OCR Text |
Show I THE GRAFT OF THE ANTLERED HERD. Who Got to Them the HardestAn Aftermath. After-math. "Soak 'em while they're here, for they'll he a long time gone; good enough for Elks, and make -em pay, pay, pay!" That has heen the warwhoop of too many far-seeing far-seeing business men the past week, and they have done Salt Lake more harm than good, making carnage car-nage out of their killings. They have taken the money away from visiting Elks and their friends faster than a house full of brace games could have done it, scraped them clean of every penny, and told them to kiss themselves them-selves good-bye. The "Welcome" sign has blazed from the front door, the con smile has blazed from behind the counters, and the schoop-shovel mit has been held open for the jingle on the mahogany, for "Jolly I Elks are good fellows"; we'll be wise as a tree full of owls. Stick 'em from soup to nuts, and they'll never know the difference." But they did, and they hollered, and wherever you go in the next few months you will see their smoke which started in this little city. The hack-men hack-men first that is always expected but in all justice, jus-tice, only a few cut in deep, and those grafters were not among the ones who are reputable outside out-side of convention weeks. Of course, there were a number who always are holdups, but there iBn't half the fault to be found with such men as with some others, who are supposed to be right. With the hackmen it is the big rakeoff for the year, but it isn't with such places as the Knutsford bar, the Royal cafe, the Tavern, the Kenyon and Palace barber shops and other places supposed to be in the front rank of their respective businesses. Three New Yorkers and a local man went into the Knutsford Tuesday evening. They had an inward in-ward fever that was fierce, and a deep yearning for something cool. They asked for four glasses of sweet soda, common ordinary "pop." It was served in small glasses full of ice and there were probably two 5-cent bottles in the whole thing. A dollar was thrown down and. no change. "All drinks 25 cents, gentlemen," was the news the informant gave them. This is only one incident. The maximum wjiolesale rate for this is 30 cents a dozen bottles. The new improvements at the Knutsford bar are beautiful, but when the management man-agement insists for paying for them in three days' trade it's a little strong. Any number of bars raised to 10 cents for beer, but in comparison, beer was a cinch. One Mueller, who runs the Royal cafe must not be overlooked. Beginning Monday he had a list of prices that would drive any one to bankruptcy in three meals. Two regular customers walked in on that day, took a look at the list of figures and roared like the angry sea. Immediately a man rushed up and whispered that regular customers would be served at old prices; that he was stationed there to inform in-form them that, and that the printed figures were for isiting Elks. If that isn't holdup in broad dajlieht, what is? The only difference at the Tavern was in the fact that there was no discriminating; that is, the prlcfH were raised to the robber scale, but it cost local people the same as outsiders. If. the Tavern Isn't out of debt after this week, why? The Kenyon barber shop made no bones about raising shaving prices to 25 cents, and the Palace Bld imported" tonics made in the cellar and put to Fiench bottles, and the smile on the barbers' face, said "Good enough for Elks." The grafts in small resorts around town cannot ue i'fkoned, but they were legion and will be long remembered by the antlered herd. If all business men had been disposed to treat people as the ones jentioned there'd be a lot of paved streets here before another convention, |