Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-01-24
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From the difference in these two sets
Of slips it appears that there are two
policy agencies in ths city. One Get Of
clips has four rows, while. the other has
but two, and has the additional letters
cd. O." Rboye the rows. Ii is known
that the drawings are made out Of town,
and from information cleaned one set
OF hackers have their headquarters in
Philadelphia and the other in Wash
ington. Tbs drawings are sent to Will
mington from these points every morn
ing and afternoon, except Sunday. The
afternoon drawing arrives about 7.30,
aud then there is an amusing time Tor
spectators around the local policy men 8
baunts. Then it is that the colored
gamblers learn their fate; whether they
have been lucky or whether the gods
have refused to smile, an6 it is gener-
ally the latter. Then a listener can
hear she words, "hooGoo, totioh, mas
cot" and othor synonyms for luck and
bad luck uttered in tones OF ave and
superstition. II, and that "if'' is large
and wide spi eading, player is lucky
enough to win, then follows "a hot
time in the old town that night. ~ In
that respect the colored policy player is
no different from lighter skinned
gamblers; his winnings are soon gone.
But In the majority of cases the reports
of the drawings bring with them sorrow
and dismay for the time being but the
policy player soon RECEIVERS from his
giiei, goes home and sleeps to dream
again OF an infallible combination OF
figures that are to bring him untold
wealth on the morrow.
Wishing to positively locate one OF
the policy shops it was learned that a
young colored man employed by one OF
Wilnington's business men usually
went to play policy at noon before
| going to his dinner and it was decided
| to follow him. The fellow ia short,
almost dwarf, but the way he got
over the ground was absolute proof
that his walking powers were not inn
paired by his lack of height. More
than half the way he ran and consider
able trouble was experienced IN keep
ing him in sight. He was on the west
side, but made a bee line for Lombard
street and turned up TO Lord. Down
this small thoroughfare he sped, almost
| to Pine street, when he suddenly darted
into doorway and disappeared. The
| little policy player soon came out and
hurried to his home, got his dinner
and was back to work at / o'cl)c
This supposed policy den is on the
south side of Lord street, between
Lombard and Pine. 1t is small
structure and would hardly hold over q
dozen persons. All the windows are
closed tightly so that illumination mus
be furnished from lamps or othel
artificial sources. To pass the build
ing, not knowing what it was, ont
would suppose it to be rather vel
built but disused clubhouse, This little
building ia believed to be the head
quar- tiers of the Wilmington branch o
either the Philadelphia or Washington
\ policy outfit,
4 There is also suspicion that ther,
are other headquarters for polio,
agents in this city, one on French
A street above Eleventh, and another VI
Front street, between Orange and Tat
nall streets. These places, in con
nection with the walking books, d,
a business for single day, 1t is said
that far exceeds the total receipts for ;
week of many successful merchants
The policy playing has been carried OF
most skilfully and extreme care wa
taken that no one not in the secre
could learn where the different office
were located.