The Portland daily press., 1868-06-01
The Riverside Institute Lottery swindle.

We learn by an article in the Philadelphia
Evening Star of the 25th inst, that the man
ayers of this bogus and defunct concern
are to have justice meted out to them at
last. One of them has been arrested
in Philadelphia and held to bail to
answer at the next term of the Criminal
Court on the charge of conspiracy to deiraud
The arrest was made on the oath of only one
ticket holder, who it is understood is backed
by some sixty others each one of whom will
prosecute the managers on his own response
bility, which will render it obligatory on the
part of the managers to enter good security
for their appearance to answer each charge
1t is said to be fact, and one that can be
sworn to by score of witnesses, that no one
prize was actually awarded fairly that was
worth over ten cents. The prosecution OF this
case, we are assured, will lead to some inter-
esting disclosures, which we may lay before
our readers, quite large number of whom in
this city and vicinity invested in this concern.
In the meantime little insight into the nodus
operandi of these swindlers may not be unin-
teresting and we will therefore quote a few
paragraphs from the Stars expose:
The award of the $4,000 prize, constitutes a
history in itself. One of the managers, we are
| informed, so fixed matters that a certain NJ. d.
| should go to Portland, Maine, and there pur-
| chase a ticket, which ticket should be so ar
ranged that it should draw the principal or
first cash prize of $4,000. The M. ID. did as
he was requested, and purchased his ticket, the
number of which was carefully noted by the
managers.
After it had become known that the M. d.
had drawn the prize, the agent who sold the
| ticket and who supposed everything had been
conducted honorably and fairly, appeared ON
| the ground, and after vainly endeavoring to
| purchase tie ticket from the supposed lucky
man, made the proposition that he (the agent)
/ should in behalf of his having sold the ticket
| receive at least $4,000 of the $4,000 So deter
| mined was the agent that he came on to Phila-
| delphia in company with the M. D., and it was
| not until his arrival here that the deception
| became apparent to him. He soon saw the
| whole thing in its proper light, and when ap-
piled to by the managers for large sum of
| money in his possession realized from the sale
| of tickets, he refused to relinqush the same,
stating that it had been obtained under false
| pretences, and that it was his intention to
| fund it TO those who had purchased tickets
through him. OF course he did so.
| Another difficulty also arose in regard to
the $4,000 prize. The managers in telegraph
ing the number to the agent at Portland, made
| mistake, transposed a couple of the figures,
and sent the wrong number. This of course
| highly elated party who happened to have
| purchased a ticket bearing the number as err
| roneously transmitted. This party was rem
| dered nearly wild by the announcement, was
| about packing up to come on to Philadelphia
| to claim his fortune, when the second dis
| patch with the number corrected, arrived
| The cry OF something is wrong" was at once
| raised, and the party whose number was first
reported to have drawn the prize and who
| certainly did draw it" as fairly as the M. D.,
shortly after commenced legal proceedings
| which thus far have resulted in talk.
What the NJ. ID. received for his services, or
| whether he ever received anything for his rep
resentation of the $4,000 has not vet trans
| pired. In this manner all the prizes were dis
| posed of. The numbers which carried off the
| principal gifts were prepared and written off
| three or four days previous to the bogus draw
ing, which came off at late hour at night, in
| the presence OF some fifteen or twenty per-
sons, all of whom with a few exceptions were
| in the interest of the Washington LIBRARY
| Company. The above are a few OF the iacts
that will be brought to light upon the tria' o'
| these parties.
There are many other facts connected Win
| the buyine off Of mortgages, ana the Powe.
| which these swindlers publicly stated they had
| with cartain officials, etc. of which we for
| hear 10 sneak preferring that such tmngs
| shn',1 ~ III, come to light under the sworn tes-
s''i ~ those who will be called upon as wit
nassas in this interesting case.
rhese swindlers are still at work, having
o,onoed their headquarters to New York and
many of our citizens have recently received
certificates assuring them tnat they have had
prizes awarded them valued at two hundred,
dollars which they can have by transmitting
| $40 to pay for packing &C., and naming the
express by which they wish the prizes sent