Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-12-10
THEFTs IN HOTELS
Traps to Catch Guests That Have the
Souvenir Fad.


tectives of all the large hotels in Ameri-
ca has carefully extracted the points
from two erstwhile excellent stories, the
fret, ascribed to Adele Richie, who,
when asked once If she had ever been in
Kansas City, replied, Il can't just re-
member. 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 en-
gagement 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 souvenir from big hotel finds
her path beset with almost insurmount-
able difficulties.
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 unrightfuliy attached articles as
painlessly as they extract the points
from old stories. and in the great ma
jority of cases the frustrated borrow
HeNcT hHOWS al all "Hdl HdppcAcu
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 chambermaids.
Then he gets a list each day of new
arrivals and OF those who having re-
manned 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
The chambermaid Is required to give
an exact accounting of every piece of
linen she has supplied to the man or
woman who IL about to leave This Is
in turn taken to the laundries, where a
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 woman VINO
believes that the towels she placed care
fully in her locked trunk will not be
missed
Her trunks and bags on their way
downstairs are simply carried to the
basement floor as II by chance, and
there the house detective. with the aid
of a skeleton key. goes through them
in search of lost hotel linen.
It is very gently removed and checked
up on the housemaids list, and the
trunk is carefully repacked and reloeked.
Nothing is left to give warning that the
serach has been made. and nothing is
ever by any remotest chance said to the
departing guest
She is sent cheerily on her way rejoice
ing and Is usually perplexed out of all
reason to account for the fact that the
towels and pollow cases that she knows
we'll she put into her trunk have mysteri-
ously disappeared.
Do you suppose for moment that this
is an extreme case nor even a rare one ?
1t happens on an average once day in
every large hotel In New York and with
almost as astounding frequency in Bos-
ton, Philadelphia and Chicago.
And in the case of silverware the mat
| ter is almost as simple, though remedy
ing these thefts requires taking into
your confidence at least the man who
pays the bill, for every waiter has had
his eye trained to count up the silver
ware while he IL placing the finger bowls,
and If SO much as one small spoon is not
where It should be it is unostentatiously
placed upon the BILL The hotel gracious
ly leaves it to the discretion of the escort
as to whether or not the culprit shall be
told. But at least 1t does not permit him
to be enlightened only by the belated
method OF a leaky sleeve.
Again, the head waiter will assure you
that this happens. not once or twice, but
ceaselessly.
MANY a woman that thinks she's got
away with it would be surprised to know
that it is down in black and white on her
escorts check and that both he and the
hotel know just how many spoons and
forks she 10 taking home with her." said
one genial head waiter, who viewed the
business with considerable indulgence
New York Times