The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-16
FAKE LOTTERY PLAN
Kansas City Fraudulent Concern
Attempting to Get a FOOth0ld.
superintendent Powell Orders the Ar
rest of Every Louisiana Agent
Found in the City.

Police Superintendent Powell has been in
vestigating the local system of lottery traf-
fic and proposes to begin a vigorous war
against il. The specific enterprise which he
intends 70 look after is the Louisiana Lot
terry Company. At roll call last night the
Superintendent instructed officers and pa
trolmen 10 arrest every lottery agent found
in the city The police were also authorized
to arrest any person found with a lottery
ticket in his possession. superintendent
Powell says that the system of gambling
carried on by the Louisiana lottery has
grown to be one of the most pernicious
evils with which the city is infested. Several
days ago the chief received information to
the effect that lottery tickets being
scattered broadcast over the city, and as
signed to detective Kinney the task of To-
eating one two reported agents The de-
tective was not long in securing some valu-
able points. Yesterday morning detective
Kinney was approached by one of the city's
prominent business men, who placed in the
officers hand bulky envelope containing
an outfit of lottery tickets and instructions.
The business man received the package
two or three days ago, and, finding the
tickets unavailable decided to turn them
over to the police. Accompanying the tick
cts was the following CONFIDENTIAL letter,
bearing the signature of c. f. Stiles, pres
ident of the Louisiana lottery and dated
Kansas City. April 10:
Dear Strive want to do some business
in your locality and have selected you to
represent us there. We fully understand
and appreciate the reason why your people
have almost stopped buying lottery tickets;
il is because there has been no prize drawn
there of value for years, and many have
thus become discouraged and have ceased
a IA irnlN her 10 h1t
one way to revive the old-time interest and
excitement, and that is for some to
draw prize large enough to stimulate and
induce others TO start buying tickets again.
IF some well-known man like your
self should draw $4,000, $4,000, 81 600, or even
$1,000, in our lottery il would be the means
of selling thousands of tickets in your part
OF the country, and would create an old
time boom for us again. We Will certainly
do our part to awaken public interest in
lotteries i'm your locality if you Will do
yours. We inclose fifty one-dollar tickets,
and we want you TO sell every one of them
II you possibly can, as we want just as
many as possible in your town interested in
this May drawing. 1t being unlawful
to use the mail for lottery purposes. we
caution you against sending US money by
mail, as all such money simply goes to the
dead-letter office. Now, do your best and
leave the rest to us
Inside the letter addressed to the Indian
apolis business man was a small envelope
containing lottery ticket mo. 1878" A
printed slip incloSed with the ticket read:
"Confdential-Be sure to sell this ticket to
some prominent person who would not OBJ
ject 20 having his name published should
he draw a large prize"
The lottery is in Kansas City, Kan, just
across the river from Kansas City, Mo. A
number of other people received packages
of tickets from this concern Saturday. the
package being shipped by express. In each
case the number to be given the prom
inent citizen is 1888. and as the tickets
are not subdivided into quarters or halls
1T is readily apparent that the concern is
a fraud.
Superintendent Powell has notified a num-
Der of local agents of his intention TO ar
rest them if they persist i'm representing
the Louisiana lottery or any other lottery
in this city.