The House Man or Hotel Detective.
The house man, or hotel detective, is employed by the hotel to guard
the property and reputation of the hotel. To guard the property of
guests, to watch dishonest employees and suspicious guests.
When the guest reports the loss of money or valuables it is the hotel
detective’s business to make an investigation, and to find out among
the bell boys or other employees who had access to the room where
the valuables were stolen. Chambermaids and new bell boys should be
carefully watched, as this class of petty thieves seldom stay in one
place long. When a certain employee is accused test him out; arrange
for him to go on an errand to a guest’s room while the guest is absent.
If this boy is under suspicion place some money on the dresser or in
the room in such a manner that the boy may see it. Do not let any of
the help or the boy know they are suspicioned, or even that a robbery
has occurred. These thefts are not always committed by hotel help. The
professional crooks stop at the large hotels in the cities purposely to
steal what they can. These crooks as a rule are fashionably dressed and
pose as traveling men, insurance men, etc. They generally make it plain
to the clerk that they are selling goods and frequently mention some
particular local business man they intend to call on. While the other
guests are asleep they will try to visit their rooms; also when the
guests are at their meals. Up-to-date hotels use a double lock on their
doors which makes it impossible, should the door be locked on the
inside, for the hotel thief to open from the outside with a skeleton
key. The transoms over the doors are also constructed so they open from
the top, which makes it impossible for the hotel thief to gain entrance
in that way. It is surprising, however, to a person not familiar with
hotel detective work, to know the large number of guests in a hotel who
do not take the trouble to, or forget to lock their doors when leaving
their room for a meal or on business purposes, or when retiring at
night, and of course, it is an easy matter for the hotel thief to rob
all such guests.
We have another class of thief who causes hotels considerable trouble
by getting them to cash fraudulent checks for them, but lately it is
almost impossible for any guest to have a personal check cashed, as
the larger hotels make the clerk responsible. When a clerk in a hotel
is suspicious of a guest, it is his duty to supply the house detective
with such information; also instructions to be on the lookout; then
the hotel detective usually has a better chance to observe the actions
of guests than do the clerks, for the reason the detective is not
known, but is supposed to be a guest at the hotel. The hotel detective
should be supplied with all information and data relating to all the
well-known hotel crooks, photographs, measurements, descriptions, etc.,
as these crooks frequently play the same hotel numerous times under
different names. The larger hotels are infested by petty thieves,
thieves who steal overcoats, wraps, hats and wearing apparel. Women,
as well as men, ply this occupation and work usually in the lobbies,
waiting rooms and writing rooms of the hotel. These thieves mingle
where the guests are thickest and manage to sit near where a guest sits
reading, his coat or wrap thrown carelessly over a chair. Then the
well dressed thief waits the opportunity when the owner of the coat or
wrap is busy with the book, or has his attention directed elsewhere,
then he carelessly picks up the overcoat or wrap and leaves the hotel.
A more common nuisance around the hotel is the “masher”. This type of
men and women are found in abundance and one class makes about as much
trouble as the other. Real hotels have no desire to keep either of
these classes, as they damage the reputation and the business of the
hotel. The male of this class usually will be found hanging around the
telephone booths and the waiting rooms. The female inhabits the balcony
and corridors. The detective, in dealing with these two classes, must
use great caution in order that a mistake may be avoided, as great
damage could be done a hotel by a detective making himself obnoxious to
reputable, well-mannered guests, and it is well to have the evidence on
any one reported before any action is taken. The house man, or hotel
detective, is not only custodian of the property of the hotel, but
is responsible for the morals and general behavior of both guest and
employee. He should familiarize himself with all frequenters of the
hotel and know as much as possible about the various employees, even
down to the scrub woman. This should be easy for him, as he has plenty
of time for observation and is recognized by very few persons as being
an official or connected with the hotel. It is the hotel detective’s
duty to look out for all gambling and confidence games going on in
the hotel. The confidence men and gamblers generally pick out some
man whom they know to have money, make his acquaintance, find out if
he has a weakness for gambling, and if so, suggest that they have a
card game. The gambler will then meet one or more of his confederates,
introduce them to the stranger, or “sucker” as he is called by them,
of course introducing his confederates also as traveling men, and they
will take him to his room or their room and there start a little game.
They will then send one of the confederates out for a deck of cards,
and he will return claiming he got them from the drug store, but they
really are cards prepared or stamped which they can read. These cards
they call “paper” and the “sucker” has no chance to make a win. They
then increase the limit and the stranger or “sucker” is broke, and
nothing more is mentioned of the game. They will sometimes go so strong
as to have one of their confederates impersonate the house detective
and he will appear when the game is in progress at the appointed time,
and threaten to arrest all the players, in this way intimidating the
stranger or “sucker” so that he will not mention his loss or game to
the hotel management.