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Show GUESTS SETTLE OLD SCORES Managers of San Francisco Hotels Re-ceivo Re-ceivo Chocks From People Who Fled. Tho Brent Amorican conscience wan ulunnod hut not killed by tho miplounanl conduct of tho earth on April 18. Managing Director John C, Kirkpktrick of tho Pulnco hotel in willing to vouch for this over his own nnm sinco tho flood of cheeks from suddenly do parted guesta began to pour in upon him Thorn woro nbout 700 persons at tho I'alaco when tho jnr occurred. They woro from nil parts of the world, of ovcry creed and no crood, busincHD men, grand opora siugore, pootn, speculators, forolc" priucc, professional profession-al beauties nnd nondoscripts. One and rill loft in a hurry. There venn no ono ut the desk to remind them to pay their bills. Eren Mnnugor Klrkpntrlck wau indifferent ns to the lucoino of tho lintel that morning. So thu guests Kcnttored to tho four winds, nud when tho flro was out, nnd thoro was tiino for sober reflection, tho hotel kecpors enmu to tho conclusion that ihoy wore boy-oral boy-oral thousand dollars to tho hnd on account of unpaid bills. Thoy forgot that most nf-tlciunt nf-tlciunt of collecting ngunclcs, the groat American Ameri-can Ronr.cionoe. "It was nnturnl thnt our gnosis should harry nwny without stopping up to the captain's cap-tain's oflloo," said Kirlcpatrick Monday. "The captain hluiRoIf was busy saving his own buggago. Wo did not oarn who, when, or whom thoy wont to. Our interest in our debtors wan almost au alight ns our interest in our creditors. The world was coining to an end whan tho l'alnco was burning. Nobody No-body nooded tlie money. "V.'lion the sun began onco more to shine through tho smoke, howovor, wo felt unfriendly unfriend-ly to oursolves. It wns a pity to let all theso pooplo go without so much as tho I. O U., when wo might havo had the cash for tho asking. Thoy had no moro use for worldly world-ly things thnt morning than thu rest of us. "Then there enmo n check from Pnris, signed by n well-known author who hnd boon stopping in San Krnncisco to pick up some crnins of information nbout human nature, in tho United States. " T think I was nt the Palnco for three weeks,' rend tho note which accompanied tho remittance. I don't remombor exactly what your rates were, hut ray room was n good ono, nnd I liopo the inclosed will be Hufllcient. "Vhon I rocovorod from tho surprise I arguod thr.t it wait an exceptional cuso. Then a grand opora dinger sent mo nbout tvico the amount of hor bill, wiln n perfumed note of apology for having delayed it so long, Pretty soon checks began in como in from nil quarters of tho globe, nnd from nil sorts nnd conditions of men. I never rcnliiod so thoroughly before from what nil hnmenso territory ter-ritory tho hotel trade of Snn Frnneisco dniw:i its pntronnge, Europe, Asia nnd Australia wcro represented by theso voluntary contrib utors. "A hotel man is not supposed to have a very rosy opinion of human nature, but it is certain that tho substrata of character lnid bare by a grcnt calamity liko ours is a poor tninu for tho pessimist. Truo, most of theso wanderers who nro deluging us with coin nro Americans, traveling in various lands for plo.-tsuro. Thoy aro globc-lrottors. Hut this ninkes it only the harder for us to locate thom. Whnt nro wo going to do whan n man pays: us twico tho amount of his bill, and forgets to send his permanent address, if he lias one?" Other hotel managers nro having similar experiences. San Francisco Chronicle. |