Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-08-22
Board-BilI Bcatcrs VIII Be
Dealt With Sum
mariIy.
SOME FORGET TO PAY


pRuMRIGHT, Aug. 2l.-"Thou
shalt not beat thy board biIlo reads
a section of the unwrittcn Jaw in
bTumright, and the hotel keepers and
cafe proprictors are waEing Il hard
lISh' against the practice which has
gained much Roadway among a Ger
tain class over the oil field. Men Of
every description ana nationality are
trusted sometimes for large amounts,
and security is seldom asked for
them, just their word.
As a usual thing the men arc al
loNCd To board at the c., feS and hu-
tells ana pay at the end Of the month,
or sometimes when they complete 4
well, which is several months. They
are, or that is they have not been
WutchCd until a short. time ago when
the practice of Do~ard-beating became
50 fragrant. Many of these men have
owed large amounts and have met
their Obligations, while others have
defaulted and even failed to appear
at their boarding house when pay
time came. This would arouse the
suspicion of those holding the sack
tthe hotel and restaurant keeper ana
an immediate Investigation would b.,
in course,
Many Beat Bills.
Since the first of the year. many
cages Of board beating have been
heard in municipal our in Drum
right, and in most Of the cases an
opinion has been handed down in
favor OF the restaurant and hotel
men, They have often been the vic
Tins of crooks and men who had OBJ
tanned their livelihood solely by not
meeting their obligations, and i'm fact
obtaining money under false pre-
tense, a charge that could be placed
against them should it become neCes-
sary. Many of these men are
critters" and boomers who have
known nothing but journey for years
aud nave become so skilled at the art
OF hDard beating that they a easily
deffaud their ~benefaCtor, the r%estaur-
ant or hotel proprietor, and disappear
before they can be apprehended and
brought to justice.
The Drumright hotel and ~restaur-
II men have now resolved that there
will be no open season" for dead
beats and will put a quietus to the
practice, even though it cost them the
amount due on the accounts. In this
way they can stop the practice and
thereby make themselves safe in
trusting the workers of the field.
enc incident, which explains how
some of the many men obtain their
eats was that which occurred to a
certain hotel proprietor a few days
ago and which brought him to the
height of his wrath when he discOV-
cred hat he had been the victim Of
a clever ruse operated by three men
whom he thought were honest. Three
men entered his cafe and asked that
they be accommodated by being al
lowed their beard until they finished
a wCll' in the fled. He, thinking
that he would be safe in supplying
them with their meals, consented to
carry them this time and 50 the bill
started. Each day the same regular
performance was carried out, the
meals prepared and the men went to
their work" in the fields.
Felt Self Slipping.
This continued for three weeks.
Finally, they failed to return. A
meal was missed; then a second, a
third and a fourth. The proprietor
began to feel himself slipping" and
it was hen that he became alarmed
n started the Investigation which
disclosed some startling and very
~ClcNCrly worked "C~rOOkpdness" on the
part of those whom he thought so
honest.
These three men had misrepre-
scented themselves. They were not
working, but only procuring their
meals each day and then going into
the fields and idling the time away,
playing cards, gambling and doing the
I'd nothing stunt" The proprietor
was holding the sack.' He had
nothing to show for his money, except
that a few days after a nan walked
inf, hfg pufa an1 handed hin. , IEpn.-
pail, on the inside Of which was Il
note bearing the following which
drew the curtain from over the "mys-
terry MI. , we are very
thankful to you for YOU kindness in
keeping us so well-fed for these
several days and it is with much graft
tudC that we express our feelings to-
ward you" Below it was signed,
your Appreciative Customers"
As a matter OF fact the proprietor
was angry. He was ferocious and 1t
is safe to say that it would have been
an easy matter to bring him to such
a stage that he would he dangerous
should he be insulted. lie, however,
did not destroy the Souvenir" but
now keeps it IN the cash register as
a reminder Of how t%rickery can be
worked.
But from now on IT Will be woe to
the one Who even attempts to beat his
board bill at this hotel, as the pro-
prietors has taken the "Keely" on
trusting strangers. The only way tina.
he may be induced to furnish even
one meal is through a signed order
from a person with a good Bradstreet
rating.
Rigs 10 West Field.
Special 10 Tho World.