davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1909-03-07

The speaker was a veteran Washington
hotel detective who has spent years In
keeping a lookout on things that go on in
big hostelres in various sections of the
country.
"Of course, we don't get caught as often
as we used to, and, after all, the bad
check proposition is the one that nips us
most frequently. But that is game that
persons engaged in almost any kind of
business go up against every day. and is
in nowise limited to the hotel business"
he continued.
1.-THE common hotel beat. the one we
run against all the time, is a piking sort
of proposition. All he wants to do is to
Evening star., 1909-03-07

as a "mangle" Curious name. it is
true, and many of the unwise ca public
have asserted most positively that it is.
In faith, very good name, if what
It does to some of their goods is a sam
pie Of it's work. But laundrymen dis
agree. of course They do not seem to
know whence the fearful name came.
and say that they have tried many times
at their national conventions to have
the name changed to something more
euphonious, but thus far without sue
cess
The machine is composed of from three
to seven rollers, each about eight or ten
inches in diameter and some ten feet
long. Each roll is covered with thick
ness of felt and heated from the inside.
The fiat work is fed into one side by
the operators. and after about minute
passes through and is received by other
operators on the other side, who catch
it up. fold it and lay it aside for the
assorter.
Fancy and finer work, such as ladies'
fancy lace collars lingerie and other
similar garments, are never put into the
machines. All of such work is done by
hand
Shirts collars, cuffs, lingerie, sheets
tablecloths. in fact. everything, now al
last clean, folded and marked, journey
.
the asserting room. Here the employees
have a number Of huge tables arranged
in hundreds of small sections. each OF
which Is given over to one of the pa
4rons of the establishment. Along the
sides Of the wall of the room are pigeon
holes or compartments for the reception
of the fiat work.
Taking the slips which have followed
the laundry about the course of its trip
to cleanliness the assorters rapidly place
each article in it's proper place. If all
the pieces are found they are taken over
by the wrappers and made into the pack
ages and marked for delivery If not ali
present, the Inspector takes the case in
hand and is usually successful in loca tin z
the missing piece. II is remarkable that
so very few articles are lost by the mod
ern laundries. when the hundreds of thou
sands of pieces washed weekly are consd-
cred. In u few instances, says local
Evening star., 1909-03-07

come down the floors to the ironing ma
chimes. OF these there is a great variety
for every separate department of work.
there being several machines for various
parts of nearly every article, with the
possible exception of the flat work" such
as handkerchiefs, table cloths. napkins
and the like.
For the shirt, one machine does the
bosoms, another the neckbands, another
the cuffs. another the sleeves, another the
back and skirt, and finally, It is sent to
the hand workers, who with an electric
iron put on finishing touches, and catch
may have missed. They also fold the
piece and place around it the fastening
band of colored paper in which 1t Is
returned to the owner.
A number of different machines iron
the collars. First all Of them are sent
through machine which irons them
fiat. Then they are separated for the
machines designed to finish the various
styles of collars. The wing collar is
sent through the wing setter which
dampens the line where the wing should
bend. Another machine shapes the wing.
The ''fold" or turnover collar are Similar
ly dampened in the proper line Finally
they are run through the nickel-plated
machine which irons them into the round
ed shapes for the wearer.
y X
This little machine is one Of the most
perfect workers OF the entire establish.
ment To see one Of the collars after
coming from the f1at-ironing machine one
wonders how in the world this ever is
returned to the perfected shape. But
it is slipped in deftly by the operator. and
whiz, in three seconds 1t comes out in
perfect shape.
An examiner then takes the collars all
in a mixed lot and examines to see If the
work has been done properly. If SO. she
passes them on to the asserting room; ii
not, they are thrown aside for another
trip around the laundry. This rule also
applies to every other article washed by
a modern up-to-date laundry. Further
more. they employ seamstresses for the
repairing of damaged goods, sewing on
buttons, and the like.
Flat work. is ell run through the
same sort of an ironing machine, known
Evening star., 1909-03-07

ninety-eight for this one. and my hus-
band says, Maggie"
The hoorwalker waited. gently judicial.
until she had gone far enough to let him
in on her grievance. Then he took the
umbrella. raised it, twirled it around, bob
bed It up and down, closed 1t and hand
ed 1t back And the umbrella went
through its performance with a decorum
that couldn't have been more satanic had
1t been consciously good for the express
nnrnose of tantalizing its owner. The
Evening star., 1909-03-07

