Evening star., 1938-08-28
NUMBERS GAMBLE
HASLONG HISTORY
Poor Of New York City Made
MiI'ionaires With Their
Pennies Decades Ago.
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Aug. 27.-You dream
for example, about baking . cake
look In the dream book" and find
that cake" means . certain number
invest . penny or 20 on that number
and hope for the best.
You may get back about $40, but
the chance Is ut least 1000 to l you
won't. Your penny usually clnks in
the Golfers Of the policy operators.
That is = sample Of the workings
Of the numbers game. which has been
taking the small change Of the poor
in New York for nearly half . CEN
tury. and which Is to tn fore now in
the trial Of Tammany District Leader
James J. Hines, accused Of being the
fixer for . multi million dollar policy
empire.
Dreams figure prominently in play
Ing numbers, but are just one facet
Of the many-sided chance game which
Is no stranger In dozens of other cities
Plays on Human Desire.
Back Of it all is the human desire
to get something for nothing-or ut
least sizable return on q small
investment.
Even back in the early 18a0s, New
Workers were investing their pennies
nickels and dimes in chances. Lot
teries were so prevalent in the '40's
that the National Police Gazette cru.
saded, making them 4 target. Rec
ords show that muscle boys" were
active. warning publishers to desist
in their criticism.
Edward Van Every, in his book
Sins of New York." = biography oi
the Police Gazette. wrote:
''For . time the prize numbers wer.
drawn from . wheel on the steps o1
the old City Hall in the park. unit
the Legislature. in 1892, annuled thu
charter of the lottery company.
After being driven out of New Jer.
sey, the lottery companies operated
from Delaware. Maryland, Louisians
and other Southern States. The oper.
alton of the drawings were revealed
tby the Police Gazette) and one wa.
also initiated into the mysteries OF
station and day numbers, gigs,
whips and saddles
1T was explained how through this
system OF insurance men OF extensive
capital were reaping q monetary har.
vest At the expense Of the poor and
at 4 rate of 81 per cent profit"
Pictured ~ Gate 10 Crime.
The Gazette, after explaining th'
set-up, commented: THE results o
this are easy to be seen. Its deludec
victims. unable to satisfy the ex
orbitant demands by their legitimate
earnings, yield to its corrupting in
fiuence and commence pilfering from
their employers. Step by step the,
wade deeper into crime, until. ad
vancing beyond the limit or precau'
ton, they are engulfed in ruin"
Policy had been hourishing for sew
eral years, in virtually the same form
as that now employed. at the tim<
of the Lexow committee investigation
in 1894.
The main difference was that mum.
bers actually were drawn twice
day from 4 drum-not nxed by the
totaling Of certain figures in the pari-
mutuel racing results.
Then. as now. there was q hug'
take for the policy bankers: there
were strong superstitionS. dream
books" and popular number combina'
tions, which were called gigs" IL
those days
Fate's Quirks Ruled.
Police gigs were among the IA
vorite numbers Of that era. Witnesses
told the Iexow committee:
Whenever anything happens to I
policeman everybody plays polio,
gig-any time = policeman Is dis.
charged or drunk or anything happen
to him"
Does the play Of policy depend
upon such accidental circumstances?'
Judge John w. Go1, counsel for tn,
Investigation. asked.
well, I will tell you. Mr.. Gof1," on,
witness replied. There are thre.
dream books. Common Sally 'ThI
Three Witches and The Wheel o.
Fortune Now these books have ever!
word in the dictionary. guess. AND
they will have the lucky number
opposite.
II . fellow dreams he. has seen /.
horse or is riding horseback and i
he finds it Is 40 firs., he will taxi
out 49,"
New York's first policy king. Alber
J. Adams. was reported to have mad,
$500, 900 . year back In the o0s.
He finally was tried, convicted
served . prison term. and committe,
suicide several years later.