Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-10

TIE HOTEL SOUVENIR THIEF.
How the Pestiferoas Guest
Thwarted in His Endeavors.

The concerted action OF The h6HSf
detectives Of all the large hotels ir
America has carefully extracted the
points from two erstwhile exeellen
stories, the first, aserited TO Adele
Ritchiesf Who when asked once if she
had ever teea in Kansas City, replied
II can't just remember, but | will lool
arnoue nay towels and see and thu
second, Csc EaoEe pathetic Narrative
of the voting maa WHO was Obliged t.
break off his engagement because as
he left the dining-room of large ho-.
tel with his fianeee number of forks
and spoons fell from the sleeves of her
gown. For the house detectives have
devised system Whereby the man
or woman who wants to take a souve-
mir from a big hotel finds his path be.
set with almost insurmeuntable diff
cuities.
TIE matter is carried on, with the
greatest artffllness. There are no "hurf
feelings" no bones broken, no ar
rests made.
The house detectives simply extract
the nnrightfully attached articles al
painlessly as they extract the points
from old stories, and in tie great ma
jerity of cases the frustrated Dor
rover" never knows at ali what hap
pened to him
First. the detective is provided with
complete list of everything which is
owned by the hotel-every particle OF
linen, silver, soap, etc. Then he dele
gates the responsibility for the care Of
them to various head walters, walters
housekeepers and chamber maids
ri, l. 10 Of,
arrivals. and of those who, having re-
NAMED for few days, are preparing
to leave. From these lists of occupied
rooms the detective calculates the
areas where trouble might possibly
brew. and into these he goes with his
subdivided lists and checking UT
book.
The chambermaid is required 10 give
an exact accounting of every piece OF
linen she has supplied to the man oil
woman who is about to leave. This is
in turn taken to the laundries, where 6
balance is made of those sheets. tow.
els, etc, which nave come out of each
room. If there is a precise balance the
matter ends there; but woe TO the wo-
man who believes that the towels she
placed carefully in her locked trunk
viii not be missed.
Her trunks and bags. on their way
downstairs are simply carried to the
basement lloor, as if by chance, ane
there the house detective with the aie
of skeleton key. goes through them
in search of lost hotel linen.
1t is very gently removed and check
cd up on the housemaid's list and ths
trunk is carefully repaeked and re.
locked. Nothing is left to give warn
ing that the search has been made
And nothing is ever, by any remotesi
chance. said to the departing guest.
She is sent cherrily on her way re-
joicing, and is usually perplexed out o.
all. reason to account for the fact that
the towels and pillow cases that she
knows well she put into her trunl
have mysteriously disappeared.
Do you suppose for a moment that
this is an extreme case, nor even :
rare one 1t happens on an average
of once day in every large hotel IN
New York, and with almost astound-
ing frequency in Boston. Philadelphia
and Chicago.
And in the case of siNerware the
matter is almost as simple, though
TelnBuNlIlS lIleSS llltilS ItqubtN bSN
ing into your confidence at least the
man who pays the bill. For every
waiter has had his eye trained to couni
up the silverware While he is placing
the fingerbowls and if SO much as one
small spoon is not where it should be
il is unostentatiously placed upon the
bill. The hotel graciously leaves ii t.
the discretion of the escort as K
whether or not the eulprit shall be
told; but at least il does not permit
him to DE enlightened only by th'
Debated method of n leaky sleeve.
Again, the head waiter will assure
you that this happens, not once OF
twice. but eeaslessly.
Many a woman that thinks she:
got away with It would be surprised
to knew that it is down in black ane
white on her escorts check. and thai
both he and the hotel know just how
many spoons and forks she is taking
home with her said one genial heae
waiter. who viewed the business with
considerable indulgence
TT was quite a fad, while back
yoil remember, to have a collection OF
spoons and such from the hotels and
cafes.s he continued THE women
seemed bent on carrying off something
to prove that they had been Thereon
perhaps to remind themselves of a
PAT y they didn't want to forget. II
was pretty bad. We made the walters
pay for the things they took wherever
we could, because, we argued, it was
mainly their earnestness that gave
these women so much opportunity. But
that plan didn't work. because the poor
walters hardly had anything left or
their pay checks when we had deduct
ed all the cost of stolen silver.
$50 finally he taught them to count
ND the silver over the guests should.
ers. as they placed the ffngerbowls
and then the missing articles were
put on the bill. We never had any
man refuse to pay II. I suppose moi
enc of them could ever be absolutely
sure that if 1t came to a showdown
the lady would not have the spoon
You know all these little fans and
powder puffs and tissue paper toys
that are given to women nowadays In
the cafes? Well those things are to
satisfy that souvenir mania. That is
really the best trick ever turned for
saving the spoons"
incidentally. one of the house detee-