The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1858-06-09
From the New York Atlas
The Georgia Lotteries of S. Swan & Co.


Considerable excitement has been crea.
ted during the past two days, hy the an.
n"uncemeit that Mayur Tlemaun had
succeeded in obtaining the indictmen, of
B"ujaamm Wood, Of our city by spe.
c'ai jury, at Augusta, Georgia, Ms one Of
the owners Of the sparta Academy Lot
tcry."
With questions of .he legality, or 9th
erwlSe, ot The Sparta Academy lottery
~ II exists III Georgia, We don't propose
10 mcddie bnt when one of our rather
prominent citizens is indicted for crimi
nal otiensc, We, as public journalists. deem
IT Our duty to lay such facts or allegations
rs bear upon his case, before our readers.
From statements mado To us, and of
the correctness Of which we are satisfied.
II appcaiS that the State If Georgia gran
ted TO the Sparta Academy" in the wear
1926, the right To raise five thousand
dollars by lottery, for educational pur.
poses. This graft lay for many years in
EFT "nd useless Tor the purpose intended.
IN Consequence Of the inability Of its cor.
pora'ors 10 carry oat The Object coutem-
plated.
Some time ago Mr. Wood, in connec.
ton with parties in Georgia, purchased
from The existing trustees the privilege uf
drawing tins lottery, and contracted 10
pay the Sparta Academy" the amount,
designated by the act, in certain equal
annual insta!ments. These instalIments
have been pnnctualIy paid and il is fur
ther 'tateo ll"t all of the prizes which
were drawn 10y any purchasers Of tickets.
from time TO time, have been promptly
met, and the parties concerned as owners
and managers are entirely Responsible
Thus much of our information.
a perusai oi the act of Incorporation
certainly shows that the trustees" or
their successors in 0flice,p had q right to
raise the sum os five thousand dollars by
lottery, and the question AS to whether
subsequent change of the State Cnns'itu
'lon. declaring all lotteries illegal. could
destroy vested right, is one which the
Courts alone can decide. l. certainly
seems TO us, that our worthy Mayor is
adopting TIE 'largos, liberty" idea. in OK
tending hisinvesdga,ion OF Statutory and
Constitutional provisions into other bali
w'cks than his own. We are prepared TO
Cooperate heartily with bim IN ell home
reforms which he may attempt, IL they
be stopPages OF leaks at the bung rather
than the sPiggot; but We honestly think
lie has all he can do here, in suppres,ino
the vice which is so rife in our mIois,,
without going to Georgia 10 reform It's
abuses.
There's deal Of hunhng in this world
h'd,len under the mask of reform and
We are sometimes inclined To think tha,
even lottery schemes are no worse than
stock brokering, or any of the thou
sand S9efuia'ons into which men enter
Tor the chances Of making money.
We learn That this Sparta Academy
Lottery" u stiil drawing, notwti1taud,,,,
The Indictment, aud that its legality IS Ia
be tested before The cluris. Instead az
breaking up the lottery concern, We tI,ink
Tue measure taken To effect that Object.
viii only serve to increase the sale OF lick.
cts aud We doubt If $50, 600 invested in
Tie advertising. would have conduced an
much to the interest of the tpanaoers ma
HE publicity wlici. .;,as been given ,o the
Tact o' Their indictment. People who
spend their money IN lottery tickets. don't
much care whether the game - leg slized
or ou'"wed. AL gambling Is IlsgA, and
yet gambling is passion tia, will seek
gra,ification la defiance Of all isws. The
attention Of tie whole .'sporting" world
IS now directed to Swan q Co.'S lotteries.
thTogh the free edvsssssmg which they