"HOTEL RATS."

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 6, 22 January 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

"HOTEL RATS."

SWi.XDLERS WHO FLOURISH BY

THEIK WITS

On the. Continent they are known as •' hotel rat.-," and the opprobrious name aptly describee a class of smart swindlers, who not only Jiang about hotels in the' hope of inveigling the simple and unwary, but are up to all dodges of the day" and will stick at nothing in the carrying oiit of their nefarious schemes. A summer or two ago, a sort of international campaign was started in Europe, with the idea of stamping out tiii-; modern Dick Turpin of the road. Tho crusade was headed by the Swiss hotelkeepers, who after an experiment on a small scale, by publishing the description* and photographs of celebrated hotel thieves, had most gratifying results.

But swindlers of this typo—men who livo by their wits—take a tremendous lot of ■tamping out. As a matter of fact, at certain seasons of the year it is surprising the number of light-linger-ed gentry who frequent our leading hoteis, says an English journal. Wiiere thev come from it is difficult to say. but hotel proprietors have every cause to bitterly regret the presence of these unwelcome, guests. Tho big hotels are the chief haunt; of these swell mobsmen. They include women as well as men. remarkably welldressed and v.>rv plausible in manner. The audacity of the "hotel rat" was well illustrated the other day—it was his cool effrontery indeed that was responsible for Ins suooees. It was ci a private hotel near Pall Mall. The chief —well-dressed and smart in appearance —walked into the hotel during the afternoon, entered tho room of a guest —Mr. S. A. Brown—in the latter's absence, and, after locking the door behind him. 'packed as many articles as possible into Mr. Brown's bag. He then walked out of the hotel with the bag, coolly bidding " Good day " to an attendant who was standing by the door. By means of a clever trick another guest, also staying at a London hotel. was robbed of jewellery to the value of £-100. A well-dressed man walked up to the reception clerk's office and asked for the keys of his room, mention'ng the number. The rightful occupier of the room had only arrived that day, so that his personality was not well known to the reception clerks, and the keys without hesitation, were handed to him. An hour or two later the real occupant, on applying for his keys, was told that they had been given to someone who had given his number, and on investigation being mad? it was found that the rooms had been ransacked, and that jewellery to tho value mentioned had been stolen.

A representative of a Clerkenwoll firm of jewellers, while partaking of lunch in a ('amberwell hotel, a few weeks ago, was robbed of hi.- bag containing £'7oo worth of jewellery. Three men were concerned in the theft, and the removal cf the bag from a chair dose by was screened apparently by one of the thieves, wi\o, after the intended victim had taken his seat, took a seat between the traveller and his hag and opened a newspaper. He was still reading ths newspaper when the traveller discovered his loss. and. exclaiming, : ' My bag has gone,'' rushed to the doer.

■Seeing no one about, he returned, when tile man sitting next to him had disappeared, together with the confederates who had been standing at the bar.

Even this, however, was eclipved by the coup made by a gang of plausible thieves at one of the big hotels in the Metropolis last summer, when a scheme of great cunning resulted in a rich haul of jewels worth £1,500.

At a cost of over £IOO the gang engaged rooms a a well-known hotel, wher 0 an American mill'onaire was staying, and then one visited an oldestabl: bed firm of jewellers who have premises in Pall Mall and Fenclnuch Street.

Immaculately groomed and well-spok-en, ho posed as the millionaire's secretary, and esked for certain articles of jewellery to bo sent to the millionaire in order that the latter could choose what ho wanted. These were forwarded by a trusted member of the firm, who was met. apparently by chance, by tho " secretary," who conducted him to a palatial room and introduced him to a man who looked and talked like the

millionaire he was supposed to be. Then tho old trick win resorted to of the, millionaire's wife wanting to see the tiara before it was definitely bought, and the customer took upon himself the task of carrying the valuables for lis spouse's inspection. The jeweller's envoy was beguiled into the corridor, and then, after a slight push, he found himself a pr.soner in a locked room, from which ho war; not released till the birds had. flown.

