The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-12-31
4 GRAND PRIZE.
lie Men Sue for Winnings
O q Lottery Ticket.
ga. 4 FORTUNE SLIPPED AWAY.
nnupspsisteA Sac m Espssss Con-
> .ars. webstey's VIII Valid
- Kspyos Eststs-Biestss.

'. - capita prize of si5. coo in what Is
-l - Original Little Lottery de la
= -.<~5a Publiea, but II commonly known
- nexsesn lottery. viii come mp for
- Ia the superior court, and win
- ehow on what slight thread for
zs-~s tsaes. bat that IL 10 - easy to finn
~ : perpou out Of $500 ~ out Of half .
q Ford bought one-fourth Of the dis
- tteksf, hoping to win the share Of
~ sr,ltai priss 1t represented and thus
I - hon the laborious position of host
/ 8, q the police stables. He gave IL 20
81 3. Johnson, driver Of the patrol
$50. for safe keeping. The whole con-
ssrsrr,v hangs on the number of the ticket
r.rd bought, whether IL is gs3 or a3s. Co
- "a TIE Office OF Lee Meiiaer, at sos
ysrier avenue. from whom Ford had
lsurhs the ticket on November 20 or Il,
u looking ut the bulletin telling the
-1enisx numbers, Johnson turned to
rs,Isur and said:
4 have COS winner. What shall do
viii Isl"
re.luey told him to send IL BY express to
sks Chicago once. and he went 20 the
ersst Northern express Office on Novem-
bs q aad sent package ''said TO con-
Tin ticket No. e33. in the language Of the
sxpress company's carefully worded re-
essps. 70 n. Ottens d Co.. of Chicago, the
sesnts Of the lottery. with instructions to
md the s. $50 it was supposed to repre-
ent c. O. d. TO him here. Melluer wired
ethers about this ticket On the same day.
On November - Frank Adams, who
essimsd to be brakeman on the Northern
Pacific railroad, called on Meliuer and said
hs had . winner, showing q one-fourth
ticket numbered $50. and saying he had
shown II TO his superintendent, who told
him to come to Seattle and see about H.
sssine his stamp on it. Meiluer said 1t was
I'll right. add advised Adams TO send IL to
Chicago. wondering all the time at having
sold two winners for one drawing. Adams
said he thought he could get pass at least
part Of the way. and could dead-head the
ssss Of 1t. and would 20 In person. He
I'D not succeed in getting . pass these
hard times. and bought Q ticket over the
canadian Pacific. leaving on November 80
sr December L On December 9 he wired
Neliuer:
my prize ticket sss cashed. Received
a5o"
Mellner on the same day received the
bllowing dispatch from Ottens 4 Co.:
Eve paid Frank Adams yesterday 81, $50
iof B. p. ticket 933. c. o. d. you wired Us
about only won an approximation. Its
sumbsr is $685."
In due time notice came to johnson that
there was c. O. ID. package for him at the
6reat Northern express Office on which
the charges were $3.50. aud many were
ths offers of loans to the winner of the
bonanza. But he would not call on any of
bic friends for aid, and went down with .
light heart to get his fortune. On paying
~ money and receiving and opening the
'pockage his heart almost ceased 10 beat
= finding only q lottery ticket with the
nnmber 1888 In one place and 93S in another,
~ word ''eight" having been written over
he second figure 20" in one place, and the
tgure showing signs Of having been
changed from an 'S' by the erasure of
part of the lines. Accompanying this was
short note. stating that the number had
bsen changed from 93S 10 a33. and that. In
the cold. formal language Of tho lottery
man. the ticket had won only an approx
nation"
Sadly and slowly Johnson wendell his
way mp the hill To Mellucr's Office, mourn
Ing the money he had wasted on IN rides
can't dream of $3.50. He showed the
ticket and Melluer recognised the identity
cfnumber with that Adams had shown
him; he also saw his own stamp, bat he
psrceived that one Of the numbers had
bsen changed.
Since then there have been frequent pri-
nss conferences between Johnson and
Ford and their friends, in which they took
turn about a, cussing the lottery and the
express company alternately. Sometimes
Jon could not hear the horses stamp above
The din. and other times you could hear
yourself think If the horses did not happen
70 be stamping, for vociferous and silent
wrath gained the ascendant by turns. The
I've SPECTATORS were convinced that they
bad been bunkoed. but by whom they
could not tell; all they knew was that
hey wanted that g. 100. Either the forged
heket had been substituted for the one
sent when the latter reached the Chicago
lottery office, or the avarice OF some en-
ploye of the express company had caused
a(n 10 get away with the genuine ticket
os-xeil, there was no end TO the hypothe-
sss that whirled through their brains
Al last they came to the conclusion ID Al
me express company Was responsible on
'as ground that IL had undertaken TO con-
ssy TIE ticket safely to Chicago and to
eFins tho prize money safely back. so
Johnson and Ford yesterday entered suit
asainst the Great Northern Express Com
- -
ihey aiiege that on November % they
we're the joint owners of lottery ticket ass,
s1a delivered II to the company To carry
@taieago, deliver il TO NJ. ottens d Co.
ma return s.. $50; that the company did
nes fushl its agreement 10 do this. al
.aeagh the 81 go has been paid by ostens
s'F The ticket: and the defendant still re-
.usss 10 deliver 10 plaintiffs said sum of
~. although often requested so to do"
inese Who claim 30 he posted on the
1aeAs OF the lottery men say shat Ii is
ss'ese tins IS an example of their plsy-
coincidence game 20 avoid paying cot
eAe money 81 AL A record 10 kept az the
wnfat once Of the place where every
ssAes has been sold. and n soon as ii Is
saesn VIA. city has the grand prize. .
runner OF the lottery company is sent
~ .N provided With an exact duplicate of
s!nnsr made for the purpose, and dis
ssM on al sides, bosssing of his good
go when he has made sure OF being
- 70 prove that he vas in Seattle, or
aseves city has the winner, be returns
Headquarters. hands ia the duplicate
1ss and receives not the prize. but bis
- ss'ary o. commission. When the
s,asF OF The genuine ticket appears. mis-
80 pronounced forgery. the dupli-
SHOWN him and he gets nothing.
go aeroFd!ng 20 this story. the lottery