The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10

, innocent Of booze sales as he has
| pretended.
Melanson Warned Bell Boy.
A Rip-saw inspector alleges that,
at least on one occasion, manager
Melanson met bell boy on the back
stairs with an armful of beer bot
ties, and they were not empty, either.
"You may sell this beer" man
| ager Melanson is alleged to have
said, "but if you get caught, you
must take the consequences"
Later on, several bell boys sold
booze to city detectives and were
arrested and fined. In default of
money to pay their fines, they were
| sent to the work farm. When the
unfortunate boys called up manager
Melanson and asked him to advance
money to pay their fines, he refused,
saying:
81 may need it to pay fine my
| self"
! On one occasion, the Rip-saw is
informed, manager Melanson asked
] employees Of the hotel to refrain from
selling booze and beer until further
notice for the reason that stool pig
cons were shopping around.
Manager Lectures Bell Boys.
Real doubts are expressed that
Mr.. Melanson ever stored booze in
| the hotel safe. When the boys came
| back from the work farm, after serv-
| ing their sentences, manager Melan-
son demurred against taking them
back and put up a loud yell about not
! wanting boys around the hotel who
had been arrested. After some de-
liberation, however, the kindly man
ager took them back, but cut their
wages from $40 to SIS a month and
they also found that their fare in the
kitchen was proportionately reduced
in quality and quantity.
Bell boys working for SIS to $40
a month were lodged in the "dog
house" and fed in the kitchen. They
had what they took in as tips, which
often ran their income up to $l25
a month. 49,.
A goodly number Of the hotels
guests have been free users of booze
and have kept it in their rooms.
Quite frequently, favored guests
have pulled off parties" in their
rooms, with cards, booze and even
women as welcome adjuncts to "a
good time"
Some Whooping Booze Parties.
One of Duluth's youngest old men
and a man high in the operation OF
the hotel had a whooping old "par-
ty" in rooms 2O3 and 225, with halt
a. dozen boon companions, one night
On another occasion, the same enter
tainer was in room $50 with other
men, wine, women and song.
It is stated that AL. Wagner, pro.
lprietor of the hotel, is quite strict as
to women but, many times, what he
does not know does not hurt him
Sunny Al's" favorite form of di'
version is the grand old American
game of poker. He not only acted
as patron of the game in his hotel
but, some weeks ago, was caught in
game in Duluth, on First street, by
patrolman Bruce Palmer, the great
authority on social etiquette. After
many objections, Sunny AL" rode
to the Duluth police station in the
patrol wagon, after being told. "Get
in or we will throw you in" But all
that is another story, not at all given
prominence by Duluth's enterprisine
daily papers. I'm that case, too, bail
money was forfeited.
Rip-saw inspectors allege that the
main poker room in hotel Superior
is in room 203. The games there
are conducted under Col. Wagner's
personal eye. There is big screen
before the door and closed transom
keeps the sound of rafting chips and
the clink of coin from being heard
in the hall.
Ten or a dozen men often get in
there at once. A red-headed man
with crutches has played there fire.
quently. Ever and anon call comes
down:
Send up ten Princep de Marx CT
gars.' ....
A bell boy hops up stairs with the
fragrant smokes. He gets glimpses
of tobacco ashes all over the floor
men in their shirt-sleeves, tousleC
hair. and sweaty faces. There are
cards, chips and money on the ia
bles. In that room, stakes often rur
into three figures.
| Tips Bell Boys Ten Cents.
If Col. Wagner is winning when ,
boy brings up the ten Princeps d.
Marx cigars, he may tip him ter
| 1- t. h4
ly says, Albright" and dismisse:
him empty handed.
Some times there are overflow
meetings. Room 1876 then is called
into use. When business is especial!
brisk, the gamblers say, as high a!
three rooms are required to accom-
modate the chaps who flirt with tn,
Goddess of Chance.
| One night the head waiter, RALPH