What was known as tho Kendal case must bo quite fresh in the minds of most people—tho I'oor traveller who lojt £'6yXKJ worth of jewels—i s not likely to have, forgotten it. at any rate. Here, aga'n, the precincts of an hotel favoured the perpetrators of a very sen. sational theft. It may bo remembered that the robbery was tho work of a gang who had followed the traveller- all over tho country. The traveller, who lived at Kendal, loft two cases containing samples at a Kend.i! hotel. live eases wero placed with other traveller..' good-. Three strange men staved at the hotel that nigh':'. <)::<>" had two skips. All left next morning by tho fir.ot train for Preston. One man took the skies with h'rn, cut nothing unusual was dlscu en d until Monday, when the traveller called for hi,; skips and took them to the station in the omn'bii'-. Thero. the porto- accustomed to handling his stuff, said they we;\> light compared with the weight when they arrived. 'il'..' skips were opened. Inside wcr 1 lY"s;mi!e, of the jewel cases, pecked ■■'. tii ecnl to make up the weight. Til.' rhi< ves bed IS hours' start cf the polic >, b-i w re tracked to Preston and lliac'vp, -I v,h"ro they stayed the week-end at fVi a warning from a " spv," left behind at Kendal, tho grig split, an/1 ■• x :rof!' ; i !aps"t] before thev were linal'v laid by the h-ols. How ('out 'nental hotel thieves e"r - v n-5 :!o ir work was rnveVl a! the trie! ;■ e educated man nnmn\ V wmann and »pv< rel of b's aecom-n!i-»s who wer- charged with whele-alo s'eai'ng from bote! bedrooms a short i :•!!■•> ppo. Some of tiie madr cvitr ions which c-how the hi:.'h dafp ~' orgxi! : sat : 'in to which hotel robber r-ig-, hive attained. Aecoidug to 111 • evidence CoritiVn|.'d the v.- who value tic :r reputations, ale only in the very In M hotels and for y '.irs seiti > of them have never slept a i)'"!:' in a fcooo.iid-r 1 te estnhii ;'iiiipnt. Tie I .' teke reams alwavs em " : teer th" lir-n or record floor, where the riches! Pii- is -surdlv s'oen. The doors nro open d by monns of th- French insh-u----rr.enl: known c. " nirstiti." hv which ir \r |,f,.«il.!e (o roVe (lie eel of a hey !■ I't 'n a leek noil turn it-. The thieves spv co (bo hotel guests for hours before beginning operations, and. other things helper pqnal. choose as vie I mis persons who reve Icon hm-inc - liv.-dv ' : e>~ •••-'

I has retired, sleep being th:'n deepest. Tho thieves work in dark brown pyjamas, so that even if the victim awakes ho cannot see, them. Formerly they wore a tight, coal-black " tricot. 1 ' but now pyjamas are preferred, as they do not g vo the thiet away if lie is seen in tho corridor. Hotel "bilking"' is anothin.'? thing which heavily hits the hotelkeeper as well as the general public. As most peopl.i are aware, certain hotels do what is known as a flashy trade. They ar c frequented by young men going the pace, and by young women who support themselves by their v, its. In .such cases the tho money Hies freely while it lasts, but often the young man finds himself at tho end of h : s tether and has to disappear without paying his bill. Th:s risk is taken by the managers, who see that their charges are high enough to cover it. The deliberate swindler is. of course. a person who arrives in style and " Hits" before the weakly bill is oresented. leaving luggage which is filled with weighty rubbish. Th:'re is a perfect op'demic of hotel '• bilking '' during the holiday season, when tho hurry and worry of the holiday "' rush " readily tends to cover the go:ng of the " parting guest " who has emitted to foot his bill. Hotel managers make an allowance for this dishonourable thing in the same way that other tradesmen write off a certain sum every year for bad debts. The managers have to take their guests on trust so long as they possess the normal amount of luggage. They cannot inspect the luggage to see if it is genuine, nor can th?y turn a person out on suspicion. If they do e ither of these things they lay themselves open to an action for damages.