Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1910-12-03
LOTTERY IN ITALY
Gambling Under the Auspices of
the Government.
THE DRAWING IN PUBLIC.

the public lottery of Italy:
First.-The public lottery is Temporal
rily maintained by the favor of the
state under the following laws.
Second.-It is administered by the
minister of finance, under whom the
chiefs are chosen for their respective
func tions.
Third.-The lotto Is formed by nine
ty, numbered from | to 90. inclusive,
five of which drawn by chance deter
mine the successful.
FOurth.-Onc can play the lotto" in
| the following manner:
On one number very rarely played).
On all five numbers very rarely
playeU.
On two numbcrs-the "ambo."
On three numbers. which is known
as the "terno.'
On four numbers. which is known as
the 'Quaterno."
Fifth-WhCn one number is played
the winner is paid ten times and
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 G0,0O0
times his output Therefore if one has
by any chance bought No. | ticket
and wins the four numbers (quaternoI
he wins 100000.
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 a
foul, filthy alley known as the Impre-
sa, back in a 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.
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 shad-
ow There are many here who have
paid their last cent for ticket. There
are many here who are in debt for the
shoes they wear and will never be able
to pay for them. But at the stroke o,
the church clock the blinds of the bal
cony open and the parapherna'ia of
the lotto are brought out-a long
green table, on which Is placed crys-
tai bah 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 num-
bers.
At the sight of these familiar, looked
for objects the crowd begins to cry
and chant, to beSeech and evoke. 1t
begs the little orphan child to draw
we'll. 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 blindfolded the little bam-
bino, and he stands on n 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 hand in and
draws. The first number that he pulls
out is called forth-"No. s." 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 is 4 murmur-and fresh
adjuration for the child to draw well.
The people who have drawn for the
terno and the quaterno still have their
chance. The child draws again. this
time No. Al, and the holders Of the
terno are now the interested ones, for
the next will be their last chance. The
enthusiasm breaks forth again with
murmurs and cries and prayers, and
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 man posts up the numbers as
they are wn-5, At, II. 10 and so.
And this series of five is discussed,
yelled at, challenged, cursed. for not
one In the crowd has drawn a forth
nate number The child's eyes are un-
bound, and he is put down and set
free. The balls are returned into their
boxes sealed up and carried away un-
der the eyes of the crowd, which after
waiting for a moment, unable to be-
lievc its i'll fortune, breaks up and dis
rupts. Apathy is thrown upon the ma
joriry as much as such state of mind
is possible to a Neapolitan mass as
they begin in groups to discuss the
failure OF their schemes and their CON-
binations.-Marie Van Worst in Har-
p"r's Magazine.