The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-03-24

fortune of five hundred millions in tht
hands of his oldest son, in less thar
ten years. This is altogether too
much money for one man to hold, il
a republic. In fact, if he happens tt
be shrewd enough to handle it sell
fishly, he could control the country
with it. But fortunately there comes
in dissipation, disease and death tC
prevent such calamities. The only
good there is in dissipation is, it dis
tributes estates when they get to be
too large. Sin is made to work good
in some cases.
Anthony Comstock, in the employ
of the Post Office Department, has
made raid upon the lottery dealers,
and has arrested thirty of them. The
extent of this business is little under
stood. There are over thousand
firms in this city, whose business is
selling policies in lotteries, of which
the poor dupes who send their money
know as little as they do of Senegam-
bia. With the exception of two or
three, these frauds represent no draw
ings-they simply pocket the money
that is sent them. they advertise u
drawing for the benefit of i, school in
Kentucky OF Nevada, or hospital in
Washington, in which capital prizes
of $250,O00 and other prizes running
down to 500 are promised to the
holders of the luck W tickets. Where
it will pay they do send few dollars,
say fifty, just enough to infiame the
poor dupe, and have him spread the
fact that he drew IL prize and got the
money over whole county. Thus
twenty-five or fifty dollars, is the
cheapest advertising they can have.
Comst0ck found them i'm all sorts of
places, but never one of them with
the slightest pretext of having any
thing legitimate. The letters cap
tured were curious reading. They
were from all sorts of people and all
sorts of professions. A clergyman in
the State of New York enclosed 81 so
for ticket in some mythical scheme,
with the remark, " If you can arrange
this so as to have me draw prize, it
will work to your advantage" This
man was bidding to have fraud per-
petrated to his advantage, forgetting
that if the dealers would .swindle
at all, they were as liable to.swindle
him as any one else. Lab6rings men,
widows, seamstresses, all classes and
sorts of people, showered their money
upon these sharks, each hoping to
draw the big prize that would make
them comfortable for life. Except the
little thrown out for bait, none of them
ever got dollar-all that was sent
them went down into the pockets of
the swindlers, and enabled them to
live in good style. But their little
game is up. Comstock K is after them,
and he will make it lively for them.
He had them all in the police court,
and every swindler of them will go
up, except those who give bail. And
policemen will be put to guard their
premises, the post-office will stop their
letters, and the people will be made
virtuous whether they will or not.
Money addressed to these fellows:@ill,
hereafter, be detained at the post
Office and will be returned to those
sending it. And this is for the benefit
of those weak enough to send-here-
after there will be no secrecy in such
matters. The letters will be opened,
and in an unopened state will be sent
to the postmaster of the place from
which they came.
Business is getting better every day.
Since Hayes has taken the helm there
has been tightening up, a revival,
that is delightful. People are not
only paying, but they are investing.
Goods are selling, exchanges. are be-
ing made, there is a life and vitality
that the country has not had for years.
And every thing looks better. We
are all going to do we'll from this time
out. PIETRO.
This is the Abbeville Banners opin-