The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-23
,ALLUREMENTS OF CHANCE.
size DELUsIONs THAT CONTROL THE
DEYOTEES or POLICY.


Faro has an army OF followers but policy pl "
ers are legion. As a rule, faro players are pol
Icy players also, especially the Dealers lookouts,
cue keepers, and others connected In the run
ming Of the game. Some Of these play very
heavily. but the majority do not. They regard
policy amusing NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to
be INDUCED In during tho day. whe3 their own
business is dull. II they make hit" the
money inv riablS goes from the policy shop into
the faro bank. Jack Shaw Is a noted Bowefy
player. and Shaw's gig Ia known from the
battery to Harlem. The numbers composineit
are 0, IL, "a, 90. A negro walter In an east side
saloon gave a gambl what he assured him was
n " dead sure thing" The gambler played the
numbers and won tl.2oO, OF which he gave the
waiter one-fourth. Some men seem to be natu-
raj gamblers. and will bet freely on any and all
games. Rather than not play, they will bet
against "skIn" game Of faro, and they are al
ways to be found In the swelling ranks Of the
swindled policy PLAYERS. However. policy can
only be played twice q day, while faro goes on
dly and night
Many regard policy as the negroes game ex-
clusveiy, but that Is a mistake. Policy EN-.
braces In Its ranks all classes. The white de-
6otees OF the game outnumber the colored I'VE
70 one, and are as thoroughly infatuated, and az
kupersttious. Gamblers "a a class are very SUI
lime Is divided between trying to guess the
lucky numbers and avoiding evil omens. Bad
ladder n he foreets anything and has to turn
PACK he is ruined for the days II be accidentally
.ped his luck = ana il he meets cross.eyed
person, especially the nrst thing on Monday
morning. he Is plunged into despair. This latter
u considered the most unfortunate circum.
etanoe that can possibly happen, Ms IL puts bad
1t is estimated by an old policy player that
every dollar q man gets out OF the game costs
worriment Of mind. To show how slim Is the
chance OF winning IL Is only necessary TO explain
day regularly, and This we'll known "sis only
comes Sp, aSoH. once year, or SAY once IN
Hro's eir." He watches for its coming day
alter day with fond anticipation. lie would
receive a present OF ten. II furnishes MIN with
AsubJect OF conversation.
HISTORY OF THE DAME.
The lotteries now sold In New York are all
supposed to be drawn In Kentucky, and pay to
that state annually certain sum. either into
the school fund or for the benefit OF orphans.
on the steps OF the old CITY Hall IN the park. and
wnen the STATE Legislature annul!ed the char
mo Illegal, u moved over to New Jersey,
where IL was drawn as late as 1850. 1t was
standard Joke In the old time to find out what
numbers man had PLAYED, and then to volun-
ieer to stop u the City H,l ana take copy Of
drought back. ana when the player examined Il,
seeing all the numbers he had bought, he gem
ally dropped his work ard went TO collect the
winning. When the lottery was driven from
New YORK. Interested PERSONS used To cross
tho numbers were taken from the wheel amid
the creates, noise and excitement. Some NUM-
.bers were received with derisive boots and
howls and others applauded; and oil through
the drawing certain .vorites would De loudly
appear curses filled the air. After being driven
out OF New Jersey. the lottery men found
ware Marvin and other southern States.
Inc PRINCIPAL drawings now take place at Gov
tngton, KY, opposite Cincinnati. h9 numbers
from to IS inclusive ore put int D glass globes and
placed in wheel his w0eelis turned until the
iran In Ila
wneel u opened and boy with his eyes tightly
bandaced and arm bare. draws forth one Of the
globes. which l. unscrewet and the number in
called. From tea 10 fourteen numbers are
thus drarn, according 10 the size of the lottery.
The drawing - Immediately telegraphed to
o,rtain number. After The Jrswspo IL tr,ns .
lated the runners are furnished with list Of the
numbers on running slip as IL Is called,
which they immedstey take to the various
policy shops. No hits are paid on the running
slips, as som. Of the numbers are invariably
WRONG. A. out On no 7 or 50 after the drawings
are received In New York prin ed sip Ia sent
Co every ONCE and then all claims are promptly
ssttled: inc manlser,, being IN an unlawful
swindle as the5 pleas. Toe PLAYERS have no
redress Ten thousand dollar bits" have been
made, according TO tradition, and hits" OF
from 800 TO u 500 are known OF sometim IS.
Jhre:-number lottery tickets are sold on every
Drawing. and constitute very lucrative
posed 70 range from $4,000 down, and
Il entities the holder to the price originally
paid for It. The first three drawn numbers con
etitute the 1Tst przs. ana that ticket nobody
Ever gets, II one wishes TO see a lugubrious
mortal let him call on the policy dealer who has
unsold.
THE MANNER OF PLAYING.
%Ss, Of ns spent IN gScy Is on
posed of three numbers and they must all c Dme
out In the m SINE o,tsry to snt'ie the blazer 70
.cap1as;"- eors H; cross plays" and sta;
saddes goo Tor as p and ID station Ti D"s nu@pees
700. Ten thousand dollars Is the highest play
the COMPANY will ta4e. It Is very amusing TO
watch the rlaysrs when the slip hrst arrives. A
chorus Of voices break out with What's nrstT p
When they are informed their eager look gives
place to one OF dis appointment. The man run.
ming the office. with chalk In one hand and the
KIP 10 .ne other, COPIES the 6un6ers on his
Patton quiet prevails. There l. no pseping over
hs sh Dulier at the slip to learn ones late at
Duca each III An prrferring to nurse hope till the
Sery last For nvs minutes after the numbers
are up the players, with disappolnted and care
worn IDoks, = Ne nxedly at them ~ II they were
hiewins some rare old work OF art This short
season OF despair over, they are up and at II
Hsain more eagerly aud confident than ever
Hbere Is Joke among policy players that the
game is the best IN the world, because so
1naDy IN play II at once. IL looks easy TO guess
three numbers out ol 49, aud there Is about one
chance in a thousand Of doing II. Add to this
fhe dish onest manipulation Of the drawings, and
the almost hnpelessness II winning Is apparent.
Different players have various WAYS OF picking
put the numbers that they thnk will come out.
Some 90 by dreams exclusively, some play any
chance hunters that they run across in the
erees, while others make study IL the game
and play by fixed rules. The dreamers are by
Tar the largest class, and In about almost every
ONCE there VIII be found some oracle who win
lnterpret visions with all the confidence OF a
Joseph. II PLAYERS have no faith In the oracle
tney consult u BOOK, to be found IN every Office,
called The Wheel Of Fortune" One may be
borr,hed to md out thatb bis dream means death,
lhe loss OF frends' or very bad luck IN store (;
but you get the numbers to pl all the same as
everything was going 70 tie pleasant. Some
}ears ago the Herald published an extract from
this book which Informed its readers that to
dream OF wandering IN graveyard played I, 8,
bl: Several persons invested In the numbers.
which oamo out the same day.
CRAZED by 1T.
There used to be an old man who wandered in
and out Of different offces who was crazy His
clothes were threadbdre and ragged and his
hair Rrtzzled and tangled. He never spoke to
any one and rarely played over i've cents at a
time. The slip and the old man generally came
On together, and as the numbers were put down
on the black hoard his eyes would glsten ike
diamonds, Every number was eagerly scanned,
and carefully was his play searched TO see II he
bad made a " HIT" thing he was never known
TO do. He would shake his head sorowfully,
and after copying the numbers In book which
no always carried about with him, and which
was said to contain the drawings for several
years back, he would hMay no one Knew