The Washington times., 1919-03-21
n. Y. HOTEL KEY
FOQUDlN DUGOUT

NJ WYORK, March 21.-Six lone
some soldiers. who are curious about
everything relating to Broadway, viii
be a trihed begloomed when a copy
Of this article. now on the way TO
Germany. is read in concert. Briefly.
they will learn that the Hotel Mari
borough. i'm Herald square. is unable
to learn what soldier the key to
room l65. why or when il was left
in dugout on the Argonne front and
the detailed story OF its travels.
The reason for this is that the con
fusion OF key losses at the MARI
borough or any other large hotel
makes all identity anonymous imme-
diately. and 81 the soldier owner Of
! the lost key cannot be distinguished
from the countless careless civilians
who lost other keys to room 16J in
less spectacular fashion.
The following interesting letter. re-
! ceived yesterday by the editor OF the
Herald. explains the peculiar situa-
| tion which led to Intellectual inquiry
| at the Marlborough:
'"Sir: Who conceived the idea OF
claiming all hotel keys to large, red.
painted wooden disks, with the name
and address of the hotel inscribed
thereon? Some credit ii to the in
genuity OF an Oregon lumberman
with big stock Of shingles on hand
and dull market. Another version
| is that an inventor gave the idea
to a Boniface after a locksmith had
run away with his wife. Whoever it
| was deserves the D. s u. The writer
was in the hotel business once. and
without his idea there could be M
story and certain well known hotel
would still be minus the key to room
165.
The Key to the Story.
But here is the key to the story:
"On the morning o: October "a the
headquarters Of the Sixty-sixth +. A.
brigade moved into dugouts near Es-
mes. France, on the Argonne front,
behind dizzy Montfaucon: Prior to
Jerrys retreat from before this
stronghold these dugouts had been
infantry headquarters for one of our
fighting divisions Our doughboys
were now well beyond MOntfaucOn,
but the Boche still kept up an in
cessant Smelling of our artillery posi-
tions, and our dugouts proved every
thing but loathsome. One night. in
arranging a bunk for little fling of
the bones" there was exposed to our
gaze the last object which we expect
ed to see in that land OF shells and
shell holes. where locks, keys. or
GOors were no longer necessary. There
lay before US on the bunk one Yale
key chained to a red disk. inscribed
Room 1876. Hotel Marlborough. Broad
way and Thirty-siXth street, New
York city" We spent several weeks
just outside this city and the writer
once enjoyed the hospitality OF this
hotel. and so had several others, so
the key was Just like a message from
home. and in our minds. eye we were
back on Broadway enjoying a prone
made.
Send u Back.
"The key is now on its way back to
Hs wonted position, and VIC are in
the Army Of Occupation. just as far
beyond the Rhine as,lRs can get and
lwantiRR=-to trade II Abig ehusik of
Rhenish sceReEy~-fOF -the opportunity
to enjoy the hospitality Of the people
OF New Works and Incidentally take
IN a few points OF interest.
,c Before atne history of the key II
closed we would like to have an
answer to the following;
who carried of the key to. Room
i65? =.
why and when left in. a dugout
near AOntfauson9 7.
And the story of it's travels.
"The following are curious:
"SERGT. Maj A. WALLIN,
CORP. JOS. y. BOWEN (keys. spoH-I
sorD.
CORP. KING~M. JERNIGAN.
PRIVATE RAYMOND r.. FORBES,
PRIVATE ROBT. l.. RICHARDSON"