Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-06-17
AN ILLEGAL LOTTERY.
The Recent Criminal indictments
Against the Commonwealth Distri.
bation Company.

baton Company.
To the Editor or the Co,rier-Jo,Unol.
While the material aud commercial in
terests of Louisville are so evidently adj
varcipg, all good citizens find gratiticatl) IN
in certain decided tendencies toward i'm
provement of our citys moral condition.
one of the best things that could have
been done for sound morals and Tor the
fair name of the city abroad, is the
blow struck by the Grand Jury last
Tuesday at the Commonwealth Dis
tribution Company in bringing indict-
men,S against the four or five persons
whose names appear on the surface In its
alleged monthly drawings. These indict.
ments are against K. NJ. Boardman, the
nominal manager Of the company, and d.
G.. MCNairy, w. d. Cowling, J. M. Wo-
mack, and Theo. b. Boyd, who each month
ASSIST in going through the motions OF
drawing, and were brought under a sec
ton OF the General Statues article twenty
three, section twenty-nine, chapter OF
crimes and punishment, 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 dsposing of any money or thing OF value
by way OF lottery, or aid in committing
either of said offenses, shall be fined from
5000 to 0,00O."
II now the indictments shall be Wig.
orously pushed under the State laws, and
IL the laws shall be fairly enforced up to
the point of driving the illeged and fraud
ulent concern out of existence, real ser
vice will be done to the repute and well be-
ipgof the city.
The wonder as to this concern is, that,
while all who know anything about such
matters know that each day OF its exist
ence is a violation Of law and While the
universal impression is that il is not hon
estly conducted as to its tiCket-hOldcre; 1t
has grown and thriven without, serious
opposition. What is everybodys business
is nobody's business and so no effective
hand haa been raised against an insutu'
ton that is universally condemned and IS
destitute of confidence in the city where II
has done business for several years, where,
if it should have friends at all, it should
most readily find them. But its field is
outside of Louisville and Kentucky, and 1t
has been successful enough in deceivlng
the distant public to exc out reasonable
profitable existence. Now that the grand
iury has found presentments against the
company, let US see whether the laws al.
ministrators will do their plain duty, and
whether public sentiment will support TINS
righteous and desirable move against 1T:
PeOpl6 VINO are lulOTLucu aS W sne nOIn
ings of lotteries heresbout know that this
Commonwealth 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. L
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 to
the test, have been found utterly bassless.
II has dared to advertise its schemes in
Kentucky newspapers. Its tickets cannot
be bought in Kentucky. 1t cannot get
money order cashed nor receive registered
letter at its own postoffice. 1t has no le-
gal right whatever. There is not reputa.
BILE business man in Louisville who will
say one word in its 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, il Is universally re-
garded as an organized fraud and swindle.
From, the louisville, Ky, Courier Journal,
Hly q, 1888,