The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-12
HOTEL MEN LOSE
$4,000 A YEAR
Proprietor Wants Law to Pun
ish Deadbeats
MANY CHECKS ARE BAD
Guests Are Able to Defy HosteIries If
They Choose to Be Dishonest.
Brazen Methods of the
Deadbeat.

From the ST Louis Post Dispatch.
st. Louis hotels are defrauded out of
$4,000 year by dead beats" according
to Col. Lyman 7. Hay, manager of the
Jefferson and Planters hotels. Some of
the losses result from cashing bad checks,
but most result from giving accommoda-
tions in advance to persons who skip
OUT when the clerks are not looking or
refuse to pay their bills.
Colonel Hay says he will cause to be in
PRODUCED in the next legislature bill
to give hotel men some redress against
dead BEATS" who cannot now be prose-
cuted for defrauding hotels
At the meeting of the Kansas Missouri
Hotel Mems association in Kansas City
1t was estimated that the hotels of the
two states lose annually $4,000 in bad
bills and checks
1T is shame the hotel men of the
state have no protection from dead
beats who make a practice of defraud-
ing u.s." said Colonel Hay. A man may
come to my hotel and avail himself OF
my accommodations, eat my meals and
then say he is sorry he can't pay, and
have absolutely no recourse at law.
Charged BARRIERS Tip.
Recently man went west TO the Plan.
tiers hotel and registered He took 81
room with bath. He went into the din
Ing room for breakfast, luncheon and din
ner and had the meals charged against
his room. He then began having his
cigars charged and this aroused the
clerks suspicion.
Pretty soon barber's bill for IS cents
Including a tip OF 20 cents to the barber
came in. BY this time we were pretty
sure he was dead beat but he slipped
into the dining room and got another
meal and had it charged
I'VE finally caught him and he was
brought into my office. have used your
cigars, tipped the barber at your ex-
pense, and now wha, are you going to
do about it?' he said
Hotels Are Helpless.
II called the matter to the attention OF
the chief of police and the prosecuting
attorney. In the meantime I learned he
had been at the Marquette a week and
had even borrowed 81 from the manager
on his statement that he was travelling
man expecting funds The police and
prosecuting attorney said we have moth
ing against him except an evidence OF
debt and could not prosecute him.
I'VE have many cases like that. A
man came into my hotel this week with
the check of well known local insurance
agent. 1 knew the check was good and
oashed 1t. 1t developed that the fellow
who was one of our guests. had stolen
the check. indorsed 1t and got the money
on 1t. OF course, If l could catch hin
I would have criminal case against
him, but he Is gone and l have no idea
where he is. There is a man walking the
streets of Louisville today who defrauded
my hotel out large sum OF money, but
It is useless for me to have him arrested
and brought here for trial
To Introduce a Bill.
THE hotel men do not desire Law
that will give them the power to prose
cute a man for debt, but we ought Ia
have law, such as they have in Mich
igan and Ohio, to protect is against dead
beats
I'VE have to keep a close watch on
checks. OF course, If we cash check
we know we are taking some risk, but in
the case of the dead beat we have nc
means of getting a line on him We
can't ask every man who comes in and
registers whether he is going to pay US
The dead beats simply take advantage
of our lack of protection to impose upon
U.S. l think the Legislature ought to pass
a law for our protection, and am going
to have a bill prepared and introduced al
the next session.
The St. Louis hotels are asked to cash
thousands of dollars worth of checks ev-
cry day. Guests who have letters OF
credit have no trouble getting Their
checks cashed, but many of them do not
have these credentials of their reliability
hesitancy in asking hotel clerks to cash
his checks
Drummers Have Nerve"
Many of the travellers have what the
clerks call nerve" One of this kind pre-
scented three express money orders for $50
each to the clerk of one OF the big hotels
Thursday morning.
Lets see. said the clerk, do / know
you? Did you ever stop here?"
Yes. two days last week, but you
didn't treat me right and L went to an
other HOTEL
well, you've got YOUR nerve to ask me
to cash your checks and stand responsible
for them in case they are not good
As an evidence of the manner in which
hotel men are imposed upon, 1t is stated
that the Auditorium hotel In Chicago lost
s3l, 900 on bad checks in the first three
years of its existence. The St Louis
hotels probably lose $1,000 or $1,000 year
on bad checks, and the balance on dead
BEATS
copna Drn+%v THINE