Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-03-15
DAILY EVENING STAR.


Tn. PEEHIM GIFT IUTTERY.-The origina-
tor of the above scheme was a Mr.. Perham
who first made himself known to the public
bv the exhibition of a panorama OF the Mssis-
.ippi at the Stuyvesant Institute, in the city Of
New York. The speculation was not success
full. and, in consequence, the exhibitor at
tempted the above scheme. which he had
already tried in Boston, but in which he had
f,ilei. having been indicted by the grand jury
He however, very shrewdly conjectured thai
Boston and New York were different places,
sni that an infraction of the law, which was
visited in the former place with punishment,
might be carried out with impunity in the
Cther The first prize was to be the PIANO.
rIma, or Seven Mile Mirror, which was esti-
mated TO be worth $40 900, and afterwards a
series of prizes of all kinds, numbering 100 900
and valued altogether at S97 400 The prizes
we're to be distributed so soon as hundred
thousand tickets at dollar each we're disposed
OF. and each of these tickets entitled ths holder
to four admissions TO the panorama, besides
chance in la granite Lotsrts. The bait look
Orders for scores and hundreds of tickets flowed
iG from the factory operatives In connecticut
and Massachusetts. who could not even ENJOY
the pleasure of seeing the great panorama
themselves, but nevertheless were inspired Ito
foster and encourage art Even the very po-
Hcemen Who might be thought TO be impossible
one of the ten or twelve dollars of their heb
doraadal hire, to help along this great project.
Never was seen so marvellous a change. The
roopl in the Stuyyesant was overcrowded
nightly BY admiring lovers of painted pictur-
ez0ue and no longer had Mr. Perham any
cause TO complain of lack of patronage. As
time drew near for the drlwiag the excite
nent increased among the venturers. Several
mass meetings of the shareholders were held
in Metropolitan Hall and in Castle Garden, to
devise means for the taking possession of the
property and for the distri button of the prizes;
and a committee of citizens from various States
was appointed on the 18th Of November of
which Mr. Ira Buchanan, Jr., was chairman,
which was authorized on the Both December to
make such distribution of the gift property as
would, in their opinion, be satisfactory to the
joint owners of the property. As, however.
the drawing was found to- be an infractiOn of
the law of the State Of New York, it was de-
termined to seek refuge in the District of
Columbia, and Georgetown was selected rs the
Ioeaiity. Here the drawing commenced. at
Forrest Hall, on Friday, the 24th of February.
Two of the committee, James S. Shirley and 4.
Meeker-being charged with the superin-
tendence Of this portion of their duty. There
are some six persons employed in sorting the
numbers and finding those corresponding to
the tickets presented; they have beds in the
loom. and stay there night and day. Only two
persons are admitted at the same time, and
those who may be in waiting are kept standing
in an open hall for hours at a time perhaps
The following is table the estimated and
real value of the prizes
E'sy s17y1feI a.JIu0 Ra1I Inc