Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-07-29

| FACTS ABOUT THE PLAYERS
| Every day. about one O'clock a group Of men
may be seen lettering in the vicinity Of 18th and
F streets. They are generally sitting about the
| Western Union Office, and while they have all
| the appearance of idlers, yet more careful
scrutiny will convince the observer that they
are waiting for something. They do not look
like retired capitalists, but as class appear
seedy, and seem to be at odds with fortune.
| They evidently are not enjoying the leisure
| which comfortable bank account makes
] possible. and if the attention of the passer-
| by was called to them, he would invariably
| account for their presence by saying that they
| were waiting for chance job. Presently
| SLIGHT STIR
| is observable In the group, and a man comes
down the street from neighboring building
| and passes along with rapid stride One of
the group Of idlers steps out on the pavement,
| and, walking carelessy along, meets the man.
/ shakes hands with him. exchanges a few words
| and then both continue in their respective di-
| rectiOns, The man who has left the crowd re-
! traces his steps and speaks to one or two, shak-
Ing hands with each. Then the entire group
disperses. and. casting aside their careless man
ner. walk briskly away in different directions
| The man whose appearance gave rise to all this
| activity continues at good pace down 18th
street and then down the Avenue. Ii YOU
| watch his progress you observe that he
has large number of acquaintanceS. Every
few steps a man comes up to him and shakes
hands and then steps aside. Men who have been
standing in dOOr-ways and under the shade of
| trees accOst him In this silent fashion. but in
spite OF these constant greetings the man con-
tinues his progress, and crossing the avenue near
18th street. enters shop, bringing to an end
| his perambulating reception. To an observer
this strange proceeding excites strong curiosity.
Who is this man? is the natural question. Is he
PRINCE IN DISGUISE
| or an agent of some secret Order?. The mind
| naturally reverts to stories Of Russian nhilism.
| but the garb OF the men is so mean and their
faces so little indicative Of minds capable of
political social intrigue that this theory is at
once dismissed. Besides the same program is
repeated without variation the next day and
| the day after that, and has been repeated for
months and months. These mysterious move
| ments mean nothing more revolutionary
| than that this is the method of distributing
! the numbers drawn in the Kentucky lottery
! The interest. however in the lottery itself is
| only indirect, the numbers are used as a basis
| of the policy players. The group of men about
the telegraph office are policy writers. and the
| man who received so much attention carries in
his hands printed slips of the numbers drawn
! from the lottery. The numbers are telegraphed
| daily to man who does what is known as
| backing policy" He at once has number of
| printed slips run off and then distributes them
In the way described among his patrons.
THE SECRECY
| is made necessary on account of the stringent
laws against policy playing. The numbers of
the daily drawings are carried through the de-
partments, placed in certain shops, and dis
+! tributed about the city. where the thousands of
anxious policy players look them over to see if
| they have made "a strike" The extent to which
policy is played in this city would be surprising
| TO the majority of people. 1t accommodates it
J self to every pocket. and offers great returns
for small Investments. Suppose n colOred SER
want has only five cents. That is no bar to play
| ing policy The servant goes to policy writer
and selects his numbers, say. for illustration, that
| they are the numbers Z, % and 35. II in the
! drawing Of the Kentucky lottery these numbers
| happen to come out together, the player gets
-. or one dollar for every cent invested, He
| can buy as many numbers as he chooses and pay
| what he chooses for them, the return being reg
| ulated in certain ratio.
| Gigs" SADDLES" AND crows"
| Then there are such devices known to the
policy players as gigs, saddles, and ''horses"
by which he covers himself against losses and
| strengthens the probabilities in his favor. A
man for ten cents buys a gig" on four numbers.
| If three of the numbers come out in a row then
1t pays him $3.50: but if all four numbers come
| out then he gets $40. But by investing another
| ten cents he buys ''hOrse' on the same num-
| bers and gets 40 if they all come out. But
the oulk of the policy players play the straight
game They buy their favorte numbers or
| rows" a. they are called. The numbers con-
stituting these rows" are generally determined
| by dreams. If man dreams of fire on a GER
| tain street In a house with certain number
and sees such a number of firemen. then these
numbers he plays in policy. The rows" are as
| numerous as the events Of life. The cOlOred
policy player has great faith in a dreamer
| and if numbers can be connected with dreams
| III any way these are the numbers he plays.
| Some of the flows" that are favorites among
MIA ttd nnn DnIfn ar,fo
! Fireman's row, and Louise row. Then there is
a popular row called Smiths row. in memory of
| an old policy writer now dead. OF course the
! chances are vastly against the players, and
While they don't risk much, still as rule they
SELDOM WIN ANYTHING.
| 1t is sometimes found necessary to stimulate
some discouraged and almost penniIess player,
and so stories are circulated of big strikes hav-
ing been made. Some wel-knOwn man is re-
| ported to have struck couple of hundred, and
/ this news is very encouraging to the other
| players. Sometimes the player becomes tired
| and even angry because he has held his mouth
| open so long and the expected plum has not
| dropped in. Such one must be soothed.
and small plum is dropped in his mouth to
| keep him quiet. For, as cOlored man shrewdly
| remarked TO STAR reporter ''These men are
| afraid that We will blow on them and have
| them arrested, and so they darsent have us
| lose all the time"
| This same man. however, refused to say where
| he bought his numbers and who was the man
that wrote the policy for him. These ignorant
people are impressed with the necessity of
keeping silent on such points, and 1T is seldom
that any difficulty occurs between the policy
writer's and the players. Policy playing is so
general that person cannot mention the fact that
he has had a dream in public without arOusing
| the greatest curiosity. and being plagued with
! questions as to the details. II by any posi-
! bty row Of numbers can be obtained from the
| dream those numbers are at once backed In q
policy. gentleman, while being shaved In a
| barber shop the other day, related a dream he
had, and he was at once told by the artist that
was manipulating his beard that he would buy
those numbers in q lottery. The investment in
| lottery tickets is not however. confined to one
class. but Is very generally INDUCED In. The
| regular purchaser of lottery tickets, as a rule,
plays policy, and as he can get quick returns
the drawings in the Kentucky lottery taking
place twice each day--he finds it more exciting
than waiting q whole month.
For The Evening Star.
| Wild Flowers.
| Beauty In simplest things takes deep delight,
Ana such me always please the most, think.