The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-08-10
GAMBLING by POLICY,
IND saddles "-Eoriuncs Lost ana nj

Inc most of the money spent in
pollcy, says a New York paper, writing
OF gambling, is on "gigs and "com.
blnations. A "gig" is composed OF
three numbers and they must all come
out IN the same lottery to entitle the
are saddles" Sis capitals, gigs ghorsesl snsrs
cross plays" and "station numbers' "
Gigs pays 800 for one, capital saddles
$o0O Tor dollar, and station numbers
S6o. len thousand dollars is the high.
est play the company will take. It is
very amusing to watch the players when
the slip first arrives. A chorus of voices
break out with "What's first 2" When
they are informed their eager look gives
place to one of disappointment. The
man running the Office, with chalk in
one hand and the slip in the other.
copies the numbers on his blackboard in
regular order. During this operation
quiet prevails. There is no peepino
over MS shoulder at the slip to learn
one 1ate at once, each man preferring
20 nurse nope till the very last. For
live minutes after the numbers are up
the players, with disappointment and
careworn looks, gaze fixedly at them as
IL tney were viewing some rare old work
OF art. This short season of despair
over, they are up and at it again more
eagerly and confident than ever. There
is Joke among policy players that the
game is the best in the world, because
SO many can play it at once. 1t looks
easy to guess three numbers out of
seventy-e EIGHT, and there is about one
chance In thousand of doing it, Add
TO this the dishonest manipulation of
the drawings, and the almost hopeless.
ness OF winning is apparent. Different
players have various ways of picking out
the numbers that they think will come
out. Some go by dreams exclusively,
some play any chance numbers that they
run across i'll the streets, while Others
make study of the game and play by
liked rules. The dreamers are by far
the largest class, and in about almost
every office there will be found some
oracle who will interpret visions with all
the confidence of a Joseph. If players
nave no faith IN the oracle they consult
a book, to be found in every office, called
- The Wheel Of Fortune" One may
be horrifed to find ont that his dream
means death, the loss Of friends, or very
bad luck Ill store but you get the num-
bers to playall the same as if everything
was going to be pleasant. Some years
ago the Herald published an extract
from this book which informed its read
ers that to dream of wandering in
graveyard played seven, eight, thirty
one. Several persons invested in the
numbers, which came out the same day.
There used to be an old man who wan
in md 80
was crazy. His clothes were threadbare
and ragged, and his hair grizzled and
tangled. He never spoke to any one
and rarely played over five cents at a
time. The slip and the old man gener-
ally came IN together, and as the num-
bers were put down on the blackboard
his eyes would glisten like diamonds.
Livery number was eagerly scanned, and
carefully was his play searched to see if
he had made "hit," thing he was
never known to do. He would shake
his head sorrowfully, and after copying
the numbers in book which he always
carried about with him, and which was
said to contain the drawings for several
years back, he would go away no one
knew whittier. That man lived simply
for policy.
business is now almost at a stand
still. One dealer whose shook" usually
averages over 5000 day only shows
about $50. Yet New York city is now
spending $l5, 900 day in policy, two
thirds OF which professedly, and really
more, goes to the managers and agents.
Policy hackers" make great deal of
money, but not as much as most people
think they do. Their expenses are
heavy, and they have to pay the rent of
thelr many Offices, an army of clerks
must be remunerated, their telegraph
bills are very heavy, and add to this the
small sums which they pay to winners
and 1t will be seen that their business is
not all profit. Outside of the main office
there are several men who "back" their
own "books." They own ten or dozen
oillces and take whatever play comes
along. As they pay nothing for print |
ing or telegraphing, depending on the |
regular game to supply them, their ex-
1enses are light and they make money.
Ihe managers try to crush them out by |
every available means. False or
'pigeon numbers are given by the
managers of policy to friends to play on
'outside books" If the outsiders get
IN inkling that "pigeon" number is
'ut they promptly decline to pay any
one who may have played that number. |
Numerous plans have been used to |
peat the game by fraud, and many of
hem have been successful. The wires
nave been cut, and a whole drawing tel
aud before the fraud was dis
covered much money paid out. Within
wo weeks clerk in the office purpose
y translated the cypher wrong, and
made $4,000 by it. The company in
his case paid all "hits" on both the
eal and false numbers. Before the tel
graph wires We're laid across the North
liver, person would see the returns at
Jersey City, and signal them over to
his side by means of flags. This plan
or time was only partly successful, as
he party on the New York side got the
lumbers SO late that policy writers
you'd only take plays for small amounts.
Ihls was remedied in rather an ingen-
ous manner. Disgusting himself as a
ountryman, the player went into the
anne office every day half an hour be-
ore the books closed, and played some
umber pretty heavily. He kept com
lg little later every day, which was {
OF noticed, and as he always lost, when /
he schemer though the right time had {
ONE he had the first drawn number sig
aled over the river to him, and, going (
the office, said he had dream about
ship sailing up hill, and played thir- &
three for it for large amoun6. The s
loney was paid, and the fraud not dis S
'vered till some time afterward. This {
me man became such a terror to the