Hotel Thieves

                                                              HOTEL THIEVES

The Hotel Proprietor as a Sufferer.—Night Guards.—Safety locks and Chain Bolts.— The Modus Operandi of the Professional Hotel Thief.—An ingenious kit of tools.—Preparations and precautions.— The Cracksman at work.—Bar-Keys, I Viddies, Nippers and Cut Wires.—Entering the sleeping guest's apartment.—A unique contrivance for doctoring the locks of an unoccupied room. —Precautions that every hotel guest should use. — The Dapper Traveling Salesperson.

PROBABLY no more prevalent or more popular branch of dishonesty exists at the present time than the robbery of hotels. Expert thieves choose victims from upscale city hotels to tidy country inns, and sadly, they always succeed. Where wealthy travelers go, so too will thieves. Whenever any unusual excitement prevails in a particular area which attracts a large number of visitors, the thief invariably follows, and, in most cases, reaps an abundant harvest. Events such as fairs, horse races, conventions, and exhibitions typically attract many visitors to the host city or town, often resulting in fully occupied hotels. All of the visitors at times like these, are amply supplied with ready money, and these gentry fall easy victims to the midnight robber who enters their sleeping rooms, and while the inmates are peacefully slumbering, rifle their pockets, and even search the beds 1vhereon they are lying. These thieves do not, however, restrict their operations to the times of excitement and overcrowding of hotels, but upon ordinary occasions, when the public houses are occupied by the general class of the traveling public, their depredations are carried on with impunity, and with a degree of success that is absolutely startling. Almost daily the hotelkeepers of the larger cities are compelled to make restitution for losses which have occurred to their guests, who retired to their rooms in fancied security, and awoke in the morning to find themselves completely stripped of their money and every article of value of which they were possessed.

Over the past few years, hotel owners nationwide have endured a shocking number of robberies at their hotels. Hundreds of these cases occur which are never made public, and which are never placed in the hands of the police or detectives for investigation, for the proprietors invariably prefer to arrange matters with their guests and to reimburse them for their losses, rather than give publicity to a robbery which would have the effect of injuring their reputation and frightening away their customers. The proprietors of these establishments have taken every precaution to prevent the depredations of these midnight marauders, but evil has simply reduced not abolished. Private officers, guards and detectives have been placed on every floor assigned for sleeping rooms, and yet, despite their safeguards, robbers continue to gain access to the chambers, and unconscious guests are despoiled, almost under the very eyes of those who have been constituted the guardians of their safety.

All first-class hotels, in addition to the maintenance of a corps of wakeful and alert guards upon the outside of the chambers, have also placed safeguards within the rooms. All doors are fitted with double locks, which can only be locked from inside, as the keyhole doesn't go through. The ordinary lock upon the outside serves to admit the guest co the apartment assigned to him, and once in, he locks his door from the inside with a lock that only operates upon the inner side of the door. These devices feature two separate locks: one can be locked from either side, the other only from the inside. Chain bolts, another ingenious contrivance, have also been put on many of the doors, and yet, with all these provisions against the entrance of the thief, the occupants of these rooms awake in the morning to find that they have been robbed during the night, and their doors show no evidence to the inexpert observer, of having been tampered with in any particular. To those unacquainted with the ingenious workings of the professional hotel thief, this discovery is startling and inexplicable, but to those who have studied the modes and operations of this class of criminals, the manner in which an entrance has been gained, and the means used to accomplish their object, the solution is as plain as the sun at noon-day.

It is my purpose to fully explain the modus operandi of these expert thieves and to so fully inform the traveling public of these matters, that if proper precautions are taken, and a rigid scrutiny of their doors and locks is made before retiring, an entry will be prevented and a successful robbery will be impossible.

We will start by outlining a skilled hotel thief’s tool, then discuss their functions and his approach. First, we must remember that these thieves are clever and smart, aware of every detail. Using tools is their specialty, and they are as deft with brace and bit as any craftsman. They are seldom surprised and know the guards' locations better than the guards do. From external appearances no one would think of suspecting the well-dressed, gentlemanly-looking individual, who registers himself with a quiet and unassuming air, and whose tone and conversation speak both travel and education. In the reading room and at the dining table he is the dignified yet affable gentleman of business, and his deportment is always unobtrusive and polite. His refined clothing choices, despite his avoidance of bold colors and trends, identify him as a gentleman.

