The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1888-02-23

few favored white persons are ad
mitted to see that everything is square
the police are never on hand unless
they get there by means of 'crowbars
and sledge-hammers.
''Wantee washee?" says meek-leok.
ing Chinaman as he enters your house
The Chinese are great judges OF
human nature. and they s.size up"
their man pretty well before they ap.
proach him.
mo. Idon't want wash, John"
John has his trademark with him in
the shape of bundle of dirty clothes,
and, beginning in very meek and in
sinuating way, he says: FOX I'll paw
heap money last week; man around
corner catch nine-spot; make 81, ,8OO."
This generally settles it. and John
produces from the folds of his volu-
minous clothing some little square
slips of paper, each one being stamped
by the company it represents. and
having eighty Chinese characters
marked upon it. There are ten
characters one way and eight the
other.
The player is supposed to mark
these slips in way he desires to play;
they are then given to the Chinaman,
who takes them to- the lottery COM
pany, where duplicate slip is made
out. officially stamped, and returned to
the purchaser.
John comes around that afternoon
with ''the list" and if the player has
been fortunate the ticket is cashed
there and then.
Where there is likelihood of a man
being good customer, the Celestials
often ''put up" ticket that will win,
and fish thus hooked Is seldom let 90
as long as his money lasts.
One can easily protect himself from
fraud, though, as a copy of the correct
list can be obtained from any China
man, and, besides, there is little desire
to cheat, as their percentage is so great,
and one winner will often bring
twenty players.
The easiest way to play at lottery is
by marking a ''nine spot"-that is,
marking nine out of the eighty spots
on the slip, and which cost 20 cents.
"lf when the list comes in, you have
marked three ''winner's," you get 40
cents; if four 50; five, $l4; six, $50,
seven, $242, and nine, 81, 800.
There are thousand ways of play
ing these slips. Five spots, fifteen
spots, and the whole eighty spots, or
half tickets may be played.
In marking the winners" on the
slips twenty characters are pulled out
of box, and as each character comes
out the name is called out and the
character is marked off on the winning
list, of which thousands of copies are
made and distributed.
In playing ''round-the-word"
ticket-that is marking off eighty
spots-the ticket is marked off in six
teen subdivisions of five each, and
three OF the five in one of these SUBJ
divisions must correspond with the
winning numbers. This Is called a
starter, and to these three are added
any number of winners in the other
subdivisions; thus three in one division
and two in another would be a five
spot. which would pay 20 cents on this
ticket. while the cost of playing would
be $l2.
1t takes page of foolscap to foot up
the winning combinations.
The FOX I'll is the largest lottery
company, and it is on record where
this concern has paid out over $780,
900 in a single week; but as everv
Chinaman bucks at this game, and
thousands of white men, and many
women, also, its daily income is
enormous.
Fan-tan. is not so generally known,
and is played entirely by Cinnamon.
The dealer sits before square table,
in each corner of which Is a number,
from one to four.
The dealer grabs from a box hand
full of cash, as small coins are known,
throws them on the middle of the table
and takes brass cup aud covers them,
and no one on earth but a Chinaman
could manage to perform this feat or
the subsequent one of getting them out
from under the cup.
The players then put whatever
amount they want to bet upon either
of the four numbers.
The dealer then takes q long slen-
der chop-stick, inserts it under the cup,
and draws out four coins.
No one, not even the dealer. knows
how many coins have been but under
the cup in the first place.
If the players want to hedge. they
are at liberty to change their bets at
any time during the drawing out of
the coins, which are drawn out four at
q time.
Finally the dealer stops; there may
be from one to four coins left; the cup
is lifted, and one coin is left No. l
rakes in all there is in sight, the bank
always reserving 10 per cent. of the
winnings.
The Chinese are also great domino
players, only they play with hundred
or more dominos, and with the addi-
ton of beans or buttons.
This is also a gambling device, as
the player who is blocked must put one
marker into the general pot, which
goes to the player getting rid of his
dominos the first.
Anyone who has seen the Chinese at
play must have noticed the fierce and
absorbing interest they take in the
progress of the game, and how utterly
oblivious they are to external sur
roundings.