The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-06-04
LOTTERY OUTFIT RAIDED
POLICE THINk THEY'VE GOT
THE "MENICAN NATIONALS"
Charles O., Backus Found In q Room Piled
High with Tickets Ready for Mall.
inE-His Confederate Ii Trsiled
From IN Printers Shop. but Lost.

>'
High with Tickets Ready for Mall
ing-Hls Confederate Is Trsiled
From the Printers Shop. but Lost.
Detectives from Headqu arters and
Post Office Inspector Hill followed yes
terday afternoon a clue that had e
leading in and out of several cases for
the last three or four months. 1t led
them to a door on the second floor OF an
apartment house at 5O7 West 15Oth street.
Charles o. Backus, an elderly man.
! opened the door TO their knock and the
detectives found spread all over a table
inside the room circulars announcing
the official drawing OF the Mexican
National Lottery and many packages
of lottery tickets wrapped up and adj
dressed for mailing.
The elderly nan who had admitted
them collapsed when he heard that his
visitors were detectives, A woman who
was in the room had to dose him with
medicine. When he had been revived
Backus admitted that the lottery layout
was his and that he had been trading In
lottery tickets. but he declared that he
had acted only as an agent and that q
man by the name OF Sanders, whose trail
the detectives had crossed earlier in the
chase. had brought the tickets and circu-
lars to him.
There were about $50 packages OF lot
terry tickets with from twenty to fifty
slips in each package in the evidence
that the detectives took away with them.
The packages were addressed to towns
all over the country, u great many to in
dividuals in Philadelphia. There were
also between 700 and 800 tickets in Eu-
ropean lotteries,
Backus was taken to Headquarters
and locked up on the charge OF violating
section 1877 OF the new Penal Code,
which makes dealings in lottery tickets
a misdemeanor instead Of a felony, as Il
stood under the old law. Backus was
bailed out later by Gustav Thomas OF 16e
West 15ist street.
The Headquarters men said that after
having run across the name OF Backus
in evidence gathered through several
prior arrests they had not been able to
get in touch with him until yesterday.
when they got the information that some
lottery printing was being done by a
printing concern at 119 Fulton street.
From the printers the detectives learned
that a few days ago a man giving the name
OF Sanders and his address as Hacken-
sack contracted with them to print 5000
circulars and brought them the form for
printing all locked and ready for the
press.
Yesterday Sanders called for the fin
ished circulars. which were those found
in Backus's possession. and he was fol-
lowed with the package under his arm
to Backus's home,
When the Central Office men entered
Backus's rooms they expected to find
Sanders and they had not expected to
find Backus. a man for whom they had
been searching but whom they had not
coupled with the case in hand. Sanders
had got away. Information given by
Baokus may lead TO his arrest.
The detectives said last night that they
have reason to believe that Backus alone
or Backus and Sanders are in themselves
the Mexican National Lottery and that
they have been doing all Of the business
OF the concern from New York.