The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1913-11-21
THEFTS IN HOTELS
Traps to Catch Guests That Have
the Souvenir Fad.
DETECTIVES AND DIPLOMACY.

The Two Combine In Very Effective
Way to Foil the Efforts of Those Who
Feel 1t a Duty to Help Themselves
to Fine Linen and Silverware.
The concerted action of the house de-
tectives of all the large hotels in Amer
lea has carefully extracted the points
from two erstwhile excellent stories.
the first. ascribed to Adele Richie.
who. when asked once If she had ever
been in Kansas City. replied. II can't
just remember, but will look among
my towels and see," and the second
the more pathetic narrative of the
young man who was obliged to break
off his engagement because as he left
the dining room of a large hotel with
his fiancee a 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 big hotel finds her path be-
set with almost insurmountable diff
culties. ...
The matter is carried on with the
greatest artfulness. There are no
hurt feelings" no bones broken. no
arrests made.
The house detectives simply extract
the unrightfully attached articles as
painlessly as they extract the points
from old stories, and in the great ma
jority of cases the frustrated borrow
er" never knows at all what happened
to him.
First the detective is provided with
a 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 chambermaids.
Then he gets a list each day of new
arrivals and Of those who having re-
. NAMED 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 a checking up
! book. ....,.. ,.. ..... ~. ,
I The chambermaid is required to give
an exact accounting Of every piece of
linen she has supplied to the man or
. woman who is about to leave This is
in turn taken to the laundries. where q
balance is made Of those sheets. towels.
ETC.. which have come out Of each
room. If there is precise balance the
matter ends, there. but woe to the wo.
man who believes that the towels she
: placed carefully in her locked trunk
d will not be missed" ,..- d, g.. -..t
= Her trunks, and bags on their way
downstairs are simply. carried to the
basement floor as II by chance. and
t there the house detective. with the aid
. Of skeleton key. goes, through then
in search Of lost hotel linen. ,.:
: It is very gently removed and check
] ed up on the housemaid.s list. and thu
. trunk is carefully repacked and re
locked. Nothing is left to give warn
g ing that the search has been made
e and nothing is ever by any remotes
!. chance said to the departing guest, -,
- She is sent cheerily on her way re
e Joicing and is usually perpiexed out o
IS all reason to account for, the fact tina
:, the towels and pillow cases that, sh,
= knows well she put into her trunl
le have mysteriously disappeared.
I. Do you suppose for moment tina
. this is an extreme case nor even
- rare one? 1t happens on an averag
IS once day in every large hotel +
is New York and with almost as astound
. ing frequency in Boston. Philadelphi
o and Chicago.
p And in the case of silverware tn
,e matter Is almost as simple. thong
remedying these thefts requires takin
into your confidence at least the ma
&c who pays the bill. for every waiter ha
had his eye trained to count up the 81
!. verware while he is placing the finge
~ bowls. and II so much as one sma
! spoon is not where it should be it
ct unostentatiously placed upon the bill
- The hotel graciously leaves it to tn
=" discretion Of the escort as to whethe
or not the culprit shall be told. But 8
least 1t does not permit him to be el
lightened only by the belated metho
of leaky sleeve.
Again. the head waiter will assul
you that this happens. not once {
twice. but ceaselessly. 49,.
MANY a woman that thinks she
RI got away with it would be surprised
know that it is down In black an
white on her escorts check and th'
ITO both he and the hotel know just no
many spoons and forks she is takiI
home with her." said one genial hes
waiter. who viewed the business wit
considerable indulgence. - New Yol
Times.
an
Ter French Fairy Tales.
TN French nursery literature II poor
IN rhymes is singularly rich in fairy tale