The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-06-13

The Recent Criminal Indictments Against
the Commonwealth Distribution Com

The Recent Criminal Indictments Against
the Commonwealth Distribution Com
paDy.
To the Editor Of the Courier-Jounal:
While the material and commercial inter
ests of Louisville are SO evidently advancing
all good citizens find qualification in certain
decided tendencies toward improvement of
our city's moral condition. One of the best
things that could have been done for sound
morals and for the good name of the city
abroad is the blow struck by the Grand Jury
last Tuesday at the Commonwealth Distri-
button Company, in bringing indictments
against the four or five persons whose names
appear on the surface in its alleged monthly
drawings. These indictments are against r.
NJ. Boardman, the nominal Manager of the
Company, and ID. G. McNairy, w. ID. Cow
ling. ]. M. Womsok and TheO B. Boyd, who
each month assist in going through the mo-
tons Of drawing, and were brought under
q section Of General Statutes, Article %,
chapter 90, chapter of crimes and punish
ments, article d lotteries, which reads as fol-
lows:
"Whoever shall set up, draw, manage or
otherwise promote any lottery for money
or other thing, or dispose of or promote the
dlsposing of any money or thing of value by
way of lottery, or aid in committing either
of said effenses, shall be fined from $500 to
$4,000"
Ii. now, these indictments shall be vigor-
ously pushed under the State laws, and if
the laws shall be fairly enforced up to the
point of driving this Illegal and fraudulent
concern out of existence, real service will
be done TO the repute and well-being of the
city.
The wonder SIS to this concern is, that
while all who know anything about such
matters know that each day of its existence
is q violation of law, and while the universal
IMPRESSION is that il is not honestly conduct
ed as to its ticket holders, it has
grown and thriyen without serious opposi-
ton. What is everybody's business is
nobody's business, and so no effective hand
has been raised against an institution that is
universally condemned, and is destitute OF
confidence in the city where it has done bust
for several years, where, if 1t should have
| friends at all, it should most readily find
them. Bat its field is outside CT Louisville
| and Kentucky, and IL has been successful
enough in deceiving the distant public to exc
out reasonable profitable existence. Now
that the Grand Jury has found presentments
| against the Compan let US see whether the
| laws administrators will dotheir plain duty,
| and whether public sentiment will support
| this righteous and desirable move against it.
| People who are informed as TO the workings
! of lotteries heresbout know that this Com
| monweslth Distribution Company did secure
| and at first operate under legal charter or
| grant, and that its first nineteen drawings
! were 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. It has claimed 70 work
first under one and then under another class
| or grant Of other concerns which were as
sumed TO have legal foothold; bat all such
| claims when put TO the test, have been found
| utterly baseless. It has not dared to adver-
tise its schemes iD Kentucky newspapers. It's
tickets can not be bought in Kentucky. Il
can not get money order cashed nor receive
| a registered letter at its own Postoffice. 1t
has no legal rights whatever. There is not q
| reputable business man in Louisville VINO
will gay one word in its favor, but, on the
| contrary, there is not one who has any
| knowledge of its workings, but will declare
| that he has no confidence in its integrity.
| Not to mince matters, it is universally re-
garded as an organized fraud and swindle.-
From the Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journsl,
May 81, 1888.