Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-07-20
ASKS PRISON CELL
Supreme Court Justice Re- fuses Gourdain's Prayer.
NAY BUILD LITTLE JAIL FOR HIMSELF
AllegeA Lottery Agent and Millisn. sise Get . Rich Quick Promoter Falls In Endcavor to Be Put
 Tn Penitentiary.

AAAe9ea Aotvery Agent and Million.
 sire Get Rich Quick Promoter
 Falls In Endeavor to Be Put
 h Penitentiary.
 NEW YORK, July 20-After an in- terview with Justice White of the United States supreme court at Narra- gensett Pier, R. l., Louis A. Gourdain, the former alleged lottery agent who is trying to be readmltted to the Joliet Qli) penitentiary. from which he was recently released by pardon, deciding that his effort to get his petition filed with the supreme court of the United States was useless, left Narragansett Pier and has returned to New York.
 Gourdain requested Judge White to order the clerk of the supreme court to accept his petition for readmission to the penitentiary, but the justice inform ed him that the clerk was perfectly right in his refusal to receive the peti- tion without a special order of the court.
 After friendly talk of personal mat ters Gourdain introduced the subject of his errand, saying that he had pre- sented at the office of the clesk of the supreme court in Washington petition asking for his return to the penitentiary and the clerk had declined to receive 1t on the ground that there must be an order of the court.
 In the petition, Gourdain explained, he had set forth that during his trial he had given his word that if convicted he would not appeal from the sentence, but in some mysterious way an attor- ney had intervened and had secured a pardon for Gourdain. which the latter at the earnest solicitation of his wife had accepted by signing the required bond.
 Afterward. Gourdain explained. he rSJented of his action, as he considered his honor involved because of his prom ise made in court prior to his convic- tion. and he. therefore desired to be returned to the penitentiary.
 With voluntary Imprisonment in the Joliet psnitentiary as his one aim and object in life, Gourdain was induced to remain at liberty and to sit down to an elaborate breakfast in his ,sumptuons apartments at the Hotel Savoy.
 As he helped himself to raspberries he sighed dejectedly at the cruel fate that denied him prison fare and ut tered solemn vows that as Justice White of the United States supreme court would not reinstate him as a convict he would go back to Joliet and at once begin the building of prison of his own, where he could serve out the sentence of four years and six months imposed upon him by United States Judge Landis of Chicago and of which he was deprived through the treachery of his lawyer
 Gourdain. who does not dislike being considered multiihilllonaire. came Into prominence in ESQ., when he or. ganized the Louisiana grand lottery as . rival to the Louisiana state lottery. His system was simplicity itself. Gour- dain issuing tickets numbered exactly like those issued by the state lottery and paying the same numbers drawn by the state lottery.
 ''The receipts" he explained com placently. were anywhere from s8O0.- 900 to $l.50O.000 a month. As paid my agents 9 per cent commission and the state lottery only paid theirs 10 per cent, naturally sold more tickets than the state lottery did. didn't have to pay anything for advertising the winning numbers. the state lottery publishing theirs for me. and I also saved the sxpepse of the drawings.
 When first started offered to pay the state bonus of S40,OO0 year. just as the state lottery did. but the state refused, co I spent the S40.0O0 for lawyers and detectives and went on doing business until 1894. when the lot tery laws shut us both out
 During four years I was indicted more frequently than any other man in the world. The grand jury would indict me every day in fact. but they never dared to put me on trial.
 After the lottery business had been declared Illegal I came to New York and tried the Stock Exchange game"
 Sewer Pfps Trust Owns rp.