Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-07-29
TIE poLIoY sHopa.
The Great Odds which wake tho
Games SO Tempting 90 Mnny-The
Various Ways OF betting on Com
sDcutfye Nuu,bers.

Snnes so Tempting 20 HInnY-rhe
Various Ways OF Betting on Com
socutiye Numbers.
The topic on the street corners and In
the resorts of the sporting fraternity of
the city last evening week was the mayors
action in relation to the policy shops, Us
the arrest Of the prize fighters had been
the order on the preceding evening. The
police yesterday week went about the city
and executed the mayors order, giving the
policy writers warning TO close, or they
would be placed under arrest and prose-
cuted. The effect Of this action was that
nearly every shop in the city put up its
shutters and remained idle for the day,
in consequence of which there were a
number unoccupied gentlemen hanging
around various cigar stores and saloons
looking az though time was dragging very
heavy upon their hands. Upon inquiry
at the police station that evening il was
learned that all the policy writer's of the
city had closed up except ono, who con
tinued business during the day.
The playing OF policy is n species of
gambling thnt IL rs prevalent in this city,
IN proportion TO it's size, IN in any city in
the country. There are more policy shops
than any but player has any idea OF,
more than tho police had knowledge
of. When the mayors order WAS
issued the game was being played rs
heavily as it had ever been in this city.
IL il u game that receives its nam
patronage from the colored people of the
city, but Il number OF the heaviest writer's
are supported mainly by white men. The
manner of playing is simple. Policy is
based ON the lotteries, those al Louisville
and Frankfort, KY, being the ones whose
drawings govern the policy business of
makes two drawings o day, one
about noon and the other about 6
o'clock in the evening. The drawings
are sent to this city, as we'll rs others, by
telegraph, and the numbers thus received
decide who among the local players win,
and who have wasted their money. The
players who wish to invest in policy
select row OF numbers. Three numbers
constitute the most common row, but
four, five or more can he played if de.
sired. When player selects three num-
bers and play them flat rs il il termed
that is makes the simple bet that those
three numbers will come out in the draw
ing--he gets, in case he wins, 81 for every
cent invested. II he beta 10 cents and
wins, he gets SO; If he bets 81 he gets
800. II the numbers do not
come out he loses only his 10 cents or his
dollar. The odds in the game are what
offer the strong temptation. This is the
main feature of the game, but the manner
of playing numbers has been reduced to
a system 30 fine and varied that only the
''old stager' could explain it clearly. For
example, in addition to flat most players
also take risk on "twoB out" in which
case if two numbers of the three come
out they get small return for their out
lay, about SO cents for 10. Others have q
prediction for playing 'saddles." A
saddle" consists of two plumbers re-
versed like As -5i, or 1871. If they
wish to take greater risk still they play
a saddle "aside,n which means that they
bet that two numbers like the above will
come out in succession. In all these
different styles Of play the proportion Of
gain on the investment varies. And if
the player does not make 'hit, rs he
most frequently does not, he loses his 2
cents, 10 cents, 81 or 50, according as he
bets.
When the player selects his numbers
and makes his bet the writer makes ont q
slip Of paper in regular form, recording
the numbers, date, bet, aud amount OF
the possible win, together with the lottery
in which il is to be played. This slip is
handed the player and is called n "pieoe. :"
he came thing is entered in the writer's
book, he keeping record of every piece
that goes out. AS soon rs the time has
come when the book must close he re-
turns it to his hacker and no more bets
ARE taken, When the numbers arrive the
book il examined at once and the hits are
marked. The money is then divided and
handed to the winners, either at the shop
or at any place that may have been agreed
upon.
The superstilions connected with the
selecting OF rows and the making of COM
binations, aud the dream books and hap
penings which induce TO the selection of
particular numbers have been dwelt upon
at length heretofore, and are familiar to
newspaper readers.
Several months ago crash occurred
which came near closing mp the policy
shops without action on the part of the
police. The drawings came one day and
the hackers found that they hid been hit
very heavily. In fact the hits, when they
were summed up, were. said to have
reached 81, 900. The hackers hesitated
about paying up, and il looked at one
time rs if they wonld all close out bust
ness, but they finally took the other view
and paid their debts, without the excep-
ton Of one party, who closed ont entirely
and have not entered the business since.
The policy hackers Of Philadelphia
were bit still more heavily. This
state of affairs was conjectured to
haze been brought about by some
of the principal policy hackers in Phila-
delphin who desired to freeze out some of
his rivals and who "stood in" with the
men who run the lotteries. He and his
ring we're shown the advance drawings
aud in the course of m hour 81, 900 worth
of work wns done in this city alone.
Policy was 1T low ebb for several weeks,
but previous to this order it had reached
flood tide again.