The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-10-08
LOTTERY IN ITALY.
Gambling Under the Auspices Of
the Government.
THE DRAWING IN PUBLIC.
An Eager, Excited. Turbulent Crowd
Watches This Ceremony With In.
tense Interest--The Prizes and the
Chances of the Players.

tue PUBIC lotscFN OF ltulS'
First,-'rhe public lottery is tempora-
rily maintained hy the favor Of the
state under the fclNiw'hs laws.
Second. III Is administered by the
minister Of tnaace, under whom the
chiefs are chosen fer them respective
functions.
Third. Tho lptto Is formed by nine
IS. numbered lraA u On, inclusive,
i've Of Nl,Sa d'va " chance deter
mine Tile 'n s$ti
Fourth t,1ec.n l,lly tile lotto in
the folloWts Aans.al.
On onr rG,A5cr tyery rarely played.
On al dlr numbers very rarely
played.
On two mum. erS-the "ambo."
On thrfc numbers. which Is known
us the It Arlo.
On four Numbers. which is known as
the "quaterao."
Fifth.-Whcn one number is played
the winner is paid ten times and a
half his output; when two numbers
are played the winner Is paid $50
times his output; when three numbers
are played the winner is paid $3.50
times his output; when four numbers
are played the winner is paid 10000
times his output. Therefore if one has
by any chance bought a No. l ticket
and wins the four numbers {quaterno,
he wins 100000
At 8 o'clock on every Saturday after.
noon throughout all Italy the drawing
OF the lotto takes place. In Naples
the ceremony is held at the end OF
foul. filthy alley known as the lmpre
sa, back in great courtyard. in full
view of the people on the balcony of
an old palace. From early In the aft.
ernoon until the fatal hour the streets
of Santa Chiara and the alley fill up
with the crowd whose hope on this
day is to be deceived. The streets are
always so full Of life that for this
extra crowd, jostling, pushing and
eager, there would seem 10 be no place.
1t is comprised of the very poor. The
better classes watch for the telephone
or the showing of the numbers in the
various banks in the city to discover
their fate, but In the Impresa the
crowd of people is as dense as q shad-
ow. There are many here who have
paid their last cent for ticket. There
are many here who are in debt for the
Il E.I.
to pay for them. But at the stroke Of
the church clock the blinds of the bal
cony open and the paraphcrnalia of
the lotto are brought 0ut-a long
green table, on which Is placed crys-
tai ball bound with silver, and an iron
box containing ninety other little box
es, in which the ninety numbers are
locked by the state. The officers of
this performance are coolly Indifferent,
and the only figure deserving of note
is that of the little orphan child. dress
ed IN snowy white, chosen by law from
the orphan asylum to draw up from
the crystal ball the five magic mum
bers
At the sight Of these familGr, looked
for objects the crowd begins to cry
and chant. TO beseech and evoke. II
begs the little orphan child to draw
well. And the child In his white robe.
his innocent eyes on the mass of peo-
pie. looks down on the beggars with
their yellow locks and on the appeal
ing mass. One by one the balls are
taken out from their sealed boxes, dis
played to the people and dropped into
the big bowl,
They have blindtolded the little BAN
biuO and he stands on chair. for he is
only eight years of age and is small, in
full sight Of the people. The balls hav-
Ing been shaken around for the last
time, the child puts his huud in and
draws. The first number that he pals
out Is called forth-"No, >" Now. every
Italian who has bought No. ) for place
has either won or lost. No one holds
this number in this crowd. however,
and there IL a murmur and fresh
ADMIRATION for the child TO draw we'll.
The people who have drawn for the
terno and the quaterno stu have their
chance The child draws agnin his
time No. Il, and the holders OF the
terno are now the Interested ones. for
tho next VIII be their last chance. The
enthusiasm breaks forth agpin win
murmsrs and cries and prayers. aud
the quiet child before the urn in his
white dress hears them and trembles.
for he knows that he Is menaced. Be-
fore the people there is blackboard.
and a man posts mp the numbers as
they are drawn-~0. ~, II. 10 and 80.
And this series Of five IS discussed,
yelled ut. challenged. cursed, for not
one in the crowd has drawn n fortu-
nate number. The child's eyes are un-
bound. ana lie Is put down and set
free. The balls are returned ipto their
boxes sealed up and carried away un-
| der the eyes Of the crowd. which after
| waiting for u moment. unable To he
lievc IT. ~ fortune, breaks IN and dis
rurts. Apathy IS thrown upon the ma
jority as rn.,ch as such state Of mind
IS possible to Neapolitan mass as
they begin In groups to discuss the
failure Of their schemes and their COM
binations. Marie Van Worst IN Har-
per's Magazine.