Huntsville gazette., 1890-08-16
LOOKS VERY Blue.
The Prospects for th, Lottery
People in Congress.
A Member Says They Can't
Hold Out Much Longer.

If the Caldwell Bill Fasses They'll Throw
Up the Sponge-Alleged that the Re-
publicans Have Reen Promised Eight
Congressmen from the South if They
viii Cease Their Warfare.
WASHINGTON. Aug. 15.-The Louisi-
ana lottery people are greatly discour
aged over the prospects. One of the
rep, sentative here said Wednesday
that if the Caldwell bill passes they will
give up the fight. The contest in
Louisiana and the fight here has already
cost Us years profits: we can stand it
no longer"
Growing Desperate.
TT at they have reached state of
desperation is evident from the fact that
one Of their represent tives a few days
ago approached prominent Repub-
hcan III lnl,er of congress and suggested
t.at if Tho warfare would cease the lot
terv mp,ny would agree to deliver
five me .i,ers Of the next house from
Loui lana and three from Arkansas
This WAS the first intima,ion that the
LOTTERY company had any formidable
tCO hold IN Arkansas.
=. M. ID. ,trict Of Columbia
The pl'lic il not generally aware that
one Of th' .tTongest Notifications Of the
Loni-i ma Lottery con'nly is the Dis
trict If Col ,nl,ia All the newspapers
here. with he exception Of an afternoon
daily. l,'iMt its advertisements and the
teiegr;,; hic announcements Of the month
L. drawings. Tickets are purchased
here i,v the thousand every month and
the com ANY has local agent with
regular force Of clerks and it also has a
local attorney. and recently it has ac-
qlired well organized and extensive
lobby.
Postoffice Investigations.
The postoffice department has recently
been conducting some investigate "a
and some rather star ling discoveries
have been made. 1t is found that the
lottery has accomplices i'll the govern
meat service and even in the postal
service Joseph King. the postoffiee in
spector in charge Of this division. has
been working on the matter for the past
three or four months, and he has col
lected considerable evidence showing
the methods and extent Of the lottery
company's operations here. 1t appears
that Washington has been very great
and profitable field.
The inspector submitted lot of evil
dence relative to the June drawing some
lime ago. The district attorney. John
Blair Hoge was asked to institute pro-
ceeiings. but he made no reply to the
departments communication until
second batch of evide ice regarding the
July drawings was forwarded. The in
ves1igation of the August drawing is
under way, and the evidence will be
submitted and the district attorneys at
tention again called to the facts.
The investigations thus far conducted
show that box in the city postoffice
was rented for NJ. A. Dauphin and the
Louisiana Lottery company by an at
t'rney named Charles Thompson. who
takes turn at lobbying now and then
when legislation against the Louisiana
concern is threatened. The daily mail
varied from 500 to 1850 letters, but il
never fell below the former figures.
Every morning an employe Of the
Adams Express company, which does
the lottery c0mpany's business. would
call at the postoffice and receive this
mali. 1t would be taken in charge by
the express and shipped to Baltimore in
packages at times. The delivery of
mail. it was found. was an obliging
practice, which had grown up without
produce the authority from the man
renting the postoffice box.
The fact that Washington is used IS
distributing point was not long KEEP.
secret after it became known that an
i'm, nf ylrinft,,oy 1n,,o
here for the lotte. = company. The dis
tributing center WAS usually some place
up town near the treasury building and
branch office. Bags # mill would be
deposited at the city postoffice mailing
division. sometimes dumped out of
wagons whose drivers had been hired
temporarily. But this mail was always
made up Systematically, bundles for
states. counties, ETC., being neatly tied
together 50 that handling by the mail
clerks was greatly facilitated. Govern
ment stamped two-cent envelopes were
always used. and being sealed. the post
office department had no authority to
interfere with the mail.
In one instance $4,000 pieces were
du nped at the mailing division, mostly
addressed to places in the eastern states
This represented but single days mail
sent out by the lottery company A
few loose pieces found in the mass con-
sisted Of lottery circulars, drawings, etc
Conclusive evidence. however, was
found Of the unlawful character Of the
mail by marking a large number of
pieces addre sed to Baltimore and Viii
mlngton. Del. for Identification. The
addresses Of persons to whom the sup
posed letters were addressed were taken.
and agents of the postoffice department
learned from these persons that, as had
been suspected. the only contents of the
supposed letters We're the lottery circu-
lars.
Most Of this work seems to be done
FIR the lottery company by persons who
in past years We're connected with the
postoffice department, and by reason of
their experience are able to direct the
evasion of postal laws and to devise
mean; to keep outside the clutches Of
the law The Baltimore end of the
business is conducted by persons of this