Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-04-09
Fron New Orleans. Oar Southern Capt.
tat"
lBy julien Ralph in Harper's Magazine for
February.l

The Louisiana Lottery being legalized.
tickets are openly displayed in the shop
windows and are sold on the sidewalks
by men, women, and children. One store
for the sale of these tickets bears such a
legend az this on its sign: Ibis Is lucky
No H. More winning tickets sold here
than anywhere else III town.
There was drawing while | was in the
city, and knowing that the lottery COM
pauy was not gong TO ask for renewal of
It's privileges, | availed myself OF the OPP
pOrtunity TO witness Its chief public ope-
ration and the historic characters who
have been induced by large salaries to
figure for it. The drawing took place IN q
theatre called the Academy of Music
at II o'clock in the morning. The yellow
gas-iets battled feebly with the daylight
IN the lobby into which the people were
pressing without let or qualification. The
theatre was two-thirds full at last. On the
stage, set with parlOr scene, was q knot
of men between two wheels. The wheel
on the right was band of silver. with
sides Of glass and with door IN the metal
rim. A bushel OF little black gutta-percha
envelopes the size of dOmlnOes had been
poured INTO this wheel. and a white boy,
Embodied with handkerchief, stood at
the handle of the crank by which the
wheel was turned. He had one arm in the
door OF the wheel, and with the hand OF
the other arm was Offering tiny envelope
to General BeauregGrd-the last surviving
general who served on either side IN orr
late war A fine. most gentlemanly-loo
ing man no Is. with the features of q
French courtier, with snowy hair. white
mOustache, a little gOatee, and the plnkest
skin q baby ever knew. He was faultlessly
dressed. Across the stage, beside a very
much larger wheel Of partl-colored boards,
l.. latL A
feet type OF the conventional figure OF
Father Time; tall, portly, stoop-shOul-
dered, partly bald. and with a long, heavy
white beard. He was dressed all in the
color of the uniform he distinguished 10y
his yalor as O soldier.
By each general stood blindfolded boy,
taking numbers ont 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 lit
tie wheel 10 General Beauregard came the
numbers of dollars that formed the prIZe
each ticket had wOD. b. each general
stood crier. Early read out, Twenty
one thousand one hundred and ffty-two " (;
and Beauregard, having shelled the eutta-
percba case of billet, read out, Two
hundred dollars" Then the criers took
the billets and cried the numbers. "Twen-
ty-one thousand one hundred and fifty
TWO iIOil Out W.
from the other. who. by the way, called
out two hundred dollars at least two hun
bred times. But all the prizes were not OF
that amount. | CHANGED TO hea- the capt.
tai prize read out.
Twenty eight thousand four hundred
and thrrty.nine." said Early. Three
hundred thousand dollars" said Beaure-
gard.
The effect was startling; indeed the
startled senses refused 10 grasp the mean
ing of the words. The criers repeated the
figures. The people IN the theatre craned
forward. hundred pencils shot over pads
or bits of paper in mems and women 5
laps. Then a murmur of voices sounded
all over the house. The routine on tho
stage was halted. for the criers took the
two bits of paper TO some clerks who sat
at tables in the further part OF the stage
10 allow them To verify the important
figures. Then the routine began anew.