The Indianapolis journal., 1889-12-18
AN INGENIOUS sw1NDLER.
How a Chicago Janitor Makes an Income Out
of Small Lottery Investments.

kfOW a chicago JAuftor Makes an Income Out
of Small Lottery Investments.
Chicago Mail.
"A lack of opportunity is all that keeps
some people from cinching on TO the earth
and its fullness," said man at a South
side club. ''Sone of the sharpers who are
plOdding along in small way because OF
their births invidious bar and the mass
i've wall of circumstance have the ability
to grab great prizes if they could ever come
near enough thereto to employ their talent.
There's many aJay Gould in lowly capac-
1ty; mean there's many chap who has
the scheming brain and the daring TO do as
much as Gould has done. But theirenviron-
ment is such that they might just as we'll
be Shakespeare III the midst OF lot OF
cannibals.
For instance. there's c0lored janitdr in
our building who has the genius of the
great schemer. His plan put IN practice on
q large scale would make the audaciOus
practlcian a king of swindlers. But. being
hampered by circumstance, he can only
operate in a small way. This is how he
does it: He buys dollar ticket In a lottery
NOT that he expects to draw prize; he is
too brainy for that; but he knows that the
people of his acquaintance are foolish
and he buys the ticket as stock in trade.
Then he goes to the elevator man and offers
to let him in on 1t for 30 cents The ele-
vatOr man is mighty glad to invest. and
pays over his money, taking the number of
janitor goes to the fireman and gets another
half-dollar; to two or three dozen friends in
the office buildings of the neighb0rhoOd
and touches each one for 80 cents. In each
his boss is opposed to the lottery and would
discharge him if he knew of this invest
ment.
II don't know how extensively he works
this. but | reckon he gets Sl5 or so month
ont of it. and, of course. the ticket doesn't
they rarely stagger up against prize.
When the time of the drawing comes each
of his forty or fifty partners cOnsults the
list. finds the number didn't draw. and.
after little spasm of disappointment. dis
misses the matter with the hope of better
luck next time. Meanwhile the clever
janitor has cleaned up profit of about $50,
and blithely proceeds to kindle anticipa-
tiOn regarding the next drawing. He buys
another ticket and proceeds TO gather IL
the 50-cent pieces by the dozen.
'Once by strange coincidence the tic ket
which he had purchased drew a prize OF
$780, Having one-twentieth of ticket the
lanitOr's share of this plum was S5 This
let him in TO pay about forty persons $3.50.
Now, in a time like this yOur small swind-
Ter would have thrown Off the mask and
repudiated the obligation, inasmuch as
the partners in the ticket had nothing to
show for their investment. But not so
with your brainy sharper like the janitor.
He recognized the fact that the chances
were unfavOrable for another accident of
this kind; that he might buy ticket every
month till he died and never draw again;
that this small sop would only give him a
| frmer grip on his victims; and, having
saved mp little sum for this very purpose.
| he paid each of his forty partners the $3.50
| cheerfully, at the same time assuring them
that luck was coming their way and that
| it would be good scheme he thought,
| to buy S2 ticket next time. AS a
! result he got a dollar of his loss
back right away, and, of couse, the next
!, drawing gave him blank. l think the
fellow is genius. man who could con-
| sceive and execute scheme like this and
| make each of his forty OF fifty victims think
I that he alone was partner in the ticket is
ioa2 man who, in the big. financial world.
| would be a manipulation of men par excel
| lence.
- How would it be if he drcw a big prizei
Why, he would disclaim having any part
! ners. and they couldn't help themselves
/ That's his scheme in part. Like all lottery
] patrons he had notion that pc might
| strike $4,000 prize just man may bs
struck by lightning. But he makes his in
vestment pay him from month to month
meanwhile. If he ever strikes it big he car
afford to get out of the small business"