The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-01-31
ESTABLISHED IN FLORIDA.
The Louisiana Lottery in a
New Home.
Its Headquarters Now at Port
Tampa City.
An Extensive Plant Erected There
by the Company.
The Actual Drawings Conduc in Hon
duras, but all the Rest of the
Business Transacted on
Florida Soil.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Jan. 30.-- The
Citizen will publish tomorrow morning
page of matter purporting to be an
expose OF the establishment in Florida
of the Louisiana state lottery. The Cit
izen will soy:
The Louisiana State Lottery company
was expelled from New Orleans. Decem-
Der 31st, last, and has transferred it's
headquarters to Port Tampa City, this
state. The gambling institution, which
for 25 years has been drawing from the
American people $4,000, 900 to $40, 900, 900
and retaining nearly so per cent OF the
money, is now in full operation on our
soil.
Under the name OF the Honduras
National Lottery company, it pretends
to move to Honduras, but the main
Offices are in Port Tampa City. There
its tickets and advertisements are
printed and money received from
patrons. From that place lists of draw
ings, tickets and literature are sent and
prizes paid.
The lottery designs to make this state
its permanent nome. The change in
the lottery laws enacted at the lest ses-
sion makes its existence here permissi-
BILE. The result of an investigation,
carried on for several weeks by MEM
ber OF the Citizen staff, will be a dis
agreeable surprise to the citizens of this
state and the whole country.
1t was believed when the lottery WAS
driven out of New Orleans it would
never again secure footing on Ameri-
can soil. A charter was secured from
the government of Honduras; land was
purchased at Puerto Cortez, small
town near the northeast coast, and an
Office building erected, but while this
was being done to fraw suspicion
from the plan, much bolder scheme
had been determined upon. Agents
were sent to Florida and tract of
land bought at Port Tampa,
O email village near the head
OF Tampa bay. $50 miles southwest OF
Jacksonville. Here large brick build
ing, l30 feet long and 45 feet wide. was
| built and equipped with costly plant
for printing lottery tickets and litera-
ture. A portion of the building was
! fitted up for offices, and occupied osten-
eibly by the Central American express,
but in reality by employees of the lot
terry. A Citizen reporter remained for a
week at Port Tampa, became acquainted
with the lottery employees and learned
that, while the monthly drawings were
to be conducted in Honduras, all the
rect of the business would be carried on
in this state.
Among other officials the lottery re-
porter met ]. II. Morris of New York
city, who frankly admitted the nature of
the business in which the Central Amer
icau express WAS engaged. and said that
he expected it would be permanently
located in Port Tampa city.
January 10th the steamer Breakwa.
ter, chartered by the lottery, arrived at
Port Tampa, bringing President Paul
Conrad, Manager Davis and Commits.
sloner General W. l.. Cabell and Col.
onel Villere. They brought with them
plates of the numbers winning prizes,
and several hundred Thousand copies of
the prize lists were at once struck off.
The Citizen reporter accompanied the
commissioners to New Urlcsns and
learned from them that no pretense was
made OF keeping them in Honduras, but
! in reality all the business OF the lottery,
except the mere formal monthly draw.
ing, was carried on in this state.