Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1899-01-21
LOTTERIES AND LUCK
TRICKS THAT HAVE BEEN PLAYED BY
TICKLE FORTUNE

Some Instances Tint Aptly IIluatrato
tho Truth of tho Old Adngc That
There La Many "a Slip 'Twi1t tho
Cup and tho Lip.
There are few things with which ro-
nance ID moro closely connected than
tha distribution of lottery prizes, and
there can be no doubt that we Britons
arc NIL the better off because Of ths ille-
Rality of holding lotteries in tho United
Kingdom. A big lottery must disap-
point hundreds of Thousands whilo 1t
onriohes one winner, who often finds
that his hastily acquired wealth results
in doing him moro harm than good.
A short time ago tho first prize In
one OF tho Italian stnto lotteries, which
amounted to some &S. 900, foil TO u
peasant who, with his vito. had actually
died OF starvation within fow hours
of tho drawing Of the prize.
Owing to dream In which peasant
had tho presentiment TINT n oertnin
number would DO on tina ticket which
would win the splendid prize, no
scrapod all his money together and pur-
chased not the ticket no wantod, be-
cause IL WINS already sold, but ono which
bore the samo numerals, differently mr.
ranged. Then he and hiH wife fell OH
desperately hard times, whsoh eventual
ly closed upon them IN doath from sheor
starvation, for ho had tried and failed
to sell his lottery chance. which waH
the last thing left to him.
When the drawing ohme on. he won
the frat prize of es. 900, but rs no wan
dead and no next OF kin could BIO diRoov-
cred the prize was rallied for again.
when it fell to swell the purse of an
Italian banker who already was pos
sessed Of vast wealth.
A German lady living in Brunswick
had fancy that certain ticket would
win prize in lottery In which the
first prize was $4,000. 1t mny soein
strange, but 1t Is vouohed for as being
perfectly true, that che 30 altered her
opinion as to the chances Of her ticket
winning prize that she bartered it
away for new hat from her milliner
within a few days Of having purchased
il.
This was melancholy exception to
the rule that second thoughts are al
ways best. I" The ticket which she had
exchanged for q hat, possibly worth o
couple of guineas, succeeded in captur-
ing the first prize of SIS. 600. and the
milliner, who considered he bad run
his risks, absolutely refused to palliate
his customers bitter disappointment by
anything beyond the payment of few
pounds, which were dragged from him
BY hollow threats Of legal action.
On ono occasion the first prize in an
Italian lottery, amounting to nearly
e5, 900, fell to a man who had died
three days before she rattle, the second
prize Of GO, 600 fell to q lady who had
sold her lucky ticket at the eleventh
hour, and the third prize Of 81, 900 to
private soldier who, on hearing Of his
good fortune drank himself mad and
then committed suicide For want OF
claimants who could establish their
claims satisfactorily, the first and third
prizes were again ratified FOR, and this
time they both fell to the same person
the owner Of one Of the largest pri-
vate estates in Austria, who was quite
Indifferent about the addition to his al
ready huge fortune.
Silly superstitions play an important
part in the buying and selling OF lottery
tickets, and it is no uncommon thing
for person who fancies certain mum
Der to buy it at price equal to hun
dreds Of times it's original cost, and
many Of those who indulge in this kind
of speculation with the fixed idea OF
gain generally discover that 1t is an
expensive game.
A German banker conceived the idea
that the first prize in certain lottery
would fall to the holder of ticket on
which the figure three stood either alone
or with others. So greatly impressed
was be with this belief that be bought
up every ticket that bore the mineral
three, little deal which cost him some
thousands Of pounds because many OF
the tickets be fancied were held by per-
sons to whom he had to pay fancy prices.
One of these persons when approach
ed on the matter refused to sell his
ticket unless the banker purchased q
complete bundle of 20, Of which no was
anxious to get rid. The banker did not
wiah to do this, as there was only one
ticket bearing three in the bundle,
but he ultimately consented, took the
ticket be wanted and gave the vender
back all the Others Great must have
been his annoyance on discovering later
that the first prize had not fallen to
him, but had been won by one Of the
tickets he had bought and scorned.-
London Tit-Bits.