Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-08
PETTY THIEVING At HOTELS
Heavy Losses Sustained by Practice of Some
Guests in Taking Souvenirs.
NUISANCE THAT IS HARD TO CHECK
Towels, Soap, Cutlery, stationery and
Other Small Articles Are Car
Fied Away by Well
Meaning Patrons.

THE professional hotel thief is not the
only person who manages to make the life
of hotel clerk and proprietor miserable in
the matter of taking things from guest
chambers and even other parts OF the es-
tablishment," remarked an old-time Omaha
hotel clerk, who is still in the business.
There is no use in saying we do not know
who commit these petty thefts, for II is
easy enough to locate them by the room
from which the articles are missed. Yet
these people are our patrons; are good pay,
and the trifng loss that may come through
one individual is not SUFFICIENT to make
fuss about ana at the same time lose his
patronage and make a mortal enemy of him
ever thereafter.
1.-THE chief loss to the hotels by petty pill
fering comes through the tourists who stop
at the hotel but for a day and are then
gone forever, but generally manage to carry
with them a souvenir from the hotel as an
evidence that they had once been there.
This class of pilferers will take anything
from a napkin TO a sofa cushion, or any
thing else that they can pack in a trunk
Theatrical People the Worst.
Theatrical troupes are the worst people
we have to contend with in the disappear
ance of towels and soap. Towels. of which
there are a great many varieties used in
and about hotels, are so easily packed
away In a grip. pocket or trunk that these
people make no scruple in appropriating
them without stint The same is true Of
toilet soaps. They need these articles con-
stantly in their business and / will venture
the opinion that over half Of the towel and
soap supplies Of an ordinary travelling the
atrical troupe are thus obtained from the
az xrrhfc a rnN
take these things with a view to actual
theft, but a towel or piece OF soap here and
there is OF so insignificant value they do
not think the hotel will be out anything by
ii, and 50 they appropriate these articles
whenever the mood seizes them. We ex-
pect 1t and Of course make no kick.
Tourists Also Are Bad Ones.
Tourists do more valuable piifering from
hotels than any other class Of people They
do not hesitate 10 take anything that
/ strikes their fancy. / have known instances
where they have taken pictures from the
walls of their rooms. frames and all. We
have also frequently lost valuable bed
spreads and, as rule, they take only the
most valuable towels. even though they
are marked with the hotel name woven into
the material Nor do they confne their pee
ulations to their rooms. In one instance l
have known them to take sofa cushions en-
tire, and It is not an unusual thing to lose
valuable sofa cushion covers.
The most exasperating thefts from
which hotels suffer are the taking Of sill
verware from the cafes and dining tables.
Knives, forks, table and teaspoons are fire.
quently taken. but the chief loss is in the
small coffee. tea, orange on bon-bon spoons.
which are so easy 10 hide away In a sleeve
or pocket. As these people never expect 10
return to the hotel again we never can re-
cover the stolen silverware.
Stationery Goes, Too.
"All hotels supply their guests with sta
! tionery ana writing material free Of cost.