hotel managers are havinl
similar experiences.