His tools are generally of the finest quality of tempered steel, consist of a “bar-key,” a set of six bits of various sizes, and arranged for either stem or tumbler locks; a small drill; a file; a “sectional stem"—or what is called the “widdy”; several pieces of wire, and a pair of nippers. He has all the materials he needs; some are critical and will be clarified. The nomadic thieves often keep these implements on them because they are compact. While not a tool, another notable article to consider is a white putty or pigment.

Armed with these instruments, and qualified by a long system of training, the hotel thief is now fully prepared to set out on his travels. Here is how his plan works: Hotel thieves usually work in pairs, but they never show it, and to everyone else, they seem like strangers. They manage, however, to secure their rooms on the same floor, and, if possible, without attracting undue attention, within proximity to each other. Once set up in their apartments, the work of active operation at once begins. They study the guests' habits and then find empty chambers. Preparatory work is always performed in the daytime. Once the vacant rooms are found, they check their own door locks, since they believe every other door on the floor will be secured the same way. With this knowledge at hand, they are now prepared to work. One of the men is set to see that the coast is clear, while the other quickly effects an entrance into one of the empty rooms. His tools are taken in with him. If there is only a single lock to contend with, the work is soon done—the “bar-key” with its appropriate bit opens the door readily from the outside, and no further arrangements are necessary for that room.

Where there is a bolt on the inside of the door, a hole is bored through the door from the inside immediately over the handle or knob, for the introduction of the “sectional stem,” and then this hole is carefully puttied up and the small spot in the door is colored with a quick-drying material of the same color. Ascertaining that the corridor is empty, by a series of signals with h7s partner who is on the watch, the thief comes cautiously out and covers up the hole on the outside in the same manner. Thus, if undisturbed, all empty rooms on this floor will be ready for evening guests.

Double-locked doors require a different, more time-consuming "fixing" method. After entering with the "bar-key," the thief begins working on the inside lock, whose key is always present. After the key's removal, a hole is drilled through the lock and door. Next, the bolt hole is drilled, and then it is puttied and painted.

There is another mode of “fixing “the inside lock, which is frequently resorted to, but which is not so generally successful as the one above mentioned, and that is simply to bore a large gimlet hole through the lock-plate and the door, and then to file a slot in the end of the key, like that in the head of a screw. By this means a large, puttied hole on the outside of the door is avoided, and a small, sharp-edged bradawl inserted into the hole, will catch upon the slot in the end of the key, which can then be turned like a screwdriver and screw. Particular attention is always paid to the location of the bolts and locks and the position of the bed in the room, so that no delay may be caused by a difficulty in locating the sleeper immediately by the uncertain light which comes through the transom over, the door, from the dimly burning gas in the halls.

With preparations completed and a number of rooms ready, the thieves bid their time until evening. The registers are carefully watched in order to ascertain which of the rooms they have “fixed,” are to be occupied, and an estimate is made, if it is possible to do so, of the individuals who have been assigned to them, with the view of selecting those from whom the richest harvest may be reaped.

The next precaution, and this is of paramount importance, is to carefully study the habits of the detectives or guards who perform their duties during the night. The criminals are often compelled to delay their operations to study the hotel's security.

Before explaining the methods, we will discuss the tools of the trade.

The keys and bits which these expert thieves use are of peculiar construction. A straight steel key-bar with insertable bits allows easy use on any ordinary stem or tumbler lock. The tools are standard but crafted from high-quality, tempered steel. For skilled workers, the "sectional stem" is a distinctive and helpful tool. It is made of fine steel or iron and consists of two pieces of metal, one of which is about eight inches long, and the other about two inches, and about as thick as a small bradawl. These two pieces are joined together with a screw or rivet, which not being tight allows the foremost end to drop down when the joint has passed through the door. A piece of fine strong cord is fastened to the end of this stem, which on being pulled, draws the end down until it is at right angles with the piece to which it is attached, and by retaining the tension of the string, the instrument is kept in proper position for work. A knob or ball is attached to the other end of this tool and turning it allows the user to operate the point. This “sectional stem,” is used for slipping the bolts on the inside of a door, and the manner of working it is as follows: the stem, both parts perfectly straight, is inserted into the hole drilled through the door over the bolt, the string is then pulled, which causes the end piece of the stem to drop down, thus forming an L, and then, when the handle of the bolt is touched, by simply turning the knob or handle, it is slipped as easily as though the operation was performed from the inside.

