The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-22

sidering that the tickets sold are fakes O
the first water, and that Mr.. Reynolds
knows them to be fakes-as he has NOR.
than once admitted in private to different
| persons-the fine ought to be large enough
to make it more profitable for Mr.. Rey
nolds to make living in some other way
But the law limits the penalty to 500, and
the court has discretion to make it less
| The practice has been to make the first
fine a light one, and subsequent ones
heavier, and this practice seems to be in
keeping with the spirit of the law, though
not at all in touch with the public spirit at
this time. The fact is that the law does
not fit the times, but that is another mat
ter.
Considering further this subject of
fraudulent lottery tickets it is certainly
safe to say that at this or no other time in
the history of. San Francisco would there
be any sympathy wasted on ''Agent" Rey-
nolds. Even the people who continually
break the law by buying lottery tickets
will be glad to see Reynolds exposed, and
would be still more pleased to see him
driven out OF the business or out of the
City, and if this is true of Reynolds how
about the Epson gang of counterfeiters
Early this week Detective Wright searched
the premises of several printing and litho-
graphing houses near Clay and Mont
gomery streets, but could get no trace of
either Upson's plant or product. Epson is
out on bail pending an appeal to the
Superior Court from his conviction in
Judge Lows Police Court. And while he
is on bail he is counterfeiting more lottery
tickets.
The Little Louisiana, the Mexican Gov
eminent and the Honduras lotteries are the
ones most counterfeited, because they are
the only ones that even pretend to give
prizes. OF course the prctense doesn't
amount to much but it is there, such as it
is, while all the others are out and out
fakes and frauds.
Now, don't rush off to buy ticket in
one of these three companies until you
have learned how the counterfeiters of
these tickets work. Chief Crowley has
stated positively that fully half of all the
tickets of genuine lottery companies sold
in this City are counterfeits. And the
Chief knows what he is talking about. He
has seen and handled probably more lot
terry tickets than any other one man in the
nOA1t III VI OuI VI Vic iOtttTy BUSINESS. a
short time ago he had two big wagon-loads
OF tickets burned, and there are now about
twenty-five tons of counterfeit lottery
tickets in the basement at police head
quarters.
But perhaps you want something more
than bare statement OF facts. That is
quite right. You are entitled to details
and you shall have them. You want to
know how so many counterfeit tickets can
possibly be put on the market. Then read ::
In the first place the really clever lottery
ticket counterfeit is fine piece of work
1t is Photographic reproduction of the
original, ard sometimes it is printed ON as
good a quality Of banknote paper as the
genuine, and sometimes not However,
the majority of the people and the ped
dlers are not good judges OF banknote
paper.
Now, "a good many dealers and peddlers
who would scorn to sell fraudulent or
counterfeit lottery ticket are vet selling
these very same frauds and counterfeits.
WhyF Because they don't know it. From
their agent they receive bundle OF
perhaps $40 worth or perhaps 500
worth. From one-half to two-thirds of
that bundle of tickets is made up of the
'queer" kind. That's the way they are
put on the market. When the packages
of genuine lottery tickets are received
through Wells Fargo they are at once
opened by the head agents in this City,
and half of the contents of each package
they come. 1000 in package usually--is
taken out and replaced by like number
OF counterfeit tickets. That is the first
adulteration, and it nets the head agents
whoever they may be, just so per cent.
Suppose an agency received 5000 Hon.
duras tickets through Wells Fargo & Com
panys express-a supposition that is not
even quite up to the truth--earlv this