St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-05

l was assured that I was regarded as
| a transient boarder, and that L was
a patron rather than a guest; but as
l did not yet feel at ease, I took cour
age and explained to Mr.. Barross that
/ was not a coffee planter Or a capt.
| talist looking for concession from
| the government, but that ! was in Hon.
| duras to write of what 1 found there.
| Mr.. Barross answered that he knew
already why was there from the New
Orleans papers which had arrived II
tho boat with me, and seemed rather
pleased than otherwise to have me
about the house. This set my mind at
rest, and though it may not possibly
be of the least interest to the reader
it is of great Importance to me that
the same reader should understand that
all 1 write here of the lottery was told
to me by the lottery people themselves,
with the full knowledge that 1 was
going to publish it. And later, when
had the pleasure of meeting Mr..
Duprez, the late editor of the States.
in New Orleans, and then in Tegucl-
galpa. as representative of the lottery,
l warned him in the presence of several
of our friends to be careful, as
would probably make use of all he told
me. To which he agreed, and cont1n-
ucd answering questions for the rest
of the evening l may also add that
I have taken care to verify the hgures
used here. for the reason that the
lottery people are at such obvious dlS-
advantage in not being allowed by law
to reply to what is said OF them not
to correct any mistake in any state
ments that may be made to their ols-
advantage.
had never visited hotel or
country house as curious as the one
presided over by Mr. Barross. 1t was
entirely original in its decoratloh'
UNIQUE in it's sources Of entertainment,
and it's business office, unlike most
business offices, possessed peculldr
fascination. The stationery for the use
of the patrons, and on which wrote
to innocent friends in the North, pore
the letter head of the Honduras LOT
terry company; the pictures on the
walls were framed groups OF lottery
tickets purchased in the past by MT.
Barross, which had not drawn prizes
and the safe in which the guest might
place his valuables contained large
canvas bag sealed with red wax, ana
holding in prizes for the next draw
ing $75,0 COO.
Wherever you turned were evidences
of the peculiar business that was De-
ing carried on under the roof that
sheltered you, arT outside In the gar
den stood anothe.' building, containing
the printing press on which the hsts
of winning numbers were struck OIL
before they were distributed broadcast
about the world But of more interest
than all else was the long sunshiny
emntv room running the full length of
the house, in which, on a platform at
one end were two immense Wheels,
enc of glass and brass, and as trans
parent as a bowl of goldfish, and the
other closely draped in heavy can
vas hood laced and strapped around
it. and holding sealed and locked
within it's great bowels 100000 paper
tickets in 100000 rubber tubes.
The room in which the drawings are
held is about forty feet long, well
lighted by many long wide windows,
and with the stage upon which the
wheels stand blocking one end. 1t is
unfinished, except for the chairs ana
benches, upon which the natives or
any chance or intentional visitors are
welcome to sit and to watch the
drawing. The larger wheel, Whlch
holds, when all the tickets are solo,
the hopes of 100000 people. is about
six feet in diameter. with sides OF
heavy glass, bound together by
wooden tire two feet wide. ThlS tire
or rim is made of slaves, formed IKE
those of a hogshead, and in it's door
a foot square. After the tickets have
been placed in their little rubber
Jackets and shovelled into the wheel,
this door is locked with a paddock.
and strips of paper are pasted across
it and sealed at each end, and so 1t
! remains until the next drawing. One
hundred thousand tickets in rubber
tubes an inch long and quarter of an
inch wide take Up a great deal of
space, and make such an appreciate
difference in the weight of the wheel
that it requires the efforts of two men
pulling on the handles at either side
to even bulge it. Another man and
myself were quite satisfied when we
had put our shoulders to it and had
succeeded in turning it foot or two.
But it was interesting to watch the
little black tubes with even that slow
start go slipping and sliding down
over the others, leaving the greater
mass undisturbed and packed together
the upper layer of pebbles on a beach.
This wheel was manufactured by Jack
son & Sharp, of Wilmington, Del. The
| other wheel is much smaller, and holds
the prizes. It was made by John Rob-
| inson, OF Baltimore.
Whenever there is a drawing. Gen.
| W. L. Cabell, of Texas, and Col. c. J.
| Where, of Louisiana, who have taken
hn rNla of
gard and of the late Gen. Early, take
their stand at different wheels, Gen.
! Cabell at the large and Col. Where at
the one holding the prizes. They open
the doors which they had sealed up
month previous, and into each wheel
a little Indian girl puts her hand and
draws out a tube. The tube holding
the ticket is handed to Gen. Cabell,
and the one holding the prize won is
given to Col. Where. and they read
| the numbers aloud and the amount
won six times, three times in Spanish
and three times in English, on the
| principle probably of the man in the
play who had only one line, and who
spoke that twice, so that the audi
ence will know I am saying it,
The two tickets are then handed to
| young Barross, who fastens them to-
gether with a rubber band, and throws
them into a basket for further refer
ence. Three clerks with duplicate
books keep tally of the numbers and
| of the prizes won. The drawing be-
| gins generally at in the morning and
| lasts until 10, and then, everybody
| having been made rich, the philan-
! thropists and generals and colonies and
Indian girls-and, let us hope, the men
who turn the wheel-go in to break
| fast
So far as I could see. the drawings
are conducted with. fairness. But with
| only 3,434 prizes and 100000 tickets, the
chances are so infinitesimal and the
| advantage to the company so enormous
that honesty in manipulating the wheel
ceases to be virtue, and becomes the
| lottery's only advertisement.
But what is most interesting about
the lottery at present is not whether
| it is Or it is not conducted fairly h1It