The Grange advance., 1874-11-18


Of the old custom house. Several boys,
from the foundling asylum are present,
and on one side Of the stage stands a
huge glass globe about six feet in diam.
eter, covered with netting of wire
and turned by crank. The globe
contains $4,000 numbers. On the other
side Of the stage is smaller wire-cov-
cred glass globe. which holds the 1923
balls marked with the prizes. The
drawing commences by q thorough
shaking up of the balls in both globes,
which are turned by stalwart negroes.
A spring is touched by one of the off,
GERS present, which allows one ball at
time to drop and run along small glass
channel into a cup. The two char
ity boys, who are concerned in the pro-
ceedings, take, one the number. and the
other the ball marked with the prize
which the number drawn at the same
time is entitled to, and after exhibit.
ing them to the officers present, call
them out twice in loud voice to the
public, one calling the number and the
other announcing the prize. When
the prize happens to be one of the
capital prizes the boys call out
thrice, with little extra lung power.
A marker is kept busy at the black
board. Every few minutes the wheels
are turned, the larger one requiring
huge efforts and the smaller one revolv-
ing briskly and rattling the balls like
beans in bottle; the charity boys and
markers are occasionally relieved by
others, and in this manner the draw
ing continues until all the prizes have
come forth. Formerly the globes
were of wood. and the boys, each with
his arm encased in large black stock
ing, thrust their hands through small
aperture in the wheel to extract the
ball. But at present every precaution
is taken to prevent the slightest
suspicion of foul play. The ball is seen
and heard to drop from the glass globe
into a glass channel, and then after the
number and prize are called out,strung
on wires and locked in cases until the
succeeding drawing, when all the same
formaiities are again gone through
with.
The annual income to the. govern
ment from this source of revenue alone
is nearly three and half millions of
dollars. From the three drawings held
in 1872, the date of the establishment
Of the lottery, which yielded $4,000 to
the government, the number of draw
ings and tickets, and the consequent
revenue, have steadily increased year
by year, until at the present time the
annual number Of drawings is twenty.
one, with an occasional extraordinary
drawing. Deducting one'quarter from
the $4,000 tickets sold at 500 each,
there is $480,000 left to be distributed
as prizes, the government reserving to
itself $l6O,000 at each drawing. Be-
sides this amount there are the prizes
won by tickets unsold or returned to
government, by it's sub.agents, and the
prizes uncalled for, which expire by
limitation at the end Of two years, all
of which 60 to swell the revenues of
the treasury, which may be roughly
estimated at $4,000 per diem. A
pretty sum for civilized government
to wiring from the vices Of its subjects;
for, waving all other considerations to
one side, the lottery is but a legalized
form. of gambling menopolized by the
government.
But to return to the lottery-ticket
venders. These gentry purchase their
tickets at small advance from the re.
matadores," or persons who contract to
take the whole supply issued by the
government, and retail them to the
public at an advance Of 5 to 10 per
cent. on the price. So great did the
nuisance arising from the largo number
Of venders become some years ago,
that the government stepped in and re-
qured them all to procure licenses, and
in order that the country should not be
deprived of useful labor, it refused IL
censes to all but those hysically unfit
for other employment: - This accounts
for the fact that We zee. in Havana so
many. cripples and blind persons en-
gagged in this business. Some of the
ticket.sellers are we'll known characters,
and all have their regular
customers. There is old Ramon.
q dwarf with a. !. body no
larger than . three.year old child, and
the head and beard Of man Of fifty.
Ihear he was at one time engaged by
Barnum, and made tour through the
United States !: that he cherishes some
peculiar animosity against the great
Snowman, and that his name. throws
him into : At Of rage. Poor. old, crazy
Marie Antoinette, WhA wears the M.