Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-09-16
awarded the prize indicated on the slip

number drawn from the wheel was Il ,5ll,
and the prize that came from the other
was S25. Who was the lucky holder!
No one knew. 1t was somebody. he
might be a barber in New Orleans, o
farmer In Minnesota, or n millionaire In
New York. All these classes are patrons
of the company. The management know
no more who holds the ticket that draws
the prize than do the ~bystanders; all
there is of il, when the ticket Is presented
the holder receives q cheek on the New
Orleans National Bank for the amount 1t
calls for, and the transaction is over, so
tfar as the company is concerned.
The drawing that / witnessed took place
at the Academy of Music, March 18th.
The theatre commenced filling up about 10
o'clock, with people of all grades, from the
wealthy merchant, who has his wine at his
dinner, to the boOtblack whose days are
skirmishes with hunger. They all had an
interest in the proceedings. At about
1890 a dozen men appeared upon the
stage, two evidently in charge. One OF
these two, a rather understood man, with
a sparkling black eye, legs slightly curved,
a not large but exceedingly well proper
toned body, a face expressive o~fpeculiarly
quick intelligence. hair, mOustache, and
imperial silvery white. That is Gen. G.
T. Beauregard, of whom the United States
knows much.
The other of the two is a very tall man,
with o head as bald as an egg on the top,
and a long white beard that sweeps his
bosom, slightly stopped, with a white
SLOUGH hat, under which there IS a face
that would mark its bearer as o Baptist
clergyman rather than as q sanguinary
warrior. 1t is q kindly face, with nothing
blOOdthirsty in it; the face of q rather pros
porous planter who attended strictly to
business, and worked his Land we'll. That
is Gen. Jubal A. Early of Virginia,
These men were in the public gaze
tweny years ago-they are not They
are to-day the Commissioners who super
wise the drawings of The Louisiana Lot
terry, and they are responsible for every
thing connected with it.
There are two wheels on the stage. Into
one, an immense affair, are emptied tubes
of pasteboard, which contain slips of paper,
| on which are numbers running from one to
one hundred thousand. The other wheel,
much smaller, contains tubes to the num-
! DER y l,JOI," lllCI Il llIC NlLlDS VI pAlLSS
to be awarded. There is Il tremendous
difference between the wheel containing the
prizes and the wheel holding the numbers.
The one requires the muscle of two stall
wart negroes to turn il, while the other q
child might whirl. One represents the
blanks in life, the other the prizes. The
proportion runs about the same in every
thing in this imperfect world. it takes a
great many thousand men to build q rail
road, but only one Vanderbilt to own it.
The numbers are placed in the wheel;
they are turned so as to be thoroughly
mixed. One boy, blindtOldcd, 1T the great
wheel takes out a tube and handsit to Gen.
| Early, who opens ii and announces it
Two thousand one hundred and sixty
four" A boy, also blindfolded, at the 9TH
er wheel takes out q tube and hands it to
Gen. Beaurcgard, who, opening it, an
the ticket and the prize it has drawn are
both recorded, and the operation is re-
peated till the 1867 tickets are taken from
the smaller wheel.
Those present sit and watch carefully.
There is no sensation while the smaller
prizes are being drawn. As Il matter OF
course, there will be five or ten minutes
during which the prizes will he S25's and
SjO'S, with IN occasional 500. These eX-
citcnO special attention. Blu there comes
one which does excite attention. Gen.
Early prOnounccS 4 number, II Gen.
BcaurcGard, when the corresponding num-
Der is drawn, hCsitateS for a moment. and
slowly announces. six thousand dol
lars There is Il perccptibic movement
among the audience, for So, 900 is Il very
tidy sum OF money for any one to have,
especially when the Investment that pro-
cured it was only 81.
Presently there is another sensation. \
number is drawn, and Gen. Bcaurcgard is
a triilc more slow, aS if 10 whct the impa-
thence Of the thrOmg. "rwenty-iivc thou
sand dollars i~SannounCcd. That is some
thing like il. Six Thousand dollars does
very well as Il starter in life, but the lucky
winner OF So, 600 can, it he be Il man of
moderate tastes, retire OH that.
Still this is nothing, or ut least it isn't
what they are Ill waiting for. PrcScntlya
number iS]announcrd, and Gcn. Rcauregard,
with provoking SlowncSS, announces
'S-c-v-c-n-t-y-ti-y-c thousand dollars.
There is Il sensation, for that il the capital
prize. The one that everybody who buys
il ticket hopes 10 draw. only one gets it,
however. 1t is Vanderbilt and his labor
erS over again.
In this scheme there is one prize of
SO, uOO, one So, 600, one of SlO,UOO, two
Of 81, 600, five of 81, 900, one Of 81 900,
twenty of $500, 100 Of 5000, and so on
down To 1000 of 50 each, with approx
nation prizes Of 500, 500, and $3.50.
Who bag@cd the great prize? Who was
heo she? No one knows. One man may
hold the whole ticket and receive the
whole amount, or it may be divided into
iitthS, and be held by five persons, in
which event the comfortable sum will he
divided into five parts.
The successful numbers with the amount
they have drawn are published the next
day after the drawing, and within n week
or two the prizes are mostly claimed and
paid. In this case the capital prize went
to some one in Illinois, who sent for it
| through the bank in his village, and the
sum was sent him in Il draft.
What will he do with it? 1t is 4 COM
Portable sum to have for any man, old or
Young, and it may make him or maj him,
according to his bent. Invested III first
mortgages at six per cent, he has $1,000
per year to live upon all his life. If he
becomes infatuated and goes to Chicago to
gamble in grain, or to New York i'll stocks,
it will last him a few weeks, and he will
be no better off than before.
1t would he a curious study to know
what has been done with the untold mil
lions the company have distributed; but
who shall ever write their history?
The drawing requires about four hours
of time, for il is done with the utmost eN-
actneSS and system. Several records are
made OF each number drawn, with the
prize accompanying, and there are so many
checks and counter checks that a mistake
is impossible.
Then the announcement is made up and
published in the official papers of the COM
pany, and the prizes are paid rs fast rs the
holders present their tickets. Those near
by come and get their money. Those at a
distance send their tickets through their
own banks to the banks here, who collect
and remit.
Eror,.l,l,. -, Nau- nr1aans inyaSts in