Morning journal and courier., 1890-01-31
COMMUNICATIONS.


some Moro Pertinent Questions.
To the Editor Of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
For many, many years have been a con-
stant reader Of your paper and such would
like, If your space will permit. to make q
few remarks and inquiries.
Daring the last few years several Of our
more enterprising merchants, notably Mr..
Norton, of Oak Hall clothing notoristy on
Church etreet, Mr.. Cotherell, the shoe mer-
chant on Chapel street, and several other
reputable and respectable dealers In different
variety of wares, in order to advertise and
increase their business at different periods
during the hard times Of the
last few years have offered In
ducements to customers, new and
old, in the shape of gifts and prizes to such
goods in their different lines of business
said prizes and gifts to be distributed by q
certain system of choice-or you might sell
it by lottery. In each and every case, be-
lfeve. without exception, our city authorities
have stepped in and put stop to all such
unlawful proceedings, and threatened prose-
cution if the matter was persisted In. Our
course, they complied with the mandate.
For the past few weeks the readers Of the
daily papers have had constantly before their
eye, with every issue they perused, the
Greek work "Xenodochy," which was made
a subterfuge for extensively advertising an
entertainment to be given by the New Ha-
ven Grays. This popular company in times
past have given some very creditable and
entertaining performances, and in every
case for very worthy and charitable objects.
In this case they far exceeded them
selves, and in all probability they have
realized far more in amount than on any pre-
vious occasion. But what was the incentive
to all this interest and excitement as to the
termination of this most successful affair?
They were TO have Q chance to win or draw,
or be presented with one or more of the many
beautiful gifts which had been exposed in the
windows Of many of our merchants' places of
business and other resorts. They were to
have one of the beautiful articles for the
modest sum of one dollar, provided they hap~
pened to draw q lucky number. Monday
night at 8 O'Clock was the time announced
for the drawing; and promptly at the ap-
pointed time the agony of suspense COM
menced. It was study and sight such
as no one will ever experience unless he has
or does hereafter attend one of the draws
ings of the Louisiana State lottery. On the
raised platform was q regular lottery wheel,
into which the stub of all the tickets dispos.
ed of were placed, and after being we'll shak-
en- up by several revolutions, the blind girl
proceeds to decide the fate of the ticket
number of near two thousands. Men and
women, old and young, stood tiptoe With
their tickets grasped in their hands, eagerly
examining their tickets as the numbers were
called ont. As the calling ont of the num-
bers from one to one hundred inclusive pro-
ceeded, it was interesting to notice the
anxious look of expectation on the faces of
all ticket holders, for you could tell ticket
| holder at glance by that care-worn look OF
| expectation. As they neared the end the
suspense of many was agoniztng In the ex-
! treme. And when Private Webb of the
Grays cried out "782, the one hundredth
price," the vast audience seemed to give
one immense sob, aud the charm wac broken.
So many disappointed expeetant ones. You
/ could pick them ont by the hundreds. "Why
do they not draw out all the ticketsi" "How
do know the stub to my ticket was in the
| wheelf' and dozens of other questions OF
| similar import were heard all over the room.
Such is the suspicion of all gamblers. There
is not the slightest doubt In the world but
that the drawing was straight and square ir
every particular.
But now the question naturally arises, WHY
| carry through 30 successfully scheme, NJ
matter whether it was for good or bad, !,
scheme which was nothing more or less thar
a lottery, carried through on the same plar
and the drawing made in the same identica
way as the Louisiana State lottery3 Why die
not our overscrupulous and Christian citizens
complain and have q stop put to iti
LoTTERYa