The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-26
Gig of the COIOred
Folks Is Drawn.
PLAYERS WINHEAYILY
All Seemed to Have Large Sums
on Lucky Numbers.
Circumstance Is Attributed to
q Dream.
First Time the Combination
Has Won Since April.

Chicago, Aug. 26.-The heart of many
a colored policy player was made glad
yesterday morning when "4-11-44''
came out in the red bOok-the first
time since April that the favortte gig
of the coIored folk has been drawn
The policy shops were hit exception
ally hard 1t seemed as if the previous
night had been productive of dreams
of the kind that cause the playing OF
what is usually called the policy gig
Thousands of dollars were paid to win
ners and every policy shop in Chicago
registered losses on the days drawings
In the 'Ievee" district in the evening
there was an informal but widespread
celebration of the momentous OCCASION
COlOred men who had won $500 or mora
or less on invest tment not to exceed 81
or 81 naturally felt that the time was
one for jubilattOn and money passed
over saloon bars at an unusually rapid
rate. Many decorated themselves in
honor of their luck and pedestrians IN
State and Clark streets could tell by the
ribbons that adorned canes and by the
bOutonnieres worn by colOred SWeilS
that the famous ''4-11-44' or some
other popular combination had come
out in the policy books.
WHITE MEN GET LITTLE MONEY
1t is singular that on this occasion.
as at previous times, few white policy
players won in the drawing. The back
erS OF the policy DOCKS always uEEA0
the coming out of the gig, because the
cOlored betters invariably play 1t at
the right time. 1t is not of record that
on days when the combination is not a
winning one there is any great amount
of money placed on it. This fact
strengthens the superStitiOuS tenden-
cies of the black men.
The "4-11-44'' gig has been famous
since fifteen years ago, when on Christ
mas night it came out after it had been
played for thousands of collars IN every
III az Ion IA
it that a Chicago eolOred woman had a
dream which she told to a friend with
the advice to play the numbers 4, II, 44
In a few hours the counsel was spread
among colored policy players all over
the city, was telegraphed to every
part of the United States and accepted
with blind faith and marvelOusly lucky
results by the majority of those who
received it.
DREAMS ARE POTENT FACTORS
Having come into prominence in hOli-
day time the gig is faVorite choice IN
holiday seasons, but the influence or
dreams is, of course, the most potent
factor in guiding betters. To dream OF
a locomotive, of a train of cars, of a
bill-a laundry bill or any other ac-5
count-of a horse race or of several
other things is the signal for the play
ing of the "4-11-44" gig, or of other
combinations in which the three num-
berS appear.
It is said that a dream of a coIored.
porter in a State street saloon was the
cause of the heavy playing in Chicago
of the gig this time and some of the
winners are superstitiOus enough to de-
clare that it was the cause of the COM
ing out of the combination Policy
players say it is drawn more infre-
quentIy than any other popular gig or
row. With two drawings daily in both
the red and the green books, four draw
ings in ALL il is considered odd that
about twice Il year on the average is
the record for the coming out of the
"4-11-44" in the last ten or twelve
wears.