The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-06-30
THE SWINDLB
IS NOTORIOUS
Buyers Of Lottery Tickets
Get Nothing fcr Their
Money,
Efforts of the Grand Jury to
Locate the Active Swindlers
Have Been Futile.
Changes Suggested in the Methods of
Conducting the Offices of the
Auditor and Treasurer.

The Grand Jury held session yester-
day and considered the swindsng opera
lions of the fraudulent lottery Institutions
that are now conducted in San francisco.
II. w. Hannemanu and James Fogarty
OF the mmittee on gambling. opium
dens and lotteries presented the following
report:
To the Honorable Grand Jury of the City Of San
frdnclsc0-GENTLEMEN; Your committee on
lotteries In this City would most respectfully
report as follows:,
The several lottery schemes of which the
Louisiana State" and the Mexican PUBLIC
are representatives became so populal wi h the
public and were so largely patronized that a
number of fraudulent Institutions close imi-
tations OF the genuine, have been established
with secret agencies employing ticket vendors
OF botn sexes to dispose of tickets and draw
ing from the people of this CIIy thousands OF
dollars monthly tor many wears past
1t should be impressed upon the public that
these unlicensed lottery schemes are the most
perfect swindling institutions in existence,
Tor the buyer gets absol utely nothing that rep
resents value for his money and has no re-
course in law for his loss.
During all these wears each Grand Jury has
in turn invoked the aid of the authorities in
suppress ing the traffic without visible effect
The efforts of your committee to locate and
identity the active agents in The business has
been without result, owing 10 the ClAndrstine
methods adopted in conu ucuug their fairs
The reputed agents, advertising as such,
which nave Dctu NiSlNSu MT LnelE SeNef al places
OF business disc.aim any connection other
than common carriers or as bankers paving
money TO order in the usual way, and evidence
OF other connection sufficient to base leeai
action upon could not be obtained. So far as
your committee could ascertain there has
very rarely been money paid to the holder of
any winning ticket, the general agents as
rule declaring all such as are presented TO be
counterfeit or defective and void.
In the opinion OF your committee the general
public are the direct cause of these lottery
frvoc fh,1-.
the establishments would cease to exist Very
respectfully submitted. II. w. HANNEMANN,
JAMES FoGARTY.
A committee of the Grand Jury COM
posed OF ;. w. Backus, A. L. Piper and
Aureliu' E Buckingham recentlv paid
visit 10 the office of the Auditor. The
committee makes this recommendation g
SAN FRANCISCO. June %, 1897.
TO the Honorable Grand JurB-CENTLEMEN
We have visited The Auditors office and ouId
ranged as to show in alphabetical order:
The name OF each employe OF the City and
County
The department in which employed.
The date of appointment
And whether an extra or regular deputy.
some system should be inaugurated which
VIII be Tor the benefit and protection of the
party or parties furnishing supplies to the
City and County.
That all acquisitions from any person fur
nlshlng supplies to the City and County be at
tached 10 the vouchers and warrants for a pc
Rod OF not less than two years after said war
rants or demands are paid.
Under the present system the original requi-
sltlons are not kept in any de apartment There
seems 10 be no authority of law to destroy
these reQuisitions, nevertheless they are de-
stroyed, and therefore II is not possible to
Know whether or not the original requIsilion
agrees with the stub on file with the Board OF
supervisors Respectfully yours,
5. w. BACKUs,
ARTHUR L. PIPER, Committee.
AURELIUS +. BUCKINGHAM
The same committee visited the
Treasurer's office and after an inspection
OF the premises presented report suggest
ing these changes in the arrangement of
the Office:
SAN Francisco, Cal. June %, 1897
To the Grand jury, Jig and County Of San
Francisco - GENTLEMEN: Your committee
respectfully report that they have visited the
Office oil the Treasurer and were shown every
courtesy by Treas urer Widber and his dePu-
ties
The books aud public documents are kept
up 10 date in neat and comprehensive FORM
Your committee respectfully recommends
Treasurer's Office with partitions alter the
bunk.
The vault, safes ard moneys in the outer
office IRE ali accessible to all the attaches of
he office. There is Thereby created divided
responsibility" which ought not TO exist
While the present system has mot resulted In
any loss under this administration of the
Office the change should nevertheless be made
once to avoid such contingency in the
future. Respectfully,
:. W. BACKUs
ARTHUR L. PIPER, : Commit tee
AURELIUs L. BUCKINGHAM, }
No witnesses were heard at The session
yesterday. The jury adjourned to meet
again on Tuesday. July 10