The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1914-01-17
THEFTS IN HOTELS
Traps to Catch Guests That Have
/ the Souvenir Fad.
DETECTIVES AND DIPLOMACY.
We Tive Combine In Very Effective
Way 10 Foil the Efforts Of Those Who
Feel u q Duty to Holp Themselves
70 Fine Linen and Sllverware.

way 70 Y OIL tno Euorte OF thoso VINO
Feel n q Duty to tolp Themselves
70 Fine Linen and Sllverware.
Tho concerted action OF the house de
tectives OF all the large hotels In Amer
ica har carefully extracted the points
from two estwhile excellent stories,
the nrst. ascrlbed to Adele RltchIe,
who, when nSked once II she had ever
been In Kansas city, replied, ~ can't
just remember, hut viii look among
my towels and see" and the second
the more pathetic narrative of the
young man who was obliged to break
eff his engagement because ns he left
the dining room ~ large hotel with
his hancee 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 souvc
mfr from a big hotel finds her path be-
Get with almost lnsurmountable diili-
culties
The matter IN 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 ns
painlessly as they extract the points
from old stories. and In the great ma
jority OF cases the frustrated borrow
or" never knows at all what happened
TO him.
First the detective is provided with
q complete list of everything which Il
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-
mained 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 up
book.
The chambermaid is required 10 give
an exact accounting OF every piece OF
anen she has supplied to the man or
woman who Is about to leave. This is
IN turn taken TO the laundries. where
balance is made of those sheets. towels.
etc. which have come out OF ench
room. II there Is n precise balance the
matter ends there. but woe 10 the wo-
man who believes that the towels she
placed carefully In her locked trunk
win not be missed"
Her trunks and bags on their way
dswnstnirs are simply carried to the
basement floor as II by chance. and
there the house detective. with the aid
Of skeleton key. goes through them
In search OF lost hotel linen
II Is very gently removed and check.
ed up on the housemhid's list, and the
trunk Is carefully repacked and re
locked. Nothing is left TO give warn.
ing that the search has been made.
and nothing is ever by any remotest
chance said to the departing guest
She is sent cheerily on her way re-
5oicing and Is usually perplexcd out OF
all reason TO account for the fact that
tho towels and pillow cases that she
knows well she put Into her trunk
have mysteriously disappeared.
Do you suppose for a moment that
this IN an extreme case nor even
rare onel It happens on an average
once day in every large hotel In
New York and with almost as astound
ing frequency in Boston. Philadelphia
and Chicago.
And in the case OF sllverwarc the
matter is almost as simple, though
nemedying these thefts requires taking
tato your confidence Mt ieast the man
who pays the bill. for every walter has
had his eye trained to count up the sill
verwnre while he is placing the finger |
bowls. and II so much as one small |
spoon Is not where Il should be It Is
unostenfatiously placed upon the bill.
The hotel graciously leaves II to the
discretion Of the escort as TO whether !
or not the culprit shall be told. But at !
least II does not permit HIN to be en-.
iightened only by the belated method |
of ieaky sleeve.
Again. the head waiter will assure
you that this happens. not once or
twice, but ceaseiessly.
Many a woman that thinks she's
got away with 1t would be surprised to
know that II Is down In black and
white on her escort's check and that |
both he and the hotel know Just how
many spoons and forks she is tnklng
home with her." said one genial head
waiter. who viewed the business with
considerable Indulgence. - New York
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