Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-11-19

GUS oaliy session down to July, 1875 At tina,
date the total amount which had been realized
on sales of tick IS from the beginning, was
$25 600, and the larger palt of that amour,
hal been Consumed by expenses.
The clerica! force, composed Chiefly of Ia.
Dies required large weekly Cash payment
The cost of advertising, postage, rents. &c.,
was In the aggregate large.
Had the Alexandria Office been closed in
July, 1878, the errors and troubles that occur.
red afterwards might have been avoided, aud
the President aud Managers relieved of the
painful labor that has been imposed on them
since September 30;h. But those who hat
then invested in tickets, would have been in no
better condition than they now are, jude
Williams and MIR. Ai>trop neither aban.
doned the enterprise, nor called the
Board together. They pursued a bold.
er and more hopeful course. They sought
the aid of experts in the lottery busi-
ness 10 New York We believe they used their
best judgment and energy 10 that effort. They
interested parties recommended to them ~
having successful experience 10 this business
They employed, as general agent, Mr. +. Met
calte, OF New York city. After these arrange.
ments were perfected, 10 the early part of july
MesSrs. Williams and Aistrop seem to have ey.
pected, with much confidence, that success.
tul drawing could be made by October lst
1875. lu this they were encouraged by the
prospect OF large sales FROM the New York ot.
fee and It's agencies. An assurance that there
would be a drawing on the 30th of September
was advertised. The largely-increased sales
from the Alexandria Office and its agencies We're
calculated to encourage the hopes of these Of
fcers, as to the sales expected from the New
Y ork office. From the commencement of the
organization 10 the summer Of 1874, doWo n
july lSt, 1878, there seems to have been re.
allied from sales through the Alexandria office
aud It's immediate agencies about S25 600
From July LIST to September 30th, 1878, 50
much did those sales Increase that, at tue last
date, the aggregate had reached the SUN OF
S50.73O 81 100. 10 that brief period the ag-
gregat was twice as large as Il had been 10 all
the preceding time. Ii VI ssrs. Williams and
Alsr0p had been aware OF the true condition of
the sales in th" New * Office, and ,t,.agen-
cles their action in permitting the drawing on
the Both OF September would be iuexpcable
For the frs t!Ue the Association was begin.
Mug t, attract. large ateutiou, and the sales
from heir own office, and its Immediate agents,
were realizing their hopes
A continuance of this condition of the bust
ness would bring t, their office more money
than cud be realized by any fraud, however
successful. The drawing of the 30th Sep
TENDER arrested the progress of the Association
when assured of success.
There had been sent to tie New York Of
fee 1866 tickets for sale The ageut there
had been Instructed to purchase the tubes or
quilts to be used at The drawing, and to have
prittsd on slips ne numbers of all the ticket;
-:rum to 100 O00 Those plumbers cores
ponding to the nuub ers of the tickets for sale
at the New York "tfice were TO be retained
Il ee aud RENTED as sales were made. The
remainder were sent to Alexandra. Out of
these last had t. be selected the slips contain:
ing numbers corresponding tc tie numbers of
the tickets sold from the Alexandria Office and
It's direct agencies. This Of course required
time aod labor
Packages containing slips with numbers cor
responding with the numbers OF the tickets for
sale at the New York Office we're received at
the Alexandria Office
These packages are stated to have been
marked ready to be quilted Those having
charge OF the Alexandria Office affirm that they
supposed these were sent from the New York
office and that they represented tickets actually
sold from that Office. The available force a
the office at Alexandria was employed in quill
ing these numbers Tor the wheel until Monday
before the drawing Then similar work was
commenced on the numbers sod from the
Alexandria office. Nearly all this work on
both the classes OF those papers was perform i
by the ladies 10 the Alexandra off ,e and ne
cessarlly required much time and attention.
As fast as this work progressed the quilts or
tubes were placed n bags and sealed up. In
this way the numbers Of those tickets sold at
+ ho 4 IA, {tb
have been sold through the New York Office,
were placed in separate bags. There were
about tweoty of those sealed bags the num-
bers sold from the Alexandra Office filling two
or three Of them. La the hurry of the prepa-
ration for the drawing on Thursday morning a
number Of hands had TO be employed 10 the
Of these tubes or quill from the
office to Sarepta Hall, where they we're placed
in the wheel. 10 the course of this work a
portion OF these tubes or quilts were st lien and
were never placed 10 the wheel. Neither the
committee of tickethoIders nor the managers
have been able t, ascertain by whom this was
done. 10 express any suspicious they may en-
terrain would do 20 good aud might be unjust
Mr. Metcalfe, the New York ageut, al the
call of the committee of tickctboders and the
appeared promptly before them and
denied that the boxes marked ready to be
quilted received from New York, were sent
from his Office aud by his authority By whom
they were Sett. and with what motive, admits
different conjecturcs. 1t may have been done
BY parties seeking to iojure this Associa-
ton. it may have been done by parties COO
1ected with the Association who expected
10 profit by the frau. BY whomsoever done, it
ought to have been detected and prevented if
hose who were managing the Alex indria office
had exercised more vigilaut guard and more
suspicious care over the affairs of that office.
ln matter So important they should have as
,ertalned facts and not relied on presumptions.
Judge Williams and Mr.. Aistrop at the close
of the investigation promptly rendered their
They await ID the close OF the
Investigation to enable any proof of their COM
plicty 10 the fraud to be brought forward
Being relieved Of such charge they vacated
their Offices to enable the managers to organize
The Association 10 accordance with the wishes
IF the new stockholders. We take pleasure 10
stating that they so preserved the papers in
heir office as completely to expose the fraud