The “bar-key “is a particularly important instrument, and from the nature of its construction, in the hands of an expert manipulator, will open any ordinary door from the outside, without any previous preparation. It consists of the bar and handle of an ordinary key, with a slot in the end of it, into which may be inserted the bits, which are especially designed for the locks of the general hotel doors, and a screw which secures these bits in their places.

By the above arrangement, it will be seen that bits of different kinds and shapes may be inserted into the bar, and the key of the rooms occupied by the thieves, will at once show them the nature of the bit which they will require in order to work upon the others. T and L bits are made in such variety that they will open any door not furnished with tumbler locks, and when tumbler locks are used, the necessary bits to open these doors can be readily procured or manufactured by the thief himself.

The “widdy” is a small piece of bent wire with a string attached, forming a sort of bow.

With this simple instrument running through a keyhole, if the bolt is below the lock; or a gimlet hole made for the purpose, if above the lock, a burglar can throw back any mortise, spring or sliding bolt now in use, no matter what position it is, or how the knob may be placed.

In addition to this, the “widdy” will operate the finest night-latch in existence, and for a variety of purposes it is one of the most useful of articles.

The pieces of bent wire are usually shaped as follows:

With the knob up, the first is used; the other is used with the knob down, to retract sliding-bolts. Typically, four wire sizes are stocked; if one fails, try the next. This eliminates the need for multiple holes. The “widdy,” however, will dispense with the use of these wires, as that instrument will perform its work anywhere. These tools, crafted from umbrella wire, can be easily shaped by a skilled thief.

When everything is ready for the operation, and the guests are all sleeping soundly in their beds, the thieves begin their work. If the corridors are deserted, their labor is easy, and their entrance into the chambers of the sleepers is easily gained, without risk and in a short space of time. If, however, there is a watchman on duty, a careful espionage is maintained upon his movements, and should he leave his post for a few minutes, sufficient time is given to the thieves in which to work. Five minutes is frequently all the time an expert thief occupies in working “a single room. Armed with his “barkey,” his nippers and the “sectional stem,” he sallies forth while his companion unobserved maintains a close watch upon all the surroundings and stands prepared to Give prompt warning• in case of danger.

If the sleeper to be operated upon has left the key in the outer lock, the nippers are used, and in a twinkling, that part of the difficulty is over, and the key is turned so quickly and noiselessly that no one would be aware of what was going on. If, however, there is an inner or double lock, and a bolt on the door, the putty from the drilled hole is quickly removed, the nippers are inserted, and in case the inside key has been prepared by filing, as I have mentioned before, the sharp awl is used, and fitting into the slot in the end of the key, turns it readily. Then the “sectional stem,” the “widdy,” or the bent wire is inserted through the hole over the bolt, the string is pulled, and with an easy turn of the wrist, the bolt is thrown back, and every obstacle to the entrance of the thief is removed.

Should the door, however, be fastened with the ordinary chain bolts, the manner of working them is as follows:—The door is opened sufficiently to allow the burglar to put his arm on the inside and measure from the edge of the door to the edge of the plate. This, of course, is where no previous preparations have been made, but when the thief has properly “faked “the room, as he calls it—that is, “fixed “it for his entrance in the evening, the hole is already bored in its proper place. Through the hole thus made, a thin wire about the thickness of a silk thread is passed and then, with the door opened, the wire is carried by the hand and passed through the eye of the “dog “on the inside.

