The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-12-12
IN HOTELS
Traps to Catch Guests That Have
the Souvenir Fad.
DETECTIVES AND DIPLOMACY.
The Two Combine In a Very Effective
Way to Foil the Efforts Of Those Who
Feel IL a Duty to Help Themselves
TO Fine Linen and Silverware.

! Way TO roll the Efforts OF Ihose VINO
Feel IL 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 Rltchie.
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
Ihe dining room OF a large hotel with
| his fancee n number OF forks and
spoons fell from the sleeves OF her
gown, for the house detectives have
devised a 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 I'm the great ma.
| Jority Of cases the frustrated borrow
er" never knows at all what happened
| to him.
First the detective Is provided with
n complete list Of everything which IL
\ owned by the hotel-every particle or
! 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 list each day OF new
! arrivals and OF those who having re-
mained a 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 is about to leave This is
/ I'm turn taken to the laundries. where n
| balance Is made of those sheets, towels,
| etc. which have come out OF each
| room. If there Is n precise balance the
matter ends there. but woe to the wo-
man who believes that the towels she
\placed carefully I'm her locked trunk
Twill 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 n skeleton key. goes through them
| I'm search Of lost hotel linen.
It is very gently removed and check
ed up on the housemaid's list. and the
trunk is carefully repacked and re-
locked. Nothing is left to give warn
! ing that the search has been made
J and nothing Is ever by any remotest
chance said to the departing guest.
She is sent cheerily on her way re-
! joicing and is usually perplexed ont OF
| all reason To account for the fact that
! the towels and pillow cases that she
knows well she put into her trunk
have mysteriously disappeared.
DO you suppose for n moment that
this Is an extreme case nor even n
rare one? It happens on an average
once a day in every large hotel In
New York and with almost rs astound.
ing frequency I'm Boston. Philadelphia
and Chicago.
And I'm the case OF silverware the
matter Is almost MS simple, though
remedying these thefts requires taking
into your confidence at least the man
who pays the bill. for every walter has
had his eve trained TO count up the sill
verware while he Is placing the finger
bowls. and II so @asuch as one small
spoon Is not where II should be II IL
unostcntatiously placed upon the bill.
The hotel graciouSly leaves IL To the
discretion Of the escort as 10 whether
or not the culprit shall be told. But at
least X does not permit him TO be en-
lightened only by the belated method
Of n leaky sleeve
Again. the head waiter will assure
you that this happens. not once or
twice. but ccaselesSly.
"Many n woman that thinks she's
got away with Il would he surprised 70
know that II Is down I'm black and
white on her escorts check and that
both he and the hotel know just how
many spoons and forks she Is taking
home with her" said one genial head
waiter. who viewed the business with
considerable Indulgence. New York
Times.