handed me dime: and because l
wouldn't give her cent back she's
been going on awful.
She" was a woman whose Snappy
eyes suggested that She had been born
with a chip on both shoulders. and that
she would rather fight than eat ice
cream.
Il am not going on awful | simply
Won { pay ten cents for half pound OF
candy when It costs only nineteen cents
Il pound. Other people can put up with
such rake-off schemes, If they've a mind
10. but no store gets me To paw extra
half cents when there amt any sucn
money in the arithmetic. No. Stree. m
no stingier than the next. but | know my
rights, and I'll stand by EN-. l want
the worth of my mo-
Take the bag back and give the Gus
TONER ten cents worth of mint creams.
The fioorwalkerS voice was decisive.
hut with the words Went friendly clip
Cf the eyes. The clerk obeyed the order
with deepening of the pouty lines. and
when she had weighed out another exact
half pound the customer took il and
tlounced off with the triumph of one who
has fought a good fight and conquered.
The floorwalker smiled at the clerk
with the chumminess of an accomplce
in a small and comical deceit, but she
failed to respond. So long as he stood
hear she piled the mint creams with d
tin scoop. When he walked away she
stared at his back. And on the pretty
face that is going to be lined with wrin
kles first thing she knows, was an ex
preston that all OF US call mulish.
You can take that as a little illus
tration of how 1 catch it. going an,
coming" resumed the f1oorwalker to tn
mere person. when they were back nea
the door. There's Miss Cora all humpe,
up at me, when any fellow, in her place
would have seen the joke-and she'll b
resenting me right along until do some
thing else to make her get fresh mad o.
We'll, say, women are funny. anyhow
Evening star., 1909-03-07

moral support woman looked sheepish
and the woman with the grievance took
on an apo!ogetic strain:
well, If that don't beat all! But hon
est to goodness, mister. I'm telling you
the truth-it comes down for me scand'-
lous-doesn't It. Sue?''
Perhaps it will work better after this
but II 1t gives you any more trouble
bring 1t right back and let me change 1t.
The store wouldn't have you dlsssatis-
fled for the world"
The two women dripped back to where
Sumed:
Evening star., 1909-03-07
THE HOUSE DETECTIVE SITS EAR HER.

run in and stop a couple Of days and then
skip out. leaving some worthless baggage.
Men that do this, however. are usually
either just coming to the end of their
tether or are second-rate professional
hotel crooks, who are looking out for
chance to make haul from some well
provided guest they may run across.
1.-The crack hotel crook does not work
that way He pays his bills, and they are
always big ones. He stops at the best
hotel and gets the best rooms. He SPENDS
money in the bar. and when he makes
haul 1t is one that is worth while. And
he has to be good man to get away
with the kind of a game he plays. NO
hobo or brow can pull off the stunts
of the highest grade Of hotel crook. 1t
takes a man of wit and brain and some
education to do the trick. He must wear
good clothes and speak decently, must be
able to minge with the guests In the
house and put on good front.
1.-The pikers, the boys who are getting
pinched every day, or are making their
getaway without getting pinched, are so
common that they are taken as matter
of course, unless they attempt to pull off
something too big for their peanut brains
TO handle. Most of them come strolling in
with suit case, sign up for cheap
room, hang around the hotel for day
Evening star., 1909-03-07

