Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-29
AN ILLEGAL LOTTERY.
The Recent Criminal Indictments
Against the Commonwealth Dlstri.
button Company.

Against the commonwealth Distri-
button Company.
To the Editor Of tie Courier ouraal.
While the material and commercial inte-
rests of Louisville are so evidently advanc-
ing, all good citizens find qualification in
certain decided tendencies toward improve.
ment of our citys moral condition. One oil
the best things that could have been done
for sound morals and for the fair name OF the
city abroad, is the blow struck by the Gland
Jury last Tuesday at the Common wealth
Distribution Company in bringing indict-
ments against the four or five persons whose
nsmes appear on the surface in its alleged
monthly drawings. These indictments are
against r. NJ. BOardman, the nominal man
ager Of the company, and ID. q. McNalry,
w. D. COwling J. NJ. Womack, and IheO.
b. Boyd, who each month assist in going
through the motions OF drawing and
were brought under a section OF General
Statues, article tWenty-three, chapter TWEEN
ty.nine, chapter of crimes and punish
meLt, article Of lotteries, which reads as
follows:
Whoever shall set up, draw, manage, or
otherwise promote any lottery for money
or other thing, or dispose OF or promote the
dispOsing of any money or thing OF value
by way of lottery, or aid in committing
either OF said ofienses, shall be lined from
$500 to $4,000
If, now, these indictments shall he Wig
orUusiy pushed under the State laws, and
if the laws shall be fairly enforced up to
the point of driving this illegal and fraud
ulent concern out OF existence, real sery-
ice will be done 70 the repute and we'll
being OF the city.
The wonder as to this concern is, that,
while all who know anything about such
matters know that each day of its eXis-
tence is violation OF law, and while the
universal impression is that II is not hon.
estlv conducted as u its ticket. holders, II
has grown and thriven without serious
opposition. What is everybody's business
is nObody's business, and so no effective
hand has been raised against an institu-
ton that is universally condemned, and Is
destitute of confidence in the city where II
has done business for several years, where
if il should have friends at all, it should
most readily find them. But its field is
outside of Louisville and Kentucky, and
il has been successful enough in deCeiylng
I distant public to exc Oat reasonable
profitable existence. Now that the grand
rurv has found presentmentS against the
company, let us see whether the law
administrators will do their plain duty,
and whether public sentiment will sup.
port this righteous and desirable move
against ii.
People who are informed as to the work
irgs OF lotteries hereabOut knox that this
Commonwealth Distribution Company did
secure and at first operate under legal
charter or grant, and that its first nineteen
drawings we're conducted under form OF
law, whatever may be said OF their honesty.
But after those drawings were concluded,
and for several years past, the company
has had no legal standing whatever. 1t
has claimed to work first under one and
then under another class or grant OF other
concerns which were assumed to have legal
foothold; but all such claims, when put 10
the test, have been found utterly baselesS.
1t has not dared to advertise its schemes in
Kentucky newspapers. Its tickets cannot
be bought in Kentucky. 1t cannot get
money order cashed nor receive a registered
letter at its own post-otlCe. IL has no le-
gal right whatever Therc is not reputa.
bic business man in Louisville who will
say one word in It's favor, but, on the con-
trary, there is not one who has any knOwl'
edge OF its working but will declare that he
has no confidence in its integrity. Not to
mince matters, it is universally regarded
as an organized fraud and swindle-From
t'c LowSriHs, Ky Cori"-jom"aL Nw 2l,
1853.