Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-13
VICE UNRESTRAINED.
CHINESE LOTTERIES RUNNING IN
FULL BLAST ON l STREET.
The Police Force Wink at the Evil
Debauching Youths-Location
of the Gambling Hells.

Va thC
Yesterday afternoon a reporter took a
activities of the Chinese New Year celebra-
ton that is now in full blast, and to ascer-
tain the locations of the various Chinese
lottery games that are in operation.
The "pencil-pusher" reached the principal
part of town about $3.50. At that time the
streets, more particularly street, presented
its usual appearance, except that in front of
nearly every houset there were suspended two
sidewalks were covered with the fragments
of thousands of firecrackers that had been
used in ushering in the New Year the
night previous. In short time the street
took on a more animated appearance. The
crowd of Chinese became denser each mo-
ment, and by 4 o'clock the sidewalks were
made almost impossible by crowd of
Chinese, largely augmented by the arrival
of many whites and negroes The hour
for drawing in the lotteries is II o'clock at
night and o'clock in the afternoon of
each day. At these times the sidewalks
are always crowded. The reporter entered
ONE OF THE LOTTERY HOUSES
And noticed the modus operandi" of the
game, short description of which NAV be
interesting. The lottery game is CO. part
nership concern and the Weather the
concern the better it is patronized The
tickets are about 81 inches square, printed
in black INK on parchment paper They
contain eighty Chinese characters, which
are separated for convenience into two
divisions, there being forty above and
forty below two parallel lines drawn
through the center. They are of various
prices to suit the varying differences in
the purses of the patrons. The usual
prices for tickets are sc, 10c, 15c, 20c, 25c
SOC, soc and 81 10. The purchaser marks
off ten characters, and has a copy of the
ticket made in book kept for that purpose
by the agents. The drawing is as follows
Eighty characters exactly like those on a
tick, but
ABOUT TWO INCHES HIGH
Are pasted on board hanging on wall in
the drawing-room. AT the hour of the
drawing, in the presence of the spectators,
the numbers are removed from the wall by
an attendant, rolled into ball and thrown
into large tin basin. When all the slips
have been rolled up and placed in the
basin they are shaken up and then dis
tributed equally into four bowls numbered
l, 2, 3 and 4, in Chinese characters.
The bowls are then placed on table in
open sight, and four papers bearing in CHI
nese marks the numbers of the bowls are
rolled up, placed in the tin basin and a
spectator is asked to open one of the slips
and announce the number, and whether it
be l. 2, 3 or 4, the bowl thus selected con-
talns the winning numbers. The contents
of the other bowls are then thrown away
AS soon as this is done one of the firm
opens the numbers in the bowl, and in a
sort of sing-song chant calls out the num-
Der, shows it to the spectators and then
pastes it on the wall where it can be
plainly seen by all. When he calls out the
numbers the other
MEMBERS OF THE CONCERN
Mark them out in red ink on tickets ex-
actly like the purchasers, but printed in
green ink. When the numbers, twenty in
all, have been called out, copies of the
drawings are made out and given to any
that desire them. There is usually a crush
for few moments as the drawings are
being given out. Those who have pur-
| chased tickets retire to the street or some
other convenient place and compare their
tickets with the drawing If they have
a ten-cent ticket and catch five
marks they win fifteen cents, if six marks
81 so, if seven marks, SIG, and pro rata
upwards. An eight or nine-spot ticket is
BIG THING FOR THE PossEssoR.
A ten-spot is seldom caught. No esti-
mate can be made as to the earnings of
lottery game, but vast amount of money
must change hands each day. The game is
becoming more popular every day, and all
classes try their luck, from the ten-year-old
schoolboy to the grown man. Some who
patronize the lotteries and who were no.
ticed at the drawing by the reporter would
greatly object to the fact becoming known
that they are regular patrons of Chinese
lotteries. The game possesses a fascina-
ton, and ike many other vices has ruined
many and is running more every day. 1t
was stated that certain barber had
GAMBLED AWAY HIS HOME
In these lotteries, but this fact is not
vouched for as absolutely true. Any way,
the barber owns his home no more These
games are run and patronized in bold de-
fiance of the law; in fact, hundreds of
Chinese make lottery gaming business
The police pass the places daily and see the
games running in full blast, but make no
effort to suppress them. Sections 319 326
of the Penal Code include lotteries among
the games prohibited by statute, and pro-
vide penalties for the violation thereof
For the benefit of the present police force,
and the new Chief of Police that is to be.
list of the games now running in this
city. so far as ascertained, is annexed.
WHERE TO FIND THEM.
Lum Ki Company, 314 I street; Lee
Sung, 30S and 80 l street; Tie Lee. 316 |
street Fook Tie, 314 | street; Hong Fook,
3lS street; SUE Lee 318 l street zee
kee and others conduct an agency at 1016
Sixth street. Fook LUX Shue at 316 |
street. There is also a lottery at 314 l
street. Tie Wo & Co. operate the most
wealthy and most lucky concern at 3l2,
or thereabouts-the houses not being num-
bered in that vicinity. Wah Wing also has
q lottery in the same block. Nearly every
China store in town is an agency for one or
more of these lotteries, and the ladies who
buy can do so on either J or K streets.
In this connection it may be stated that
| there was chuck a-luck" table operated
by some tough-looking citizens at the
southwest corner of Fourth and | streets
yesterday. This game, judging from the
| money displayed on the table, must be do
ing thriving business. The faro banks
are all in full blast on Second street, also
on K street; and its dollars to little apples
| that every policeman in town knows who
is running each one, and the extent of the
games. Should not Sacramento do away
with her police force? Is not the present
one roaring farce2 Are the officers paid
500 per month to close their eyes to viola
| tions of the law?