or two and then Jump. leaving their
suit cases. When we open the suit cases
they are usually full Of stones. or some
thing else equally yalus,ess tses put put IN ior
Now and then a chap who is just
Joining the down-and-out class but who
still has good clothes often beats q hotel
which he had no intention OF beating
ouently true in Washington. Men who
come here hunting political jobs often
land In the city prepared ior snort
stay. They hang on until they get 10
the ragged edge and then. 1anng 10 &c.
jobs. and being broke. they wind up oy
doing the hotel they have been stopping
I'm the District Of Columbia the laws
are pretty strict with regard to hotei
crooks. OF course, a man cannot be I'M
prisoned for debt, but he can for false
pretenses, and we can often get them
that way This is particularly true with
the bad check business, but hotetS are
pretty lenient In this respect and oiten
fhey do not prosecute q man when they
could do SO, unless they are hit pretty
hard.
"The toughest kind Of a game We
have to handle comes from the nlgh-
ington hotels to an alarming extent, and
II could tell you the whole truth about
q lot Of them you would be surprised;
You see, we never know when they Will
we can't afford to take chances with
them.
Frequently the best people on earth
are without funds They get their money
in quarterly dividends in many cases. :..
bills begin to run up. They are accus-
toned to heavy bills and pay little at :
tention to them when they come ln' put
when their dividends show up they pay
promptly. Other persons are naturally
slow about bills and other money mat
ters. They are not used to worrying with
such things at home-1 am speaking par
ticularly of women nOW-and Wnen tney
are on a trip or are visiting another city
for a few months their time Is entlreiy
given over to enjoyment.
'The adyenturesses know all this. They
know the game from start to finish and
thew play It for all 1t is worth. AS
rule they show money when they come to
a hotel. They take good rooms and then
deposit some cash in lock box. The first
thing they do is to get on good terms
with the clerks by being pleasant and
amiable and refraining from asking the
line of fool questions women usually put
to hotel clerks Likewise they make
good with the floor maids by tipping lib
orally. Soon they allay any suspicion
that might possibly have arisen.
always they get acquainted with
guests who are well established in the ho-
tel.
But, then again. you can hardly call
these women regular hotel crooks. They
may work from an apartment house or
they may even go so far as to rent a
small dwelling and take their chances
Such persons usually start out with
fair-sized bank roll and play for big
stakes.
l s'The regular woman hotel crook Is
, simply an out-an-out crook that works
other game and strikes the hotels only
Evening star., 1909-03-07

That little illustration 1 was telling
YOU about was like this: The other day
a big. bad-tempered fellow rushed In mere
andNheIki There's something doing over
at the candy counter. Excuse me While
I stroll
He was off, quick. quiet and emotionless,
and the mere person who had been listen
Ing followed him to the seat of war. a
Young clerk with red hair and pref
ty face, except for the pouty lines that
gave her dead away, was voicing the con-
flict:
"Why, Mr.. Blank, she bought half
pound Of nineteen-cent mint creams and
Evening star., 1909-03-07

OTEL crooks: My
boy, IL you wanted
to make a list of
the various types q
big modern hotel
has to deal with 1t
would stretch as
far as from here to
Baltimore and take
YOU six months to
get 1t up, and then
it would not half
oouar thn Slhiacf ~
Evening star., 1909-03-07

ALF a century and
more ago Tom
Hood wrote his
famous Song OF
the Shirt In a lit
tie old rambling
house in the poor
er section OF Lon
don. IT c n i,
stitch, stitch" he
wrote, eXtolling the
virtues and long
suffering patience
Evening star., 1909-03-07

II would be an exciting event to look
forward to, but it isn't likely to happen,
for the man who patrols store. like the
hoy with the fox under his Jacket gives
no outward sign of the inward worries
that gnaw into his breast.
Which probably accounts for his being
q floorwalker.
Collectively considered. the local gulid
Is numerous enough to form parade.
In one department store. for an instance
there are twenty-five foorwalkers, Win
The force increasing each year. and tins
doubtless serves as a general basis aC-
cordinC TO establishments and their trade.
Personally the floorwalker is in class
to himself Other people are permitted
their fair allowance Of temperament
they may be indigo when the weather Is
decreasing and skittish when the weather
Is fair. The floorwalker must be immune
from emotions. For so many hours or
every business day In the year he Is an
automatic scale to weigh grievances; an
automatic buffer to bear their brunt lie
IS paid to sympathiZe to judge ana In
every way to adjust the wheels that go
round in the hot heads of shoppers ana
salespeople And he does 1t.
If he is found wanting in courtesy 10
Evening star., 1909-03-07

