The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-08-27

THE LATEST LOTTERY SwINDLE-ONE OF
THE SwINDLERS DECAMPS WITH THE FUNDS.
Some months since concern entitled
LIdlam, Hale & Co. started a gift concern,
or lottery, in Milwaukee. Aaron Ludlam
and Angelo Hale were the principal men
in it. They styled their enterprise the
"Great Northwestern Gift Concern" and
offered gifts of the value of ninety eight
thousand dollars, ranging from the capital
of ten thousand dollars down to five dol
lars in greenbacks, besides large cata-
logue of musical Instruments, watches, gal
vanizcd jcwclry, photographs, books, etc.
One hundred thousand tickets were to be
sold, and the drawing was to take place
the first of the month. At the appointed
day the managers announced that twenty
five thousand tickets were unSOld. and they
postponed the sale for week or SO, in
order to have fair play and justice to the
ticket holders"
During the long period of sale of tickets
the proprietors of the concern had lived
most freely, making great show with fast
horses, and diving into all sorts Of vices
and debauchery. When the second day
for the drawing arrived, the work was
opened in earnest, and went on smoothly,
attracting a great crowd. Before night,
however, the committee experimenting the
drawing was informed that the principal
member of the concern had fed with
seventy five thousand dollars, their entire
deposit in bank! Of course that wound
up the lottery.
Steps were taken immediately by the
authorities to pursue, and, if possible, to
arrest the fugitive without success, how
ever, at last dates. The other members of
the firm, who were getting ready to leave,
were arrested and imprisoned.
Milwaukee was in a stew. People who
had looked tor prizes found that they had
only lost their money. They swore terri
bly,, and had they got hold of Aaron they
would have applied the rod to his back,
very possibly.
Gift concerns have been tolerated for
many years. 1t was pleasant mode of
gambling on small scale, in which the ge-
neral public, of all ages and both sexes,
could take hand without any very sharp
conscientious reproaches, and the Swind-
ling men who conducted them have been
allowed to 60 on. There is, however, very
little sympathy for those who lose, and
they have seemed to expect none in this
part of the world. In Milwaukee, how
ever, it seems to be different. Swindling
there may be more legitimate profession.
Had the lottery been regularly conducted,
the winners would have combined with the
thieves to shield them from the punish
ment due for robbing those who lost. But,
after all, the dealing public are particepS
with the gamblers, and being also Justly
amenable to punishment, nobody will shed
tears if Aaron is never caught.
Speaking of gift concerns, VIC know a
curious fact A couple of Confederate SOL
diers seeing that this mode of making
money was easy and successful, and being
out of money and employment, determined
to embark in it. So they procured stock
of goods and entered boldly into the bust
ness. Poor fellaws! they had not dreamed
of the tricks of the trade, and did not run
it over a few weeks before they found that
thew were "dead broke" They abandoned
it in despair; their misfortune being made
all the more insupportablc that they had
failed in this bare faced swindling profess
sion. Moral for southern men: "Don't try
the gift concern"