The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-07-30
A BLOW At THE LOTTERIES.
From the New York Herald. !


teries in the various states and their agents
in this city have used the New York post
Office as a medium of communication with
the public. 1t affords security to swindlers
and saves Office rent and personal contact
with people who buy tickets and lose their
money. In consequence of numerous com
plants postmaster James decided TO stop
the bu iness, and on July first issued an or
der that on and after that date boxes would
not be rented to lottery agents, and that all
moneys received on account OF lotteries
would be retained and returned 10 the
senders.
The imme diate cause OF this action was
the many complaints in regard to the
"Wyoning Lottery" which has been eX-
tensively advertised. People who have
purchased tickets claim that there has been
no drawing, and that If there has been, the
prizes have never been made apparent.
The manager of the Wyoming lottery is
Mr.. }. NJ. Pattee. He was formerly the
manager OF the Omaha Temple lottery,
which was known few years ago as gi-
gsntic fraud. Mr.. Pattee sent out 1880
circulars through the mails. When stopped
in New York he shifted to Riverside, n. }.
From here, through his brother-in-law, n.
). Read, he flooded the country with cir
culsrs, recommending purchasers Oftickets
TO send money by express.
This action OF the New York postmaster
stirred up the lottery men to action and
they proceeded to Washington and made
complaint to the Postmaster General. In
stead OF sending open circulars they sent
letters through the mails, which in a great
measure enabled them ID continue the
business. The postmaster communicated
with the Washington authorities. and con.
gress took the matter in hand. The result
il seen in the following order from the
Postmaster General, stopping the lottery
business, SO far As the United States mails
are concerned
Post Office Department,
Washington, ID. c., July -, 1876
SIR The following has been enacted by
congress aud approved by the president:
Sec. =. That section 1884 OF the Revised
Statutes be and il hereby amended by strik-
ing out "illegai' in the first line OF said
section
The section, as amended, Will read as
follows:
Sec. 4, s94. That it shall not be lawful to
convey by mail, nor to deposit in post
office 10 be sent by mail, any letters or cir
culars concerning lotteries, so-called gilt
concerts, or other similar enterprises offer
ing prizes or concerning schemes devised
and intended to deceive and defraud the
pubic for the purpose of obtaining money
under false pIetenses, and penalty of not
costs of prosecution, is hereby imposed, up-
on conviction in and federal court OF the
violation of this section.
Ii will lie observed that by this amend
ment letters and circulars relating 10 all
lotteries, without regard to the character
OF such lotteries, are declared unavailable,
and that the depositing Of such letters or
circulars in the post office, to be sent by
mail, Is an offense to be published, upon
conviction, by fine of not less than 800,
nor more than $780, and the cost of prose-
cution. JAMES N. TYNER,
Postmaster General.
THE LOTTERIES AFFECTED
by this materially are the Wyoming and
Kentucky State Lottery, the Louisiana
State Lottery, the Havana Lottery of the
Island OF Cuba, and the Kentucky Cash
distribution company. All Of these have
uouc vast OuriuCss tuiOuSu Tue New
York post office.
Since July first the postmaster has stopped
many thousands of letters addressed to the
above Wyoming Lottery, containing sums
yaryinu from 81 TO $40, and is receiving
large sums daily. This, oicourse, has been
a severe cheek to the business of what are
considered "square" lotterits.
In conversation with one of the promi-
nent agents Of the Kentucky Lottery yes
terdsy he stated the law did not apply to
them, for the lottery was legitimate and not
gotten up with the ''intention to deceive"
the public; that the law, now that the word
''illegal' has been eliminated, only applies
to concerns that are manifest swindlass.
This will be an interesting point which the
managers, Simmons L. Dickinson, propose
to contest with the post Office authorities.
The Louisiana State Lottery of New Or
leans, with an agency here, pays $4,000
per year to the free school fund. and is
chartered by the state of Louisiana.
Had the lottery men known of this con-
templstsd action they would have taken
active measures to defeat it.