1t is really nothing more than a brass
basket covered with holes, Into which the
clothes are placed, and the water ex-
tracted by the whirling around of the ma
chimes for five to ten minutes. When
they come out every vestige of water mas
disappeared from the clothing and all OF
the old-time muscular energy saved there
by.
and onto an elevator which carries 1t to
the topmost floor of the intricate plant.
from whence through the remaining pro-
cesses 1t works down from floor to moor
until 1t Is finished product ready Tor
packing and delivery to the thousands of
homes about the city. wherever impa-
tient men are crying for clean shirt and
complaining about the tardiness OF every
thing, when the work is not really due
until the day after.
the proper degree of stiffness when I'M.
ished the shirt, collar and the rest OF
the to-be- cleaned family here are turned
over first to the tender merc1es or tne
starching process. The starching ma
chine is an ingenious device whereby the
article is run through just the right
amount of starch placed upon and forceo
into it, and no more. The employees catch
each piece as 1t comes out, ano seho II
to the drying room. For the collars, the
modern drying room Is q clever aHaIr.
* x
A huge cabinet, about fifteen feet long
eight feet wide and eight feet high Ii
lined with metal and steam pipes. heated
to the neighborhood Of 200 to 30 degrees
Through this room. from the vicinity Of
the starching machines. runs an endles:
chain, winding in aud out through the
heat. AS each collar is received starched
it is hung upon one of the hooks of the
chain and sent into the room.
About thirty minutes are consumed by
each piece in its trip through this hot
place. but the work which the sun take.
a day to do is thus quickly and certainly
accomplished. For the most OF men OIL
things in the world, such visit would be
calculated to remove all traces of starch
but 10 the collar this only serves to dry
IL and reduce the linen to state ready
for the ironerS below.
Starched and dried. shirts and collar:
Evening star., 1909-03-07
Most Striking.
rom Puck

Teacher Ito English history GLASS;
Name one striking characteristic of Rich
ard tie Third. Well Isidore?
Isidore * awlanSer twhose father is q
theater mauager)-itS a boX-office loser!
Evening star., 1909-03-07

Iaundryman, spare that shirt;
Rip not q single slit.
Last week it sheltered me
Now ] will protect IL.
Evening star., 1909-03-07
Self-Starting Devices for Motorists

From the Boston Transcript.
Among the exhibits at the poWerboat
show which are constantly surrounded
by visitors are two in which self-startinS
devices are shown attached to motors.
The powerboat owner does not like 10
crank the motor any better than does the
automobile owner. and consequently any
thing that promises relief from that exer-
else is greeted with enthusiasm One OF
these self-starters. which the manufactur-
ers claim is equally applicable to an
automobile as TO a motorboat engine, Is
that shown on a four-cylinder motor. 1t
consists of a device whereby a part or
the burned mixture is taken from The
cylinder at the moment of the exp osioh
and stored in tank. The device Is SD
arranged that no uneXplo6ed gas can
pass into the tank. Then by means OF
a magnetic arrangement wired UP with
the timer the compression is released.
burned gas under compre Ssion is directed
into the proper cylinder and the motor Is
turned over. At the same tim" the fresh
gas rs taken into the right cylinder, the
ignition comes into play and the motor
is started.
Evening star., 1909-03-07

HOULD the floor
walkers of Wash
ington ever hold
an experience meet
Ing, let snippy shop
pers and salespeo-
pie look out for
their left ears. The
virtues of amiable
people cut no show
at an experience
meeting. Such an
occasion clamorS
exclusively f o r
kicks.
Evening star., 1909-03-07
X On the Trail of Collar Through Modern Steam Laundry
u
GS1

and of course they are thick among
patrons of the laundries, but on the
whole it is remarkable with what per-
feet system the great quantities Of cloth
ing are taken away from the homes
mixed washed and returned, with COM
paratvely few errors. One poor. badly
treated patron has expressed himself
thusIy. in the style il not the words Of
the immor al Hood:
Bust. bust. bust
Al thy buttons and seams. oh. shirt,
For rip a tear most anywhere
Is much preferred dirt.
Round and round the machinery whrrs,
Causing many a rent
In the shirts and ties and collars and cuffs,
That 10 the laundry sent
Evening star., 1909-03-07

