The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-07
BYGONE LOTTERY PLANS
Old Processes of Raising Cash for
Various Schemes.
Enterprises That Had Existence
Long Before the Birth of the Chris
tian Era-A Plan Devised by the
Continental Congress-v hen Their
Advertisements Were Legal.

1t is a far cry from the time when young
George Washington, at Williamsburg,
spent the day in drawing the lottery"
because the people trusted him. to the
day when the advertisement of lottery
excluded newspapers from the United
| States mail; but times change and men
change with them. For long stretch of
| time, however, the advertisements OF lot
teries were a lucrative source of income
| to many newspapers. Indeed, when one
| looks over the meagre show OF other ad-
vertisements in some OF the journals, it
seems as if they could not have been sup
f, ported otherwise.
| The drawing Of lots" or lotteries. ante
dated civilization. In the hoary days of
| prophecy was foretoId the dread day when
they divided my garments among them
and upon my vesture they cast lots"
The Committee OF Ways and Means in
the Continental Congress, on the 1st Of
November, 1776. devised the plan of
continental lottery to support the Ameri-
! can Revolution, and the Congress enacted
that it consist of 100000 tickets, each
ticket to be divided into four billets, and
to be drawn in classes, the capital prize
of the first class to be $4,000, of the sec
ond $4,000. Of the third $4,000, and of the
fourth 100000
The New York Mercury and General
Advertiser" printed by William Lewis, II
Hanover Square. September IS. 1882. con-
tains the following lottery scheme;
THE numbers, prizes, and blanks of
house and cash lottery being now rolled
up and most of the tickets sold the man
drau
the same on Monday, the Both instant.
'Scheme-A prize of the house, dis
tillery, and utensils. $500; one cash prize
OF $1,000; two cash prizes of s500; l100
cash prizes Of So in all, 1889 prizes, 3,Tf1
blanks, or 5000 tickets at 81 each
The Royal Gazette" New York, pub
lished by James Rivington, printer TO the
Kings most excellent majesty, September
2s. 1882, contains the following advertise
ment:
NEXT MONDAY
THE HOUSE AND CASH LOTTERY will
positively commence drawing at Kinks
Tavern, in the fields
The first advertisement of a lottery in
any OF the cities of the District of Column
bia appears in Virginia paper, when
Georgetown was still Maryland town, and
is as follows:
"A Georgetown Academy Lottery-A
scheme of lottery for raising s1.400 to
be applied for the purchase OF house for |
the use of Georgetown Academy: / prize |
of 81 900, prizes OF $500, prizes of 5000, |
prizes of $780, 10 prizes of $50, is prizes |
of $25, 80 prizes of so, 40 prizes of IS, |
600 prizes OF 81, being 72f prizes of q |
total value of 81 500 To be applied to the !
use of the academy, 81, 400 There are
2279 blanks. There are to be 1900 tickets I
sold at So each. netting $1,000.
THE right education of youth is ar OBJ
ject of such vast Importance to freedom
and happiness that there needs no
strength of reasoning to recommend the
above scheme, which is meant TO promote
it to the patronage and encouragement OF
a liberal public
There are in the old newspapers of this
section advertisements of lottery TO
build a wharf in Baltimore in 1853. and
in 1853 there is an advertisement of lot
terry to build a market house in Baltimore
Town" and a short time afterward a lot
terry for the purpose of buying two fire
engines and a parcel of buckets" for Bal
timore.
At Alexandria the trustees of the town
advertised in 1853 "a lottery to build n
town house and school," and the building, |
which was at the northeast corner OF the
market was also used as meeting house.
Of the Alexandria Presbyterians.
1t will readily be seen by the advertise
ments in the Washington papers for the
first half of this century that the hazard
was popular in Washington. Lotteries were
authorized to build the City Hall, to make
he Washington Canal, and other under
.akings Of public interest, and in the
.0s the supervisors OF the drawing OF lot I
eries in Washington City were t. II. .