The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-08-14
confidence GAME,
It Was Boldly Planned and Sue
oesstulIy Worked.
THE VICTIM BADLY CAUGHT
"A Daring and Drazsn snalipex; Swim
die by Which Two Clever eehsrnsss
Flssosd ! hstpisss Hotel ksspsr Out
- nk0n0g8 8$8l 8 g

OaES HAy o never 0e6EU OF TN
great smallpox sNindle." said the hotel
manager. The facts Of that remark.
able affair were withheld It the time
for the most urgent eason of policy,
and even now I prefer 70 tell the story
without names Or localities. Il hap
pened in the fall Of 1884,, when . Ger
tain hotel ~ 4 large western city va
crowded with tourists. One day Ct
the height q the season two gentle.
manly looking strangers put up at the
house and wers assigned 70 what NJ
cal q double room About ! week
later q Of them appeared e the o.
nee and requested . private interview
with the manager. I regret to inform
you.' he said after the door was closed,
that my friend Il down with y ~
we're attack Of smallpox,
''The proprietor nearly fell ont Of
his chair. There wa known to 81
smallpox II the city, and the bare sug-
gestion that the disease had appeared
IN the hotel was enough to empty II In
: twinkling. 10 let the news get out
meant the loss Of thousands upon
thousands Of dollars. Il meant the
ruin Of the seasons business. He
must be quietly removed Ct once said
the proprietor. trying to control his
agitation. fA$s5
..Removed!' exclaimed the other.
Taken through the cold air to q laxa.
retto! Why, man, that would be muir.
der! I'll not permit tt!' II
THE hotel keeper was thunder.
struck Do you mean to ny 10 must
stay here7'S lie gasped.
Certainly. said the stranger.
1T was agticklhh situation. The no
tel keeper dare not enforce his sugges-
ton, while to let the case remain was
Ike storing gunpowder n q furnace
room. He pleaded, protested, beggod,
threatened and clustered. but all ID.
vain. The man wa firm a. i rock. II
you attempt to eject my sick friend
be declared. til publish your Thurman
ity to the entire community
'sFinally II occurred to the distracted
proprietor to see frst whether 1t was
really q case Of smallpox, % hs sent.
for q physician. swore him to secrecy
and hustled him up to the room. The
doctor took one look ct the dis1gured
face on the pillow and reported that
the malady q there In q malignant
type. He advised the mans immediate
removal at any cost If you keep him
concealed, he said, the disease may
spread. and It would ruin You for life.
You owe something to your guests
Again the proprietor interviewed the
friend, and again the latter refused to
bulge from his position.
= Where can ] take himf he de-
manded. You know very well I can't
get comfortable quarters for such a
purpose. and I won't have him butch
cred IN q pesthouse to please any land
lord on earth!' The hotel man felt his
hair stand on end, but concluded to let
things stand 10 they were until norm.
ing.
Next day he sent for the sick mans
friend and asked him whether he had
any suggestions to make.
Yes he replied. 4 thought up q
plan overnight, which you may adopt
or not, as you like. AZ ! said before
he continued, 1T Is useless to try to
rent quarters for such q case. We
might, however, buy I small cottage
and take him there. ] have figured
the thing up. and the total expense
would be about 5000. II you are
willing to hand over that amount I
viii take him away and assume al
further responsibility. make the Of
for entirely out Of sympathy Tor your
guests
s.The landlord looked him IN tho eye.
4, too, have thought the situation
over he said, and I'm convinced it's
I confidence game pure and simple.
TIM convinced there's nothing the mat
ter with your dear friend upstairs.
but am also convinced that the
slightest breath Of the affair would
greatly damage the reputation Of the
house. AZ : business proposition !
consider Il worth 5000 to get rid Of
you
'..The other man smiled ironically.
tCall q cab and get out your money
he said. and inside an hour the incu.
bus had been spirited through q side
door swathed In blankets and driven
away.
.'As the landlord shrewdly surmised..
the whole thing was q confidence
game. and he learned the particulars
later on through a sport be had once
befriended. There was nothing the
matter with the rascal upstairs except
that his face had beenSpricked a little
with q quill dipped In croton oil, some