Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-15
BUSHELS OF MAIL MATTER
Have the Louisiana Lottery Their Head
quarters in This City?

THoRITrEs-wHAr WAS DISCOVERED As TO
PRINTING AND MAILING cIRcULARs-rHE oAsE
IN CHARGE OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY HosE.
An investigation has recently been made into
the business transacted by the Louisiana Lot
terry Company in this city. The purpose is to
furnish evidence for q prosecution, and the at
tention OF District Attorney Hose has already
been called to the matter. The only law in re-
gard to the transmission of LOTTERY matter
through the mails is the following:
mo letter or circular concerning lotteries,
so called, gift concerts or other similar enter
prises, offering prizes or concerning schemes
devised and intended to deceive and defraud
the public for the purpose of obtaining money
under false pretenses shall be carried in the
mail. Any person who shall knowingly de-
posit or send anything to be conveyed by mail
In violation of this section shall be punishable
by fine of not more than $500 nor less than
Sl0O, with costs of prosecution"
WHAT THE SPECIAL AGENTS DISCOVERED.
As the law does not confer the right to open
sealed letters, the business of the lottery COM
pany has gone on brskly, and as has been dis
covered by the recent investigation of the
special agents of the Post Office Department il
has reached large proportions in this city.
or bin IN the city post Office is assigned to the
use of NJ. A. Dauphin Of the Louisiana Lottery
Company, and that the mail matter addressed
to Dauphin was authorized by power of attor-
ney filed in the post Office to be delivered to
Charles Thompson, jr., an attorney for Dsuphin
in this city.
A BIO MAIL
This mail is estimated to amount to from
800 to 2, 500 letters a day. Under an arrange
ment made several years ago this mail matter
has been tied up in packages by the clerks in
the post Office and delivered to the person or
his representative authorized TO receive the
Dauphin mail. 1t was found that these pack
ages were placed in satchels provided for the
purpose by the Adams Express Company and
were delivered each morning TO a messenger of
the company. The wagon of this messenger
was followed and it was found that he drove to
the National Safe Deposit building. at the cor
ner of 18th street and New York avenue where
the mail was delivered to rooms rented in the
third story.
HOW TIE CIRCULARS WERE PRINTED AND MAILED.
watch was also maintained over a printing
Office on street northwest and the agents dis
covered that lottery circulars we're being
printed there and when folded were delivered
at the Office in the National Safe Deposit build
ing Early one morning the watchers saw an
express wagon drive up TO the building and
eleven large wooden boxes and two United
States post Office mail sacks were loaded on the
wagon. The wagon then driven along
street, and when opposite Willard
Hall the load was deposited on the sidewalk
subsequently two colored men in an old wagon
drove up and putting in the wagon the boxes
and sacks drove to the city post Office. where
the matter unloaded. The colored
men when questioned said that they had been
told to say that they got their load from Will
lard Hall. This plan of sending the mail mat
ter to the post office was adopted
FOR THE PURPOSE OF EvADING RESPONSIBILITY
for depositing lottery matter in the mail, which
under the law is a punishable offense This
batch OF matter was found to contain 29. 900
letters, inclosed in two-cent envelopes Some
or them were found to be unsealed and the con-
tents consisted of printed circulars containing
the next lottery drawing. with information as
to the price of tickets and where they could be
obtained. Some of the letters that were sealed
when received by the addresses we're found
to be of a similar character
When the investigation had developed these
facts the messenger of the express company
when he called for the lottery mail was asked
by what authority he received that mail He
replied that he was directed to call for a pack
age at the city post Office and that he had no
authority to receive the mail of any person
The package was not delivered to him and the
clerks were instructed to place the mail in the
box rented by Mr.. Dauphin. When Mr.
that the mail would not be delivered to any one
without he had full authority to receive it,
but that it had been placed in the box where
any one could get 1t who had the key.
WHAT POSTMASTER ROSS SAYS
Postmaster Ross told a STAR reporter that
the practice of tying up the Dauphin mail in
packages ready for delivery had been in vogue
in the Office for some years. 1t was done as
matter OF convenience in the case of persons
or firms receiving a large quantity of mail mat
ter. 1T has been thought best" he added, Ito
be more careful in the future and follow
strictly the law. So hereafter the Dauphin
mail will be placed in the box which he has
leased. We deliver the mail matter, not to Mr..
Dauphin but to any one to whom he gives a
power OF attorney for this purpose, and this
authority is on file in this office"
Mr.. Ross further stated that while this lottery
matter was generally mailed In this city yet
the stamps were purchased in Baltimore
Recently, however this had been changed and
the stamps are purchased from the office that
is required to do the work.
EvADING THE LAW.
1t is stated that in order to evade the re-
sponsibility of depositing lottery matter in the
post office the plan has sometimes been
adopted of sending the letters by express to
Baltimore, where they have been deposited in
the street letter boxes all over the CITY.
As has been stated portion of the evidence
has been laid before District Attorney Hoge.
1t is probable that some action will be taken
before long. Mr.. Hoge is at present out of the
city and when STAR reporter called at his
Office this morning he was told by Mr. Hoge's
representative, Mr.. Taggart, that the district
attorney would be back in day or two Mr.
Taggart declined to make any statement as TO
the status OF the lottery case before the office
preferring to have Mr.. Hoge determine
whether there is anything to be said for publ
cation.
CHIEF INSPECTOR RATHBoNF
Of the Post Office Department, in talking TO a
STAR reporter of the lottery investigation, said
that he had ascertained that next to Boston
a larger share of their business was
done in this city than in any
of money were spent here every month for lot
terry, besides the sale of a large number of
tickets which were distributed from this city.
AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE METHOD EMPLOYED
in communicating with the lottery company
was seen by STAR reporter this morning
as he stood by the desk of Assistant
his mail One Of the letters was addressed to
the postmaster of this city.
That Is lottery ticket" said Capt. Sher-
wood. Il will bet anything"
When opened the envelope was found
to inclose a letter addressed to NJ A Dauphin,
Washington, DC. The letter was properly
stamped and although the postal authorities
were morally certain that it contained unmai-
able matter, yet there is no authority in law to
either hold such letter or to examine its
contents.
Capt. Sherwood said that a large number Of
letters came addressed in that way They were
sent to persons who wanted to avoid any pub-