Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-06-12

DcaIn OF u Lottery hlnp.
Charles Y. Howard, known as the New
Orleans LOTTERY King" the largest
owner and controller of the famous-or in
famous-I.ouisana Lottery company, is
dead, from the effect of injuries received
by fall from runaway horse. He was
in many respects n remarkable man. Gift
ed with business abilities which would
have insured success in any legitimate en-
terprise, he seems to have been one of
those Unbalanced characters who are 50
easily led to desert the path of honor
able achievement for less honest and what
they hope to find more rapid ways of
making money. He drifted rapidly from
one enterprise to another, in his youth,
beginning honestly enough as II news
dealer, but soon firing of the slow gains of
this modest calling and allying himself
with INSCRIPTIONS persons III various
illegitimate enterprises. Among these
were various lottery schemes and, before
the war. he served as the agent
of several fraudulent concerns, ac-
quiring in them an experience which
fitted him to go into the business as prin-
cpal. Soon after the close of the war,
Howard organized with several others
the Louisiana Lottery company. His
method of conducting it was somewhat
startling ut first, but the result showed
that he knew what he was about His
first move was to devote the entire capital
stock of the company, amounting on
paper, to 81, 0O0,0O0, to corrupting the leg
islature, and securing the kind of charter
he wanted The charter was no sooner OBJ
| tnit ha al MI
organizers leased the company to them
selves, agreeing to supply the necessary
capital and give half the profits to the
stockholders. AS the stockholders saw
small chance for dividends, under this ar
rangement, they were willing to sell for u
trlfle. Then Howard and his associates
bought up the stock for themselves, How
ard securing the lions share At first the
people of New Orleans only were selected
as victims of this fraud but later agen-
cies were established in every part of the
country, and the fraud became National
one.
The exposures of his schemes by the
press of the North and the power of the
laws, however, soon drove the lottery
company back to its impregnable fastness
in Louisiana. where it has ever since been
obliged to do most of its nefarous work
securing victims, however, from all parts
of the country, by advertisements publish
ed in such newspapers as dared incur the
penalties of the law by inserting them.
We have already shown in these col
umns, what an enormous power for cor
ruptiOn the Louisiana lottery company
has proved, in the State which so foolishly
and criminally gaze it the right of eX
istence. For seventeen years this ring OF
scoundrels and swindlers has practically
ruled the politics of Louisiana. Legsla
ture after legislature has fallen under the
sway of its corrupting influence. Ever
the governors of the State and the mayor.
of its cities have yielded to the irresistible
power OF the ring, and have prostitutet
their high offices to forward it.
schemes and to share in its profits
Generals Beauregard and Early, tw,
of the most prominent of the con
federate commanders, have acted as di
rectorS of its drawings, have announced it!
prizes, and allowed their names to be ap
pended to its circulars. Yet, like all lot
teres, it was essentially fraud. Tn,
larger part of its receipts went not int,
prizes, but into the pockets of its mana
gers. Howard became enormousl!
wealthy; and snapped his fingers at thu
public and the law. Suddenly he met hi
death, and now that the moving spirit o
the great Lottery company is no more, i
is to be hoped that this disgraceful ring o
spectators and lobbyists will die natu
raj death. Howard was the man WHIT
really controlled the whole thing, whC
owned the principal part of the stock, anC
who devised and carried out the schemes
which have tided the company over thu
critical places in its career. Now that HI
is gone, the people of Louisiana will un
doubleday make decided effort to ri,
themselves of this vampire which ha
been fattening SO long on their heart
blood.
\ New Swindle.