LADY'S LOST JEWELS

Evening Star, Issue 11675, 6 February 1902, Page 1

LADY'S LOST JEWELS

A HOTELKEEPER'S LIABILITY. The Gordon Hotels, Limited, were cast >n damages to the extent of £951 lis 4d in tho King's Bench Division, London, recently, because of the loss of a visitor's jewellery from a room in the Hotel Metropole, Northumberland avenue. Mr and Mrs Duncan were the plaintiffs. The evidence was to the effect that Mi* Duncan arrived at the Hotel Metropole fro.n Cardiff in November of last year. H°r locked trunk, which contained jewellery to the value of nearly £I,OOO, she left in h';r bedroom at the hotel. On leaving the beuroom she locked the door and deposited tne door key with the bureau clerk downsta~s. When Mrs Duncan returned to the hotel fnm shopping she asked for the key of her bedroom at the bureau. The key could not be foun<l, and the door was opened by a cham bermaid with a master-jkey. Mrs Dunca'i noticed a clasp-knife open on the dressia? table of her room, and her suspicions were aroused. She examined her trunk, and found that it had been forced open, and that ali the jewellery had been extracted. The jewels had never been registered. The claim for damages against the hotel proprietors was on the grounds that they had been guilty of negligence through their servants hav ! iig given up the key of the bedroom to tie wrong person. Tuis key was found some days later in a lavatory at the Char up Cross Station, and was returned to the manager of the hotel. For the defence it was advanced that under the Innkeepers' Act the liability was Emit d to £3O, if, according to the notices exhibited, guests did not lodge valuable goods with the landlord for safe custody, and if there was no default or negligence on the part of hj» servant and himself. Mrs Duncan said sh* saw the notice in the bedroom, but did n» observe one in the haU. The jury held that there was default on the part of the defendants' servant*, and that Mrs Duncan had exercised ordinary and - sonable care. A verdict was entered for the plaintiffs. for the amount mentionel, wi'** costs. •