The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-05-26
ola Lottery Times In virginia..


the Legislature at Richm ond to incor.
porate lottery company for the pur-
pose of building a granite State Capi.
tol to cost $l,5OOO,0O0. the Staunton
Vindieator has an interesting article
under the above heading, from which
we make some extracts:
about forty. seven years ago the
first lottery for the benefit OF any pub
lie improvement was chartered by the
legislature in 1927 or % under the
title Of
THE VIRGINIA FREE ROAD LOTTERY"
1t was intended to aid in the con.
structiou of the Virginia Free Road
dirt turnpike running from Stanton
to Parkersburg, and now known az the
Parkersburg turnpike, and the man
ayers OF the lottery bound themselves
to pay to the building OF the road
81 900 per annum, whether the Draw
ings were profitable or not. The
managers were men of the highest
standing, in order that public conf.
hence in the fairness OF the scheme
might be secured, and were the late
Levi L. Stevenson and the late Joseph
Points, Jr. Captain s. is better known
to this generation, as having been on
OF the most distinguished members o.
the Masonic fraternity in Virginia, and
the father of Brigadier General Steven
son, U. S. A, aud the fsther-in-law o
Gen. Getty, U. S. A, and Col. NJ. e
Hartman.
Staunron being the headquarters Of
the managers, the tickets OF the LOTTERY
were all printed by the late Gen. Ken
ton Harper, who was also a captain II
a Virginia regiment in the Mexican
war, who then owned the Spectator
newspaper offer and had a special hant
press Tor doing work on. The highes
number was 10000, though the pum
Der was smaller when the capita
prizes were smaller. The clerks in the
office were Rev. w. o. Morrison,
Methodist local preacher, who sign nee
the tickets, and Mr. Abraham Lynn
the father OF one Of the indicator edit
ors, then boy. Maj. j. B. Watts
one OF our best known citizens, was also
a clerk in the establishment, and or
one occasion had the good fortune &c
draw 50, 1855 as bis halt of quarter
ticket. The capital prizes ranged IRON
$4,000 down to IS 600 and the price
of tickets from IS down to S. with
halves and quarters in proportion.
In the old stage day lotteries were
not such. a lightning operation as they
are now. The agents were selected
often by the managers themselves
after personal interviews in their ia!
offhomes, and were always men o. stant
ing-merchauts, sheriffs, cor st,bles
and often members OF the Legislature
who were very effective statesmen from
their general acquaintance with the
people. Among them was the lat
| Ed. r. Saunders, member Of the lat
Legislature from the district Of High
land and Pendleton; Harvey Gray
professor of a school at Woodstock
| Irwin Il Carson, OF Winchester; Chas
Palmer, Of Danville; Col. Thos. Bigger
of Richmond, afterwards postmaste'
there and Strattop, of the same city
who also did the business Tor Peters
burgh; Mr.. Thorn, OF Fredericksburg
VIM. Anderson, OF Leesburg; Geo. A
Baker, Of Lexington ; Col. Hall. o
Franklin, aud the members OF the Leg
islature from the county aud there
were agencies at Lewisburg, Charles
ton, and many others of what are nov
West Virginia towns. These agent
were all required to deposit the tick
ets, remaining in their hands unsoid
in the postofiice the day before tn
drawing was to take place.
,u, ND .urSc-IN EXCITING ONE,