Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1907-03-29

The Honduras National Lottery Com
pany, better known under its original
name of the Louisiana State Lottery,
has been forced out Of business by the
Federal government Twenty of the
officers and employees Of the concern
are under Indictment The death knell
Of this biggest lottery company in the
world has been sounded.
Bigger than the mississippi bubble"
potent in State and national affairs,
known in every civilized land, the Hon
duras company has made probably not
less than $25,0OO,OO0 for its owners
during its existence Of more than
thirty years With its operations have
been associated some Of the great men
Of Civil War times, ana throughout its
life the names of some Of the proud
est Of the New Orleans creole families
have been linked with it without effort
at concealment. In the place of it's
birth, New Orleans, the lottery com
pany was an institution. AS a law
breaker its place in the nation has
been unique and its history of absorb
Ing interest
Tho forerunner Of the old Louisiana
State Lottery was that known as the
Alabama lottery. This concern has
been lost to the memory of the pres
ent generation, although it did an enor-
mous business, especially in the South,
III the days following the Civil War.
The charter of the Louisiana company
gave it a monopoly not only of the lot
terry business but of the policy" bust
ness in New Orleans. This policy priv
iIe@e was of enormous value, but in
tho end proved the undoing of the lot
terry company.
In formulating his original plan,
the shrewd DIR. Dauphin had consid-
cred well the fact that the lottery
company must depend for its ultimate
success on Il belief on the part of the
public that the drawings of the com
pany were, in fact, pure chance, and
that all prizes would be paid without
bubble to the holders of lucky num-
bcrs." He knew thar the concern could
prosper only as the public had conf
dence in it. Dr.. Dauphin hit on the
plan of placing the drawings under the
supervision of men whose very names
would be guarantee to the public
that the lottery was rs honestly con-
Quoted as was possible.
It was in this way that Generals
Beauregard and Early were brought
into the scheme. The former lived in
New Orleans and the latter in yir-
ginia. Both were men Of much popu-
larity, especially in the South. where
they were popular idols Their dis
tiuguishpd services for the Confederacy
III the Civil War placed them in posi-
tons in the public mind but little be-
low that which had been occupied by
General Robert L. Lee. Financially
both of these distinguished soldiers
were in straitened circumstances. The
Louisiana Lottery Company offered
each one Of them $4,000 a year to act
rs commissioner for the company and
to supervise the drawings This was
rs far as the connection of either with
the company went Not more than two
days work each month was REQUIRED
Of them and for these two days they
each received $500.
Spectacular Drawings
In the early days of the lottery the
public monthly drawings were held in
the various New Orleans theaters. but
later the company erected a building
for administrative purposes in ST
Charles street, and in this building
hall for the drawings was provided,
Generals Beauregard and Early were
in complete charge of the drawings.
The plan of the drawing was this:
On 100000 slips of paper an inch
wide and six inches long were printed
that many numbers. The numbers
were in large type. Each Of these 1O0.-
o00 slips was rolled tightly with the
number on the inside. and the roll was
inserted in 4 case consisting OF 4 sec
tion of small rubber hose about an
inch long. These 100000 tubes were
then dumped in a hollow wheel about
five feet in diameter and two feet
thick.
The wheel was made OF two glass
discs joined at the periphery with a
thin wooden band rs wide as the wheel.
III this band was arranged 4 slide
which could be opened and a hand in
serted into the hollow wheel. On the
stage near this number wheel" stood
a similarly constructed wheel one-third
the size. In all the scheme called for
the giving of 3,434 prizes at each draw
ing. and the smaller, or prize wheel,"
contained that many of the small rub
Der tubes minus the number of ter
minal" and approximation' prizes.
IN each of these tubes was a slip of
paper containing figures representing
each prize.
Thus equipped. the commissioners
were ready to begin the drawing. For