The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-12-20
GREAT COUNTRY FOR PIE.
GOurdain, the New Orleans Lottery
Man Says This Is.
IT'S SENT TO HIN EVERY DAY

while lie is in Sail and He Dc esn:t
Ike Pie-Says He's Having an Easy
Time.
A visitor at the county Jail any day
will see man in the outer office VINO
will attract attention. His skin is dark
and his features regular. His moustache
IL Icng, black and silky and his eyes
piercing in their brilliance. He wears !
good clothes and patent leather shoes.
His collar and shirt are changed every
dav. He is better dcessed than SherlH
Burdoe or any officer in Topeka and
stiu The man is technically prisoner.
His name is L. A. Gourdain and his
home is in New Orleans. he SPENDS
almost all his time in the outer Office be-
cause he is the "trusty" and that indl-
vidual is locked up at night only and not
always then. He has room to himself
Gourdain might be taken for a bank
er's clerk. and he is in fact banker
himself, He was convicted of using the
mails for lottery purposes, and given
sixtv DAYS in Jail His sentence Is not
vet half served. In addition to his Jail
sentence he was fined $500, but this he
did not mind. His hope was that he
would be let off with a fine only, but
Judge Foster told him that his was
case that did not appeal to his Judicial
sympathy, and he sentenced the convict
ed man to jail His case went to the
court of appeals. where the sentence was
confirmed, and Gourdain returned to To-
peka and gave himself up to accept the
Inevitable.
His voice is soft but he speaks with
confidence. He reads all the New York
and Topeka papers. and all his spare
time is spent iu reading. His meals are
served in the Jail but they are brought
from the Throop. He says the meals are
all right, but he has one objection TO
them and he thus expressed his excep-
tic n:
This is the greatest country for pie l
ever saw. They send me pie twice
dav. OF course l never touch it and
send it back, but next day l have pie
Gourdain takes his imprisonment
rather as a Joke. 81 needed a rest"
said he. land feel better than l have
for long time. There is nothing to
worry about here. l go to bed and have
nothing to think about. l get up in the
morning and there is no work before me,
and l can truly say that the time has
passed very rapidly, while most people
would think that it would hang heavily
on my hands
81 suppose the Honduras lottery people
are satisfied to know l am in Jail, for I
drove them out of Louisiana, and broke
up their business. Their business fell
off 100000 or 100000 in year, and it
is not surprising that they had it in for
me-"
"How did you iniure their business"
asked the reporter.
after we succeeded in driving them
Oft I had q rt1th IiSb ad
about their condition and standing and it
was telegraphed all over the country. 1t
did not come from me directly but it
came from me just the same and they
never recovered from the effect.
"Then we had Doodle council in New
Orleans and I showed them up and
several of them are on their way TO the
penitentiary now. They think that they
got even with me but they do not know
that l am not in a very bad way here.
81 made one great mistake and that
was in employing attorneys. l have
nothing to say against my attorneys but
thew were not in the favor of the court
and have been told that it was just like
Haunting a red flag to have them appear
l did not ask any one whom | had better
employ because I knew they would rec
ommend some friend aud when l ask a
mans advice always like to act on it"
Gourdain's attorneys were Keller &
Welch.
There is similar charge pending
against me in Cincinnati" he continued,
"and 1 suppose l will have to stand trial
there. My family is in New Orleans and
they are not worrying. They know that
do not have a very hard time of it
here"
Gourdain is a fluent talker He says
he never was in the lottery business
himself and persists that he is being per-
secuted but says: Il guess l can stand
it if they can" By they" he refers to
the men connected with the old Louisi-