Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-12-11
Mr.. HOPKINS STORY.
He Tells All About That Little Trans
action with TrayIOr, PiekereII q
Co.

I
action with TrayIOr, PiekereII q
Co.
The following appears in this weeks
| Pulaski Citizen:
Mr.. Editor: As my friends generally de-
| sire t. know the facts relative to my mis-
fortune, that happened to me in Nashville,
on the 9th of November last, have con-
| cluded to give them through the medium
of your paper. They a e as follows, To-
wit:
l got off the cars at the Chattanooga
| depot about midnight and as | was walking
| up the street saw two men walking
| little way before me. On oyertaking them
l asked them to give me directions to the
| Commercial Hotel. They informed me that
they, too, were going there, and one Of them
| introduced himself to me as w. w. Tray
| Tor, son of Gen. fraylOr, commander Of
forces in the Confederate army, and said to
me that he did not wish TO say anything
that would iDjure the reputation of the
| house; but that several rObbeTies had
been committed there recently, and that
he would advise me if had any money
TO deposit it with the clerk, which on
reaching the hotel, l did. We then sep
arated for the night. On rising next morn
ing (Which was about sun-rise) | found
these same men (Traylor and Pickerell) sit
ting in the hall room, called for my money
and received it from the clerk and went to
the market-hOuse. They followed and
overlook me at that place and began con-
verSatiOn with me. TraylOr remarked 10
me that he had purchased ticket in the
benevolent Bible Association" and that be
believed that he would go and see if it had
drawn a prize, and asked me to go with
hlm and also Pickerell, which we agreed TO
do, l not suspecting anything wrong.
We took the street leading towards the
Maxwell House and went into respecta-
bic looking house on said street. TraylOr
Informed gentleman there that he had
purchased a ticket in said Association, and
that he had called to see if it had drawn a
prize. He was informed that it mad drawn
forty dsllars, received forty dollars, '.short
one, with the privilege of another ticket,
with which he made another draw imme-
diately, and drew as prize three tickets on
same Association" and then proposed TO
make me a present of one Of them. which
at first refused; but they pledged to me
their word that there was no gambling in
it, and that there was no risk whatever on
my part only the loss of my ticket, which,
as stated above, was presented to me by
IraylOr. Perhaps, as some wrong reports
are afiOat as to how it was done, it is pro-
per that l should explain it in this place.
They had table with different numbers
in different places on it, and l was re-
quired to draw tickets (numbered) and
place them ON those OH the table, and if the
number of each ticket was the same as that
Ofthe number on the table, was informed
Il 1 4 IL IL l..
dunn, the Superintendent could not tell
how much until the game was through,
aud, in the meantime, l was required TO
put down so much money for each ticket
drawn, at the same time, was assured that
there was no risk or gambling in it, which
l was induced to believe, and suspected
nothing wrong until Dunn, having been
closely Intercepted, statedsthat he himself
had only two chances in forty. When he
said this, told them that | was Out-that
l was done. Dunn, then, when he saw
that l was ia earnest, took all he money
that / al been prevailed upon TO put
down, simply as a rule of the lottery as
they called it, and the report that l had
won two or three hundred dollars is not
true, for l did not know what the tickets
had drawn. TraylOr and Pickerell used
the other two tickets, and a Circumstance
convinced me while the tickets were being
drawn that there was no risk in it, which |
was that fraylor threw down a roll of paper !
instead of money, and Dunn said thai that |
would do. was misled by another cir |
cumstance, tO-wit: That TraylOr and |
Pickerell had induced me 10 believe that |
they Were my friends and strangers to |
Dunn.
would here state that l am no gambler, |
never was, nor never was in a gambling |
house before, and did not know it then |
until it was too late. Will you. Mr.. Ed
itOr, do me the favor to publish this in your
paper? G. j. HOPKINS.
Subscribed and sworn to before me this |
Dec. Z, 1874. j. L. PEARCY, j. =.
The best way to rise in a lady'S estima |