The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-13
SAVED BY ALOTTERY
How New Jersey Raised
Money to Buy the State
From the Indians.
A MASSACRE R
Poor Lo Was Ready to Murder
the COlonists When the Gam
bling Scheme Was Adopted.

Indignation. righteous or otherwise,
I voted to prohibit lotteries, says the
Newark Sunday Call, it is quite possible
they thought they were doing some
thing that had never been done before
in the State, or ct least they probably
imagined the lottery evil was one OF
comparatively recent invention. TT
State originally set a bad xample,
writes someone in the New York Trib-
une concerning New Jersey, when it
| legalized a lottery to pay for bridging
the Passafc and Hackensack Rivers
years ago." This statement seems to be
in a line with the popular understand
ing on the subject, whereas lotteries had
fourished with more or less frequency
and persistency for nearly a century be-
fore the bridges over the PaSSa1c at
Hackensack were thought of. One of
the first lotteries of which there is any
record seems to have been established
by the Assembly in the colony of New
Jersey, in order to help the colony over
a very critical period in its history.
Indeed. it would seem from the records
that the pages of New jerseys colonial
history might nave been very bloody and
turbulent ones had it not been for this
lottery. DO the ends ever justify the
means? Probably not. when the ends
are bad. And if the lottery is an evil in
itself, in it's fundamental principle-that
of giving one a blind chance to put a
| considerable sum of money in his pocket.
which he has not really given a fair ex-
change for-then the fathers of the col
ony, when in their desperation they
cast about for some means to save the
- H. %k1-rr &c q
bulwark gains disaster, did wrong.
But this is how it all happened, and the
reader may settle for himself the ques-
ton of right and wrong.
MONEY FOR POOR LO.
There appears on the records of the
old Colonial Court proceedings in the
of laws enacted, as reproduced
very much as follows:-'1758-Act to en-
power certain persons to purchase the
Claims of the Indians to lands in the
Colony One would have to scan these
words g. very long time before he would
find the trail of the lottery serpent over
them, and If it were not for a musty
old record OF Colonial Court proceed.
ings still preserved from the wreck, OF
time, the real significance of the law
might not be known today. The old
record, however, has this to say con-
chasing the claim of the indians with
the appreciation of the Governor ennpow-
cred to appoint proper Directors and
Managers to draw one Lottery for the
Pounds, in the Month of October, One
Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty
Nine
In 1850 and in 1861 similar laws were
made providing for lotteries by which
800 each was to be raised for the same
purpose, making In all FL, 600 raised by
lottery to satisfy the demands Of the
Indian was placated and his tomahawk
uplifted and ready to strike, fell harm
less by his side and the .colonists in
! ceaseless terror of the night attack with
It's awful accompaniment of flame and
Slaughter breathed freely once m~~e and
went about their occupations in peace
anu IINDiANs RETALIATE.
1t was but one episode in the many
which have marked the steady crowding
out of poor Lo., but it meant every
thing to New Jersey. Ever since 1855
this trouble with the Indians had been
afoot. The chiefs at the councils in
Jersey, or in What is now Pennsylvania,
NAMED their dusky warriors with mar
rations of the white mans tyranny and
unjust dealing. In l757 or earlier the IN
they knew. They prosecuted a sort OF
desultory warfare upon the settlers
! along the western borders of the Prov
ince and the history of these disturb
| ances is the same practically as the
| history of the growth of all the colonies.
The Indians fed their enmity by brood
ing over their misfortunes. Whenever
they became intoxicated there was
| trouble, and the avarice of peddlers who
| doled out to poor Lo fre-water at ex-
orbitant prices caused indirectly the
murder of many an innocent Jersey set
tier and his family.
The Minnisinks were especially active
| in these outrages, and the records assert
! that from May, 1757, to April, 1858, near
" thirty white people were slain by the
red man on the West Jersey side of the
| Delaware. The midnight massacre was
! glare of the flames destroying the set
tiers cabin continually told the terror
| stricken farmers that one more dark
| alarmed did the settlers become that a
| constant guard was kept under arms to
| protect the people. These were the con-
ditions which brought into existence
ince of New Jersey as a means for &C
quiring funds to conduct its affairs.
MASSACRE AVERTED.
In June, 1758, Governor Bernard, of
New Jersey, consulted with General
Forbes and with Governor Denny, of
| Pennsylvania, as to what should be
done to avert a general and more seri-
Gus outbreak. Through Teedyescung,
| King of the Delawares, they obtained a
| conference with the Minrisinks and the
ance tina the white men should be
kept in safety, was arranged for and
held at Burlington, August Z, 1858. The
two Governors and the three Commits
ssoners on Indian Affairs appointed by
Assembly and ssx members of the Coun-
! eli were there. For the Indians. there
were four Minnlsinks. one Cayugan and
4 one Delawa The pow-wow simply re-
suited in the decision to hold another
one at Easton, Pa.
This was held in October of the same
year. and it was attended by over 500
indians. 1t was finally decided that the
/ Minnisinks would give up all claim on
New Jersey for fL.0W and the other
tribes for $500. Of course. the Indians
were clamorous for their money. 1t was
though today it seems almost beyond
belief that a good part of West Jersey
besides various other tracts, was pur-
chased for IS, 900. The Assembly had no
such amount, and thus it seemed wise
and just and fitting that the lotteries
Of 1853 and 1850 should be established.
was it wise? Well. If it had not been