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Story
September 7, 1889
The Helena Independent
Helena, Lewis And Clark County, Montana
What is this article about?
A flashily dressed man named Geo. Johnson checks into the Cosmopolitan hotel, claiming business in Spokane Falls. He leaves a valise filled with cordwood as collateral for his bill and disappears for a week. The clerk discovers the ruse, revealing it's the hotel's own wood.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
The Scheme a Spokane Falls Man Adopted to Beat His Hotel Bill.
About ten days ago a flashily dressed young man walked into the Cosmopolitan hotel office and with quite a flourish signed "Geo. Johnson, Spokane Falls." The clerk sized him up as being "no good" and gave him a room on the fourth story. Johnson said he was here for the purpose of securing plans for a variety theatre building in Spokane Falls. Two days went by and on the third day Mr. Johnson took his valise and started to go out. He was stopped, but he said he would return in a few minutes and settle his bill. He was invited to leave his valise as a guarantee of good faith, and this he reluctantly did. Johnson had not been seen for a week, and yesterday it was concluded he would not come back. The leather valise was opened by the clerk, who was thunderstruck to find it carefully filled with neatly cut blocks of cordwood.
"Well, that takes the cake," said the proprietor, Sam Schwab. "I have heard of trunks and valises being filled with stones and brick and old clothes, but that's the first time I ever saw cordwood in a valise; and the worst of the whole business is that it is my own wood."
About ten days ago a flashily dressed young man walked into the Cosmopolitan hotel office and with quite a flourish signed "Geo. Johnson, Spokane Falls." The clerk sized him up as being "no good" and gave him a room on the fourth story. Johnson said he was here for the purpose of securing plans for a variety theatre building in Spokane Falls. Two days went by and on the third day Mr. Johnson took his valise and started to go out. He was stopped, but he said he would return in a few minutes and settle his bill. He was invited to leave his valise as a guarantee of good faith, and this he reluctantly did. Johnson had not been seen for a week, and yesterday it was concluded he would not come back. The leather valise was opened by the clerk, who was thunderstruck to find it carefully filled with neatly cut blocks of cordwood.
"Well, that takes the cake," said the proprietor, Sam Schwab. "I have heard of trunks and valises being filled with stones and brick and old clothes, but that's the first time I ever saw cordwood in a valise; and the worst of the whole business is that it is my own wood."
What sub-type of article is it?
Deception Fraud
Crime Story
What themes does it cover?
Deception
What keywords are associated?
Hotel Scam
Fake Collateral
Cordwood Valise
Skipping Bill
What entities or persons were involved?
Geo. Johnson
Sam Schwab
Where did it happen?
Cosmopolitan Hotel
Story Details
Key Persons
Geo. Johnson
Sam Schwab
Location
Cosmopolitan Hotel
Event Date
About Ten Days Ago
Story Details
A man posing as Geo. Johnson from Spokane Falls stays at the Cosmopolitan hotel, leaves a valise stuffed with the hotel's own cordwood as collateral, and absconds without paying his bill.