 

To the end of this wire a button is attached. The door is then closed, and the wire is gently pulled, which draws the chain back to the opening at the end of the plate and it falls out. All impediments are now removed, and turning the knob softly, the door is opened, and the thief noiselessly enters the room. The first thing to be done is to replace the plugs in the holes in the door. This is done in an instant, and then the thief, maintaining a stooping posture, springs for the clothing of the unsuspecting occupant. The reasons for adopting this stooping position or falling upon the knees are obvious, as every person in bed or being awakened suddenly will naturally look up and not down. His movements are as rapid as the flash of the lightning, and as noiseless as the Indian on the trail. If he is successful in finding a good wad of money or a wallet he goes no further, but if only loose change is found, his next point of attack is the bed. Should the vest be missing, the thief knows that this garment has been placed under the pillow. Experience has taught him many things, and one glance at the arrangement of the bed sheet will tell him whether the sleeper has placed his valuables under the mattress or under his pillow. If the sheet is disturbed and is hanging

down, near the center of the bed, he knows to a certainty that the mattress conceals what he desires, as the chamber-maids invariably tuck the sheets in under the mattress; but if, on the contrary, the sheets are all snug and tucked under, he knows that his plunder is under the head of his victim. A few deft movements in either direction and the thief has secured the property, whether the same is placed under mattress or pillow. His exit is then made as stealthily as his entrance, and closing the door carefully behind him, he plugs up the door upon the outside.

In many cases, the thieves are sufficiently considerate to lock the door behind them, and their manner of proceeding is thus explained. After securing their booty the key is returned to the keyhole. Around the knob of the bolt, a silk thread is looped, and the ends brought through the crevice in the door to the outside. Pulling the thread, shoots the bolt back into its sheath, then one end of the thread is dropped, is drawn through the crevice, and removed. The key is then caught from the outside by the nippers and on being turned leaves the door bolted and locked, as the victims left them before retiring.

Where there is but the ordinary lock and bolt, the entrance is frequently gained without disturbing or defacing the door in the least, the “widdy” is 99 inserted through the keyhole and works the lock without any previous drilling, and thus the chances of detection are reduced.

When the sleeper awakes in the morning, and to his dismay discovers that he has been robbed, his first movement is to examine the fastening of his door. Finding nothing suspicious about them, he is perfectly dumbfounded and utterly at a loss to account for what has taken place, and even should he find that everything is unlocked, and the door undefaced, he naturally concludes, with a sinking heart, that he failed to take proper precautions before retiring, and reports so at the office. As this is a common occurrence, the guest is solemnly cautioned to be more careful in the future, and to deposit his valuables with the clerk before going to bed.

How a thief can extract articles from under a mattress or pillow without awaking a sleeper has been a continual mystery to most people. The mode of operation adopted by the thief is generally to bare the right arm to the shoulder, and then holding either mattress or pillow with the left hand, lifting it gently and with a steady motion, and then gently inserting the bare arm, pull forth whatever may be found concealed there.

 

The victims of hotel thieves are named by the very delicate title of “patients,” and the usual patient way they submit to the operations of the skillful robber amply justifies the application of the term.

If a thief is disturbed or discovered, he does not make any further attempts that evening but quietly makes his escape to his room. Should he, however, be successful, he rarely exceeds three rooms in one night, being content with what he has, and not caring to further increase the chances of his detection.

It sometimes happens, though I am glad to state, very rarely, that the persons who have been employed to guard the guests of a hotel from the visits of these nightly plunderers, are composed of pliable material, and the bestowal of a ten or twenty dollar bill upon one of these gentlemen will ensure his absence during the time the thief desires to work. It has frequently happened that thieves have remained unsuspected and in continued operation for a week in a single hotel, although that is the longest time in which thieves have confined their depredations to one place. To cover himself more completely for an extended period like this, the thief with brazen assurance will make a loud complaint at the office of having been robbed himself.

When entering a room, the thief is always dressed in soft woolen clothing and wears woolen stockings upon his feet. The noise made by the rustling of a muslin or linen shirt, when everything is hushed and still, is often sufficiently loud or harsh to awaken people, particularly ladies, from a sound and comfortable slumber. Hence it is that the thief will invariably wear a woolen shirt when he attempts to purloin the valuables of his sleeping victims.

