The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-03-21
AN INTER. STING SCENE.
A Letter from 'New Orleans Our Southern
Capital"

A Letter from "Ncw Orleans Our Southern
Capital
BY Julian Ralph In Harper's Magazine for
February.
The Louisiana lottery being legalized
tickets are openly displayed in the shop win
dows, and are sold on the sidewalks by
men, women and children. One store for
the sale of these tickets bears such a legend
as this on its sign: "rhis is lucky Num-
Der Eleven. More winning tickets sold
here than anywhere else in town."
There was drawing while / was in the
city, and knowing that the lottery COM
pany was not to ask for a renewal of it's
privileges, | awaited myself of the Oppor-
tunity to witness it's chief public operation
and the historic characters who have been
induced by large salaries to figure for it.
The drawing took place in q theater called
the Academy Of Music at II O'Clock in
the morning. The yellow gas jets batted
fcebly with the daylight in the lobby into
which the people We're pressing without let
or qualification. The theater was two
thirds full at last. On the stage, set with
parlor scene, was a knot of men between
two wheels. The wheel on the right
was band Of silver, with sides of glass
and with a door in the metal rim. A bush
el of little black gutta-percha envelopes
the size OF dominOes had been poured into
this wheel. and a white boy, blindfolded
with a handkerchief, stood at the handle
of the crank by which the wheel was turn
ed. He had one arm in the door of the
wheel, and with the hand of the other
arm was offering a tiny envelope TO Cen
crai Beauregard-the last surviving general
who served on either side in our late war
A fine, most gentemanly looking man he is
with the features of a French courter,
with snowy hair. white mustache, 4
little goaree, and the pjnkest skin a baby
ever knew. lie was faultlessly dressed
Across the stage beside a very much larg-
er wheel OF parti-colored boards. sat Ma
jor Genera! Jubal Eariy--a perfect type Of
the conventional figure of Father Time;
tail, portly, stoop shouldercd, partly bald,
and with g long, heavy, white beard. lie
was dressed all in the color of the uniform
he distinguished BY his yalor as soldier
BY each general stood blindfolded
boy, taking numbers out OF the wheels and
handing them to the generals. From the
big wheel to Major General Early came
the numbers of the tickets: from the little
wheel to General Beauregard came the
number of dollars that formed the prize
each ticket had won. BY each general
one thousand one hundred and fifty-two;"
and Beauregard, having shelled the gutta-
percha case off a billet, read out, Two hun
bred dollars" Then the crers took the
I illets and cried the numbers. Twenty
one thousand one hundred and tifty-two'
from one; ''Tew hundred dollars" from the
other. who, by the way, called out teW
hundred dollars at least tew hundred times.
But all the prizes were not of that amount.
| chauced to hear the capital prize read
out.
"rwenty-eight thousand four hundred
and thirty-nine,' said Early. Three hun
dred thousand dollars" said Beauregard.
The effect was startling; indeed the
startled senses refused to grasp the mean-
ing of the words. The criers repeated the
figures. The people in the theater Grained
forward, hundred pencils shot over pads
or bits of paper in mems and women's laps.
Then murmur of voices sounded all over
the house. The routine on the stage was
halted for the crers took the two bits OF
paper to some clerks who sat at tables i'll
the farther part of the stage, to allow
them to verify the important figures. Then
the routine began anew.