History of the Brazilian Court Hotel

soap dishes from the ladies room, it was necessary to nail down the replacements to prevent theft.

One man signed in at the front desk as "W. E. Arenotman and Wife."

Edward R. Bradley ran the famous Beach Club Gam- bling Casino at Royal Poinciana Way and the Lake from the late 1890s until he was forced to close in 1945. Many BC guests frequented the casino for din- ner and a night of gambling. Bradley did not allow Florida residents in the club. After Bradley's closed there was still gambling on the island. A gambling room was opened near the closed casino in the 200 block of Royal Poinciana Way. To get to the room, which was similar to the operation in the movie The Sting , one had to walk through Risdon's Restaurant all the way to the rear and then turn left to enter. There was betting on horse races until a minute before the race started. The odds were shown on each horse and the race was called from the wire at the track. You could cash winning tickets at the end of each race. In the early 1950s Daniel E. Taylor, owner of the Biltmore Hotel in Palm Beach, provided a train from Palm Beach to the Hialeah Race Track. Drinks were served on the train and it was a good opportunity to study the racing form. Stopping only two blocks from the track it was an easy walk to the entrance. After the races the train would return to Palm Beach. The 99 Club operated on Worth Avenue on the sec- ond floor above Taboo until the 1970s. Food and beverages were provided from the bar and restaurant downstairs. Only 99 members were allowed and a black ball from any member would keep out a new applicant. There were poker games and backgam- mon, but gin rummy was what most members played. Quite a lot of money changed hands there. Bright Johnson of the BC was a long - time member. Rocky Marciano, World Heavyweight Champion, was a special guest on several occasions and played poker with Bright Johnson. Matt Tracey was a regular at Taboo sitting in his "Reserved Seat" at the bar until his death. He was a well known bookmaker in Palm Beach and even had a race horse named after him. The horse didn't do as well as Matt though. Matt would take a bet on any- thing; baseball, football, horses or dogs.

The night auditor at the BC was an elderly gentleman with a severe limp caused by having one wooden leg. He was fond of drink and often had a little too much. One night the fire department arrived at the hotel and found the fire was the passed - out auditors wooden leg that had been resting on a heater. One of the guests at the BC returned from a night of drinking at Taboo. He and his wife decided to wade in the shallow gold fish pond in the north patio. They had a time getting out as the sand was deep and made it difficult to walk. The next morning he told Bright about the escapade and said that the hotel should put up NO WADING signs to keep guests out. A guest who had been with the hotel for many sea- sons was bedridden the last year of her life but still stayed at the B. C. She always brought her special pet, a canary. The pampered bird was allowed to fly in the chauffeured limousine on the way to and from south Florida. It was also allowed to fly in her room at the hotel. One night the waiter took her dinner and then retrieved the tray when she was finished. He was passing through the patio where Bright Johnson and his wife Ruth were dining. Bright noticed a bit of unfinished birthday cake on the tray and asked the waiter who was celebrating. The waiter said it was for the guest's canary. Bright decided to play a joke on the small three piece band that played each night on the cloister. He told them to go to the room and play Happy Birthday. When they found out it was for the bird they were rather upset at Bright. Bright only had to throw out one guest at the BC in his 40 years as manager. Winston Churchill's son Randolph arrived with his nose high in the air and began to complain about the "commoners" working at the hotel. Bright was fiercely loyal to his staff and immediately sent Randolph on his way. A few hours later the manager of the nearby Colony Hotel called Bright and facetiously thanked him for send the Brit- ish snob to his hotel. One guest, a prominent society lady in Palm Beach. requested a suite. She wanted to bring one of her fa- vorite pets, a lion cub. Mrs. Stephen Sanford, movie actress and wife of big game hunter and polo player. If a guest was ever missing anything it always “ the maid took it. ” One elderly man checked - in one day and came in complaining the next day about a miss-

The Clewiston Inn served a most unusual soup; pea- nut butter soup was the house specialty.

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