linen and other washable stuffs of every
description through the plant.
At the drivers door of the establish
ment the neat wagons draw up in long
line and pour out their bags and pack
ages and cases of soiled and begrimed
laundry from thousands of homes. Into
the funnel of the door goes each and every
lot, and there. in apparent helter-skelter,
chaotic heaps, they are all turned out.
Chaotic to the unlearned, perhaps, but
in reality very much to the contrary. The
men in the receiving room empty each
bag separately and see that each and
every piece, from the little dirty collar up
TO the big tablecloth or blanket, and the
fine lace articles of the ladies' wardrObeS
are carefully marked with the initial Of
the party and their individual number.
Many laundries nowadays also mark the
date of the first trip to the plant, in order
that in case of later trouble and wear on
the articles they can say for a certainty
when it was first washed. A list Is made
of the contents of each package. This
list follows the laundry through the plant
to the finish.
Then into huge baskets for each variety
of washables the pieces are thrown. re-
gardless of previous condition of serVl-
tude but not regardless of color. for col
ored shirts and other garments are
washed separately, that none of the white
Stuffs may be spoiled.
Down into the basement of the plant
these baskets are carried to the big steam
washing machines. These machines are
long cylinders of metal, incasing wood
three or four feet in diameter and eight to
ten feet in length. Jnceremoniously into
these cylinders the soiled laundry i:
thrown and the lid closed. The machine
is then started.
Through the cylinder water automau
caliy flows in changing degrees of tenn
perature. At the same time the cylinder
revolves at a good rate of speed. SO thai
the dirt is shaken entirely out of the gar
nents. This process takes usually from
twenty-five to thirty-five minutes. Then
the lid is opened and the clothes given q
bath In cold water and bluing before go
ing to the next machine-the extractor.
Well named is this useful machine, do
ing as it does the work of hands in in
iinitely shorter time and more thoroughly
Evening star., 1909-03-07

OF the gentler sex. But 10 poet has ever
been euthused TO write a sonnet to the
modern laundryman who cleanses the
linen in these later days.
In fact only very few outside of those
engaged in the business probably have
ever given thought to the ins and outs
of the modern steam laundry, or know
anything whatsoever OF the twists and
turns which their laundry experiences be-
fore 1t comes out clean. spick and span.
To the average Washingtonian the
laundry is embodied in an idea of uni
formed man who calls each Monday
morning and returns with a package on
Thursday all neatly washed, ironed and
folded in the manner of new articles
fresh from the shop. IL the wife or maid
did the work. it would be simply a mat
ter of a rub. scrub, a drying and q
final smoothing under hot IRON in all
taking about two days in the process.
Evening star., 1909-03-07

Rut as to the real. many -sectioned en-
tity of the laundry itself, where. If you
are In haste, your wash will be taken be-
fore 10 o'clock In the morning and re-
turned to you pure and white by 8 in the
evening, the lay mind is decidedly ig-
norant IT is an interesting trip to drop
tn from one of the city's busy thorough
fares to one of the big laundries and fol-
low the collars, shirts, cuffs, household
The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1909-04-02

,.,,....... :. !. ,..s.. e.,,.,
ttF to''S f.1s = sa-'ss g 49, -, =,
Afon We laskaonyii'e Tines un,on VII
~ 81 considerable interest ~ Tails
.l....a 7. 80
~, ..,'. 80 80 iftlSeg} ~
- -. 49, ~ 4, ' = ~
~ ..at !. {. 49,.
-. $ (. y ~. - - =
~ =. 800 - ''''
49, -. -. 80, ~. ..i.. r..
: :. \ ~. ~. 49,, - :
49,. ......... - s.'@ WIS., -
~. ....s..... - 49,. - -,h,.h -iIl
u. $3.50 q - 5000 M ~
The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1909-04-02

hae
...,...e &.
,s......... ~
c
en.re tse;ne ia
ret ehall never
st nitht j slsct better
fhsd before in mouths. ]
The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1909-10-29
ITO IS SLAIN;
WAS NOTED JAPANESE
Shot in the Back by a Ko.
rean Who Was Taken
Into Custody.

Press dispatches of Tuesday
brought the news of the assassination
of Prince Ito, who has been regarded
as the foremost statesman of Japan
He was shot in the back at Hardin,
Manchuria, by a Korean, who had fol-
lowed him to that place and who said,
when arrested, that he had killed the
Prince because he was an enemy of
Korea and because the Prince had
caused the execution of several per-
sons related to the assassin.
The venerable Japanese statesman
was accompanied by the Russian Min
lister of Finance and was just ready
to inspect the guard of honor drawn
up along the platform when several
pistol shots were fired Prince Ito
fell and three of those in his party
were also wounded.
Opinions differ as to whether the
murder was the result of political
plot or purely for private revenge.