Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1895-09-19
A LOTTERY WRECK.

W men L saw nun, ne was SltIlng IN tne
library at n desk apparently engaged in u
laborious mathematical calculation.
He covered sheet after sheet with figures
and occasionally paused to gaze at his
work with intense interest,
The busy ~'.rker was neatly atttred In
black, and his serene and intellectual face
bore not the slightest trace OF insanity.
The superintendent who accompanied
me picked up sheet OF paper and called
my attention TO it. On every line appeared
the figures 77,777
Every sheet is like that, he said.
| THE old man does nothing else all day
long"
What do these figures mean|' l asked
at the suggestion If my companion,
lit is the number OF my lottery ticket"
was the ready answer NO, 77,777 in tho
| lottery has drawn the capital prize of 500,
900, ana the money will be here tomor.
row,
Then the poor fellow smiled and a joy
full light came into his eyes,
lit will make me the happieSt man la
the world " he said "Not that care for
it myself, but have madea present OF the
ticket to my wife and she needs the
money"
"You are very fortunate replied, lin
getting the ticket with the winning num-
Der. =
Eyes, and | dreamed 1t, " was the re-
Spouse. The number came 10 me in my
dreams three successive nights, and SO
bought the ticket. My wife laughed at
me, but 1t drew the prize, and when it
comes tomorrow am going to give it to
her in 100 81, 900 bills"
He bent over the table and began 1igur-
Ing again in his slow and methodical way.
"A strange dolusion, said to the SUI.
perintendent HAS it any foundations"
1T is very sad story" replied the
official THE old man has been here 80
years, and during oil that time he has
talked of nothing but his prize and the
happiness 1t will bring to his wife.
"His name is Colonel S., and he
came from one of our upper counties, He
had small estate and wife with very
large ideas.
1.-The colonel's house would have sup
ported the two comfortably but for the
fact that his beautiful and high spirited
! wife was always making extravagant de-
| mands. She squandcred his money, forced
| him to mortgage his plantation and then
made him borrow large sums right and
| left.
AT last the colonel could borrow no
| longer, and his creditors began to press
him This made his wife furious, and she
| stormed and ragged ut him and told him
| that he must provide her with funds.
"Her husband bore 1t all patiently, but
he was driven nearly crazy by his creditors
and his naggng wife One night he
! dreamed that he had purchasd No. ~, III
| In the lottery and that it was the win
| ming ticket. He had the same dream three
times that night, and the next day he
went to the city and bought the ticket.
His wife scolded him for his folly and
| in her angry mood she threatened to de.
| stroy the ticket. The colonel knew that
| she was just the woman to do such thing
and he concealed the precious bit of paper
and waited for the next monthly drawing
MATTERS grew worse and the two were
| hardly on speaking terms One Saturday
| the colonel went to the postotlice and came
| back at breakneck speed, squirting his
horse all the way. He rushed into tho
| house and throwing his arms around his
| wife's neck told her that they were saved
and that his ticket had drawn the prize.
"The woman turned pale and gasped for
breath Her husband showed her the Off.
cial list of tho drawing and shouted for joy.
| But not word came from his wife. a
| hopeless look of despair came over her face,
and for the first time she was afraid to
| meet the eyes of the man who stood by her
| side.
"a terrible thought flashed through the
colonel's mind, and without word he
| hurried to the secret place where he had
concealed the ticket
ut was gone The beautiful tigress
whose greed and temper had wrecked his
| life had carried out her threat. She had
| found the ticket and destroyed it. There
was no doubt of that, for she was the only
one in the house with the exception of her
husband who had access to the room where
the paper had been deposited.
when the colonel returned to his wife's
room, she threw herself on her knees at
his feet. She wept and kissed his hands
and refused to be comforted. The colonel
| knew that the case was hopeless for the
| Havana lottery always required the ticket
itself and no tale about its destruction
would do any good. He helped his wife
to her feet and kissed her, and told her
that it was all right, they would make
new start and get along somehow.
"But the woman had made up her mind
| She tore herself away from her loyal pa
tient victim ana went into another room,
locking the door behind her The report
of a pistol told what had occurred, and
when the colonel broke open the door he
found his wife dead, with bullet Though
her heart.
: 1.-The neighbors found him sitting by
the dead womans side talking about his
prize His reason had deserted him, and
since that day he has been just as you see
him now. He believes that his wife is liv-
| ing and his entire time is spent in de-
vising plans Tor her comfort and pleasure. y
! will he ever recover" / asked the SUI
! perintcndent.
Never He has been in this condition
! 80 years and is now 65 years old. 1t is
best for him to remain as he is. II he
, should regain his reason, nothing but sor-
row would come with it. "
walked back TO the table and found
the colonel covering another sheet Of paper
with the figures H.
Il hope your prize will come tonor-
row, said pleasantly.
1T is sure 10 come" he replied. land