Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-22
HISTORY or LOTTERIES.


The following is copy Of the original grant
on which the Georgia lotteries of Swan h Co,
were based;
THE ORIGINAL ACT or INCORPORATION.
An act to authorize the trustees of Spart:
Academy, in the county of Hancock, to rais'
by lottery the sum of five thousand dollars fol
the benefit of said Academy.
BE it enacted by the Senate and House o.
Representatives of the State Of Georgia, in Gen
eral Assembly met, and il is hereby enacted b,
authority of the same, That the trustees of the
Sparta Academy, in the county of Hancock
and their successors in Office, he, and they are
hereby authorized to raise by lottery sun
not exceeding FIVE thousand dollars, for the
benefit of said Academy. And be il further
enacted that VIM. Jerrll, Robert W. Aston
Thomas S. Martin, Nathan &. Sayrc, Thomas
A. Smith, James H. Jones and Joel Crawford
or II majority of them, be, and are hereby mp
pointed commissioners to superntend and con
duct said lottery; and the said commissioners
are hereby authorized TO divide said lottery
into as many separate schemes or drawings as
in their Judgment, shall best suit the interests
of said academy; and any sum or sums OF
money which may be raised by said commits
sioners, under and by virtue of this act after
deducting the expenses Of said lottery, shall be
by them paid over to the trustees of said acad-
envy for the use and benefit thereof
Assented to Dec. 20, 1926.
1t was alleged by Mayor Tiemann and others
that this grant expired by act of the Georgia
Legislature OF 1888. That act, however, read
as follows:
Act to prevent the drawing of lotteries, OF
for the sale of lottery tickets in this State ap-
proved Dec. 80, 1888.
Size. L. From and Immediately after the first
day of May next, all and every lottery and lot
teries and device and devices in the nature OF
lotteries, shall be utterly and entirely abolished
and are hereby declared TO he thenceiorth I'M
authorized and unlawful
SEC. q Describes the nature of the INSIDE
meanor, the drawing and selling, &c, and fixes
the penalty on conviction not less than 5000
nor more than 81 900 for each and every lot
terry.
SEC. o. In default of the payment of fine, i'm
prisonment for a specified term.
SEC. A. All laws and parts of laws initiating
against this act are hereby repealed: Provided,
That this act shall not apply 10 any lottery
heretofore authorized by the General Govern
ment.
1t was claimed by Swan K Co., that the last
clause kills the whole bill and makes the con-
tinuance of their lotteries, now owned by
Wood, Eddy Il Co., legal. The other ground
for the alleged illegality of their lottery was
that the franchise was originally given to the
trustees, and that they had no right to assign
a trust to other parties. On the other side ii
was claimed that this trust could be assigned,
and that the grant was vested right which
could not be taken away, This is apparently
an intricate point of law, which would be more
appropriate to settle by a Court of Appeals
than by II trial for misdemeanor. The advO-
Gates of Swan 4 Co., stated that if the Georgia
lotteries were illegal, the authorities could
easily stop the drawings at once, but that the
rival lotteries who backed up the onslaught
dared not bring the matter in any other shape
because they would have to give bonds to Sc
cure Swan 4 Co. against damage to their bust
ness, whilst they run no risk in the trial for
msdemeanor, and had the chance of the dam
age which they expected TO do to Swan 4 Co.;
they also said that the fact of the arrest of
Swan 4 Co. was telegraphed TO all parts of the
country, ut the expense ofriyal lottery concerns,
SO as to be published in the next mornings pa
pers, as soon as the Georgia paper could pub
lish it; but whatever might be the facts, Swan
4 Co. were undoubtedly able to take care OF
themselves.
Benjamin Wood and George r. Eddy, for
mcrly with the Maryland concern, having been
for over two years connected with the firm OF
Swan Il Co. at last, in connection with Z. ii.
Maury, of the firm of Gregory & Maury, pur-
chased nm interest in the concern, which is
known as the firm of Wood, Eddy & Co., and
which, as we have already shown, mon0polizes
nearly the entire lottery business Mr.. Swan
retained an interest in the firm which has in
fused the energy which has lately character
lied the business. They enlarged the capital
purchased all the legal grants cut one in the
country and presented large schemes to crafty
the taste of Southern patrons, who had been
accustomed to patronize the extensive lotteries
of Havana. They first commenced the,drawinp
of the single lottery, on a plan similar to the
Havana having n drawing every Saturday
The State employed Commissioners of ac-
knowledgcd responsibility to superintcnd the
drawings.
For the qualification of Northern Buyers, who
favor the tenary combinations introduced by
Yates and Mcintyre they established in Sep.
TENDER, 1851, combination lottery on thai
plan, drawing twice every day. Specimens o
the schemes on each of these plans were given
in the first part of this article.
The numbers drawn in these lotteries art
Immediately telegraphed to all the dealers il
the United States and, in order to prevent an,
mistake. n check word is sent with each mum.
ber The expenses of this firm in telegraphinl
~. = Il. So 49,, i-'r
atone nave been estimated Ut sz1,o9o per year
imey employ hiteen OF twenty rlerks IN men
once, ana besides .helr i"t,ery business II
printing office, employing thirty or forty hand,
10 print their tickets, schemes, &c,
They have an extensive correspondence aud
three clerks are kept constantly busy, answer.
ing ana ming orders ior tcKrts. Ihelr post
age expenses are estimated AT S2',oOo per year
ana their advertising at sto'ooo per year Til'
tickets ior each scheme are sent OUT at ieas
one month neiore inc drawing, ana must b'
all accounted Tor ny the dealers before