Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-22

BThLulhLeB ncT on uer ROOu IOFbune.
Well, to the drawings. OA ascending the
stage found, placed ON the right and left. two
wheels, the one on the left much larger than
me one on the right. Il Is dTlnim-snsped IN Its
haps two or two aud 0ne-half feet through,
with glass heads, and the surroundings wood.
II rests on frame work so that 1t can readily
be revolved by means of an iron crank at
tsched to the axle at each end. door or
opening is arranged in the side OF the circular
wood work. perhaps a foot square, large
enough to receive the tickets which are poured
In from the bags before mentioned The ten
bags containing the 100, 900 tickets being placed
upon the middle of the stage near the footlights
were carefully scrutinized by Generals Early
and Beauregard before being emptied into the
wheel; then General Early began the work by
breaking the seal, removing the MANILA wrap
per aud cutting the string. The wrapper was
handed General Beauregsrd; noticed it was
in three FOLDS, and as he laid 1t aside saw why
he examined 1t 80 closely. On the inner fold
was the autograph of the two commissioners
Each bag was thus scrutinized before being
emptfed into the big wheel, and then the empty
bag itself examined as minutely to see, as
learned, that no possible tampering had ta1en
place, or that a pin hole even was apparent.
where, by any possibility, a single ticket might
have disappeared. When all ten bags had un-
dergone the same careful exami nation and had
been deposited in the big wheel, the bag con-
tanning the S4S prize tickets were also placed
in the small wheel, and then each was rapidly
revolved for some minutes, back and forth, so
as TO thoroughly mix them up
These preliminaIies were eagerly watched by
the fifteen or sixteen hundred people in the
Academy each one wishing and praying tnat
the goddess of fortune would favor them by
throwing their number under the hand of the
blindfolded boy, who would pick up the tube
bringing them wealth and happiness, Among
the audience noticed many well and fashion
ably dressed ladies', each with q slip of paper
in front of her, anxiously awaiting the hour
when General Early would open that little
door in the side of the wheel, behind which
their heart of hearts was centered for the time
being. Gazing upon this spectacle of ladies
and gentlemen in front, many of them being
well-known members of the exchanges, mer-
chants and prosperous business men, thought
that here, at least, they seemed to feel no more
out of place than such an audience would en-
joying the play at Boyd's Opera House, in
Omaha.
At IL O'Clock precisely on a signal, two boys
came forward. one to the side of General EARLY
and the other to General Beauregard, aud were
each blindfolded by the Commissioners, and
then the former seated himself near the big
wheel and the latter By the small wheel, after
each had opened the doors in the same; the
boys stood at the openings between the wheels
and the Commissioners, and General Early
said:
"We're ready"
The house was ss still as death In moment,
and as tube was handed from the big wheel
to General Early who unfoded it, and ae-
nounced in a clear resonant voice:
''Thirty-six thousand two hundred and
twelve"
simultaneously the boy at the small wheel
handed General Beauregard prize tube when
claimed:
1.-TWO hundred dollars"
General Early then handed his ticket to an
assistant standing up beside him.. who again
announced the number "36. 212," at the same
time holding tup so the audience could plainly
see the figures. General beauregard also
handed the prize ticket to an assistant standing
beside him. who, for the second time, an
nounced the prize 5000. for the number just
drawn
The ticket 6,212 and the prize correspond
ing, which, by the way, is printed in similar
large black figures, are then handed to a young
man sitting in front of the commissioners, who
folds the two together and places them in box
arranged in compartment, according to the
grade or value. Thus, there is q com partm ent
for 5000, $400, $500. 81 900. $4,000, $4,000,
1875 600 $50 900, and so on up to single COM
partments for the three capital prizes of $780,
900, $500. 600 and $600,00O. While this is be.
ing done a clerk seated just behind General
Early keeps record of the number as drawn
and the corresponding prize. in a printed book
adapted just for that purpose. The tickets thus
folded-the number and the corresponding
pize-are verified next day by Generals Early
entry clerk, so that no possible mistake may be
made in awarding or Withholding the prize TO
the holder of the lucky ticket
Thus the drawing proceeds number from
the big wheel, prize from the small wheel,
until twenty are drawn out when an assistant
who keeps the tally sings out;
And both wheels are rolled back and forth
for some time, the doors of each in the mean
time being closed by the two commissioners,
who allow no one near these openings, except
the blindfolded boys who take out the tubes
After sixty tubes have been taken from each
wheel, the tally keeper sings out:
Roll, and change hoys."
And Immediately the doors are again closed,
the wheels several times revolved, thus thor
oughly mixing the tubes, and two other little
fellows come forward as relief party, are
blindfolded, and the drawing goes on. For
some fifteen minutes the prizes announced
ranged from 5000 to $400, with an occasional
$500. 1t was really straining on the nerves of
the anxious ones Then General Early called
out "59 $780," which was announced by Gen.
eral Beauregard with $4,000" Then it varied
for time with the 5000 prizes all seeming at
mand "roli' came two or three times ,(after
everv twenty tubes) aud roll and change
boys" for the third time, before General Early
called out "36 ,o77," the corresponding prize
being $5, 600.
During all this time the audience sat i'm
movable, but eagerness, wishfulness, hope,
was depicted on every countenance, while the
prize wheel declined to deliver up any of the
little tubes that denoted more than $5, 600.
with an ever varying $20O-SSO0-$400. over
one hundred and fifty numbers had bsen
drawn from the wheel when General Early
called out:
Which was answered by General Beauregard
with
1926, 900
A little buzz of excitement was perceptibie
through the audience, but oil was quiet ill an
in tant, and there was no sound heard except
the monotonous callidg OF number ana small
prizes. 1t was after a roll and change, boys"
that General Early called out:
69,704."
When Genera Beauregard Immediately arose
from his seat, aud taking step towards the
footlights, said in slow, distinct, but very i'm
pressive tone: "Six nundred thousand dollars +"
Then excitement was apparent among the great
audience. This was the longed for moment, and
each one eagerly scanned the slip OF paper
held in hand forsooth, while each one knew
that they did or did not hold that magic num-
ber, they knew that within certain limit they
might be lucks enough to get an approxima-
ton prize of 81 900 for any number within
fifty on either side of SO, 704 would SO entitle
them
Although the other two grand prizes of
5000, 600 ard 500. 900 were yet 10 be drawn
1t was easily discernible that the great and
overshadewing interest was allaved somewhat
But no change was noticeable in either Gem
erals Early or Beauregard they sat calm and
unmoved amid the suppressed din that for
awhile permeeted the Academy OF Music. and
kept on the even tenor OF their way-the one
calling out the numbers and the other an
nouncing the prizes.
Ticket 63, 744 drew the second capital prize
OF $500. 600, and in consequence, there is one
happy little woman in Council Bluffs tonight,
who, ii mistake not was former resident of
your city of Omaha. The third capital prize of
800, 900 was drawn by ticket 43, ,083, and the
$4,000 fell to ticket 1896.
After these prizes had been drawn from the
wheel, nearly all interest was lost, many of the
audience leaving Yet the commissioners and
their assistants went on in the same meth0dical
manner as before, and so continued to the end
until the last prize tube OF the S4S was taken
from the wheel and announced. Then came
the work of replacing the tickets left in the
big wheel back iuto the bags again, and this
operation was closely watched and superin-
tended by the commissioners, General Early
and General Beauregard.
aoI. Hxosw