Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-10-19
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 tho Players.

King Humber made the rules for v
the public lottery of Italy: .
First--The public lottery is Temporal Il
rily maintained by the favor OF the q
state under the following Jaws. {
Second.-It Is administered by the
minister of finance. under whom the il
chiefs are chosen for their respective II
functions I
Third. The lotto is formed by nine c
~. numbered from to % inclusive. q
i've OF which drawn by chance deter t
mine the successful.
Fourth. One can play the lotto" In ,
ihr following manner:
On one uumbcr VERY rarely playcdI.
ON all i've numbers tvery rarely
played
On two numbcrS--the "ambo."
On three numbers. which is known
rs the ''tcrno"
On Tour Members. which is known as
the "quatcrno.
Fifth When one number is played
the winner is paid ten times and
half his output; when two numbers /
are played the winner is paid 800 |
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 !
| dimes his output. Therefore II one has
by any chance bought a No. ! ticket
and wins the four numbers (Quaternol
he wins 10000
At 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 the Impre-
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 to be no place.
:. Ii is comprised of the very poor. The
, better classes watch for the telephone
r. or the showing OF the numbers in the
i. various banks in the city to discover
J., their fate. but In the lmpresa the
:, crowd OF people Is as dense as n shad-
!. ow. There are many here who have
=, paid their last cent for ticket There
are many here who are In debt for the
70 shoes they wear and will never be able
TO pay for them. But at the stroke Of
the church clock the blinds of the bal
" cony open and the paraphernalia o.
the lotto are brought Out-a loni
r green table. on which is placed crys
X tai ball bound with silver, and an iroI
lie box containiuE ninety other little box
" es. in which the ninety numbers ar
-. locked by the state. The officers
this performance are coolly Indifferent
, and the only figure deserving Of not
. is that Of the little orphan child. dress
IL ed III snowy white. chosen by law froI
a the orphan asylum TO draw up froI
he the crystal ball the eve magic nun
IS. bers.
Of At the sight of these familiar. locke
NAP for objects the crowd begins TO or
- and chant. to beSeech and evoke.
- begs the little orphan child TO dra
Eel we'll And the child In his white rob
his innocent eyes on the mass of pc
pie. looks down on the beggars wit
their yellow locks and on the apes
ing mass. One by one the balls a
taken out from their sealed boxes, d
played TO the people and dropped in
the big bowl.
They have pllndfolded the little bal
bino and he stands on Il chair. for ne
only eight years of age and is small.
on full sight OF the people. The balls ha
.ar inc been shaken around for the J;
and time. the child puts his hand IN Il
~ draws The drSt number that he pu
out is called forth NO. = Now. eve
Italian who has bought No. for pla
has either won or lost No one no
I'M this number iii this crowd. hoWeV
and there IL Il murnur and a IRE
80 admiration for the child to draw w
The pcople Who have drawn for
70 teruo and the uunternO still have I'll
Il chance The child dr.wS AGAIN.
time No "a. and the holders or
terno are now the interested ones.
the next will be their last cha nee.
enthusiasm breaks forth again "
murmurs and cries and prayers.
ic the Quiet child before the urn in
mt -. ~" ,.os, n,,,re ,her, and tremb
for he knows that he IL menaced
fore the people there Is hlackbo'
Tho and O man posts up the numbers
they are drawn-5. a. IL. 10 ana
And this series of five Is discus
yelled ut. challenged. cursed. for
,oh- one In the crowd has drawn 70
IL. nate number The child's eyes are
bound, and Inc is put down and
free The balls are returned into