There is a certain class of hotel thieves who confine their operations to the time usually denominated the “sporting season.” They follow the trotting horses and racers, and make the circuit of county fairs, base-ball games and such other exhibitions and entertainments calculated to draw large crowds. They generally arrive in a city or town two or three days in advance of the day on which these events occur, and then, by active work are enabled to find plenty of empty rooms to “doctor,” before the tide of visitors sets in and the hotels are filled.

In a number of instances, the process of boring the doors has been obviated where there are transoms over the doors of the rooms to be operated upon, and sufficient time is not given to prepare the locks for the midnight visit. The instrument used in this case is a unique contrivance, which anyone, whether a mechanic or not, can construct without difficulty. It consists of two pieces of thin,

solid wood, one of which is about three feet long and the other about eight inches. One end of each of these two pieces are joined together with a screw but are sufficiently loose to enable them to be turned around readily. On the end of the smaller piece there are nailed three small strips of wood, one at the end, and one on each side, which forms a sort of box, open at one end, as in the figure here shown.

In using this instrument, two men operate together. One of them places himself before the door, while the lightest one mounts upon his shoulders, and opening the transom fully, inserts his arm and hand, which contains the implement described above. He manipulates this instrument so that the boxed end of the stick will reach the handle of the key, which is then enclosed by the three raised sides of the stick. By pushing downward upon the long end of the stick, the box attachment is made to turn, and this, as a natural consequence, turns the key along with it, precisely after the manner of working a crank. The bolt is then shot back, with the aid of this stick, and in an incredibly short space of time, the door yields to their efforts, and the slumbering guest is at the mercy of the thieves. This plan has many advantages, as it leaves no traces of tampering with locks or keys, and the door is never defaced; but it has counterbalancing objections in requiring- two men before the door, in the increased liability to detection and in the inability to work the locks as quickly as with the nippers, the awl, or the “sectional stem."

The operations of the hotel thief have thus been fully given, in the hope that the traveling public may take the warnings given, and guard against danger in the future. To the guest at the hotel, I would say, always examine the door of your room before retiring, and look carefully at the keys and the transoms. Never take a large amount of money or valuable jewelry to your rooms, but leave it with the hotel clerk, who will place it in the safe. This plan not only serves as a protection against the thieves but compels the hotel proprietor to assume responsibility for their safe keeping, and to make restitution in case of loss.

In this connection, and while laying bare the operations of the professional hotel thief, I may mention another specimen, which does not figure in court reports, and is seldom represented in the prisons of the country. I am alluding to the dapper, little traveling salesperson, whose ideas of life are extremely high, and whose salary, unfortunately, is low. This latter fact, however, would never be suspected. He wears the latest and the most stylish clothing; from the crown of his lustrous hat to the pointed toe of his irreproachable gaiters, he appears to the well-to-do, blasé man about town. He carries samples of value, and his jewelry is of the first quality, while his limited supply of diamonds is all the finest and purest. This young gentleman arrives in the city, does his sales to the trade, also makes some collections; and during the period not occupied with his business, which is greater, he is having a glorious, enjoyable time. A sojourn of a week will enable him to spend his moderate salary for three months. What then? Why, means must be devised to reimburse the depleted exchequer. But how? Ah, that is quite easy. On the morning following some expensive orgy, the dashing young gentleman makes his appearance before the hotel proprietor in woeful plight. His eyes are wild, his dress disordered. What has caused this wonderful metamorphosis? The answer is soon given—the young man has been robbed! On the evening before, he retired to his room quite early. In the morning, he awoke, only to find that his room had been entered; his clothing searched; his jewels and all his money, amounting to several hundred dollars, carried off by the reckless thieves. His story seems plausible.

He is a gentleman. He represents a good house. What then? Why, the proprietor, to prevent the news of the robbery from being made public, and thereby injuring the reputation of the house, makes good the alleged loss, and pays the poor victim a sufficient sum to reimburse him for all his losses. The young man departs downcast but grateful, and at the next city he extracts his jewelry from its hiding-place, and with a replenished pocketbook, he fully enjoys himself upon the proceeds of the robbery, which it is needless to add, he committed himself.

This young dandy is seldom discovered, seldom punished, but he is as much a professional criminal as the man whose actions and operations I have described in the fore part of this chapter.