Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-10-29
Hotels Employ Detectives to Re-
cover Stolen Goods.
Mania of Collecting Mementos Not
Practiced by Actors Any More
Than by C.hers--Proves
an Expensive Fad.

New Tork.-The concerted action of
the house detectives of all the large
hotels in America has removed the
stories, the first ascribed to an ac-
trese. who, when asked once if she
had ever been in Kansas City, replied,
Il can't just remember, but | will
look among my towels and see;" and
the second, the narrative of the young
engagement because as he left the
dining room of a large hotel with his
hancee a number of forks and spoons
fell from the sleeves of her gown.
The house detectives have devised a
plan whereby the man or woman who
hotel finds his path blocked with
many obstacles
First, the detective is provided with
complete list of everything which
is owned by the hotel Then he dele
gates the responsibility for the care
of them to various head walters, wait
ers, h 4sekeepers and chambermaids.
Then he gets list each day Of new
arrivals and of those who are pre-
pairing to leave. From these lists of
occupied rooms the detective picks
out the places where trouble might
arise and into these he goes with his
subdivided lists and a checking-up
book
The taamhermaid Is required to
give an exact accounting of every piece
OF linen she has auEps53d to the man
Or woman who is about to leave. This
is Z edrn taken to the laundries
where d balance is made. If there is
precise balance the matter ends
there, but woe to the woman who
believes that the towels she placed
carefully in her locked trunk will not
be missed"
Her trunks and bags, on their way
downstairs, are carried to the base
ment floor and there the house detec-
tive, with the aid of skeleton key,
goes through them in search of lost
hotel linen.
1t is very gently removed and
checked up on the housemaids list.
and the trunk is carefully repacked
and relocked. Nothing is left to sive
warning that the search has been
made. Aud nothing is said to the de-
parting guest.
She goes on her way, and is usually
perplexed to account for the fact that
the towels and pillow cases that she
knows we'll she put into her trunk
have disappeared.
And in the case of silverware the
matter is almost as simple, though
remedying these thefts requires TAX
ing into yo9r confidence at least the
mar who pays the bill Every waiter
has his eye trained to count up the
silvt rware while he is placing the
hngar bowls, and if so much as one
sulall spoon is not where it should be,
y is placed upon the bill.
Il used to be a fad to have a collec-
ton OF spoons from the hotels and
cafes. The women seemed bent on
carving off something to prove that
they had been therefor perhaps to
remind themselves OF party they
didn't want to forget.
One of the house detectives Of a
big Broadway hotel took occasion to
vindicate theatrical people from their
time-honored reputation of taking
anything out of hotel that WASH
nailed down.
You know that old story of the
roller towels in all the theatrical
hotels and boarding houses, so that
actors couldn't steal them" he said
We'll. that does for the comic sup
plement. but it's not fair. The trunks
We have TO rifle to rescue the house