Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-04-12

President, blindfolded, inserts his hand
to the elbow in large jar and draws
forth little stick, upon which ispainted
one of the characters found upon the
tickets. The name is called out, and all
the agents write the characters upon
slips. There are eighty of these g Som
Toy sticks, corresponding tothe num-
Der and names of the characters upon
the tickets. Twenty in all are drawn
Then the sticks are thrown back
and shaken up for the next nights
drawings. The names drawn are; then
fspotted out in red ink upon tickets by
the agents. The lottery officers eagerly
scan the tickets sold to ascertain if they
have metwith heavy losses. Iran unu-
sually~ heavy series of losses is discov-
cred, the company at once discards its
untrustworthy patron deity, and selects
another. If the losses are light or nomi-
nal, the President sets out baked meats
and comfits for the patrons edification,
and hangs up congratulatory prayers.
In the morning the players compare
out of the twenty spots they receive two
dollars; if six spots, they are paid
twenty dollars: if seven, $40. Eight
spots, which Fare very rarely caught,
reap g. golden harvest for the lucky
gambler, for he collects 5000, and nine
and ten spots, which have on rare occa-
sions been drawn, but never in New
York, pay $4,000 and S15, 900. These
are what are called "white men So tick
cts, because white men play them ex-
clusively. Players may buy half, quar-
ter and even onestenth tickets. For the
latter fifteen cents is charged, and but
| one,thirteenth part of the prize is paid.
Ia this city hundreds of white men play
at Chinese faIp. For tile most part they
are the poor Italians who live in the
vicinity, but many men, and even wo-
men, who employ Chinese laundrymen,
deal in lottery = the Chinaman purchas-
ing the tickets and collecting the prizes.
In fact, many of the, wash houses are
| branch agencies. Is e
The mania for playing at Chinese lot
| terry is spreading, and there is no reason
why it should notge as firm hold up
white people here as in San Francis
CO. There thousands play at the game.
Three hundred lottery agencies are scat
tered over the town. They usually make
a show Of selling cigars. Elegantly
dressed gentlemen may be seen to dodge
into the doorways where the agency is
located. The Chinese house servant is
an almost universal institution, and he
never misses his opportunity to intro
duce to his mistress the mysteries of the
game The lady Awill invest dime or
two bits in ticket, just for the novelty,
andivif she wins a small prize keep on
playing from day to day or week to
week, until she draws large prize. In
that event she looks for another servant,
for John has failed to come back with
the winning. One lottery agency near
the Palace Hotel does 4 large business
with the ladies, many of the tickets 60
ing direct into the hotel. The police
make constant efforts to break up the
games, but as fast as they raid one shop
another opens, and the law has been in
Tterpreted to exem pit visitors at the dens.
AS the, main. offices of the companies
move weekly and are located with great
secrecy, the chief lculprits can not be
caught. The company always pays the
agents fine. There are seven great
companies in San Francisco, with an
aggregated capital of several millions.
The greatest is the Fook III Company.
In this city, as in San Francisco, the
Chinese themselves play at what they
call the s'high-low" game, in which the
prize is not a set figure, but varies with
the combinations. Many more spots are,
marked. out than sin the white mans
game, and the player may pay as high
is $500 for one ticket. Enormous prizes
are sometimes drawn at this ''high- low'a
lottery. Lucky combinations have been
known to break the bank. The largest
about one month ago, when Wing
Hipaid q Shinaman oyer $1,000 on a
$3.50 "high-low' ticket. The largest
by an Italian, who struck eight spots,
spree in celebration of the event. When
he sobered up he found that he had
been robbed of all his money. The
game becomes rapidly popular because
it does not expose the vOtary 80 any dan
ger of disgrace, for an accommodating
Chihamhns may always be found WHO'S
willing for small consideration to- act
as messenger. between the agency and
thelplayer. The ainvestnIent is SMALL,
the drawings rapid The Companies
are scrupulously honest in their DEAL
ings with their patrons, and although
agents sometimes swindle green players,
the man who is willing to brave the
loathsone surroundings and disgusting
odors of a Chinese gambling den will
generally obtain his prize. Any laun-
dryman who knows that his customer is
not in collision with the police will in
troduce him to the game; and therein
lies the danger.-M 7. Sun~ag~, =
Z -
The entire problelnaof serial navi-
cation haslbeen solved BY a man ID Buff
falo. He has deviseda something which
looks like an ordinary steam yacht, with
innnnerahle wings or outriggers. and
with it he will circumnavigate the globe
and penetrate the heretofore impenetra-
BILE strata Of the, upper air. Steam is
tosbe the motor when the invention shall
have proved success. For expert
mental purposes, however, he is con-