Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Rogues and Rogueries of New York: A Full and Complete Explosure of All the Swindles and Rascalities Carried on or Originated in the Metropolis
People residing in the country, with but few acquaintances, out side of their own village or county limits, are often surprised at receiving through the Post-office certain (ostensibly) literary journals, containing among other things, full descriptions of the grand drawing of a certain lottery to come off - say, for example, at Wilmington, Delaware on the 25th of next month, together with the price of whole, half, quarter and one-eighth tickets; also directions how to remit money. But how are the names and addresses of parties, to whom these papers are directed, ascertained? In the most simple way imaginable - by means of the advertising columns of the vil lage newspaper, and published Post-office lists of advertised letters, hotel registers, etc.
The writer has now before him no less than ten copies of as many different lottery papers. One will do for a sample. It pur ports to be published at Covington, Kentucky (although it is well known that it is printed in Jersey City), and is designated as the New Era. The first page contains an uncompleted story of the blood-and-thunder style, with the line to be concluded in our next, at the end of the fourth chapter. The remaining columns are filled with an explanation of the scheme of the Kentucky Grand Lottery, to be drawn on the 18th of October, 1864, at Covington, givmg the prices of tickets, method of drawing, doc. There are, it seems, some five thousand numbers, so that every holder of a ticket has just four thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine chances to one of obtaining the grand prize, though of course he may come in for a second, tenth or twentieth hit. But even then he has but twenty chances out of five thousand at the best; he may get a prize but the probability is that he will not.
Herbert Laurence, a young clerk in a broker's ofiice in New Y ork -the support of a mother and sister-had won, by many years' faithful service, the approbation of his employers, and the love and esteem of all that knew him. With quite a large salary and excel lent prospects, it would seem as if his path through life was to be smooth, and unattended by the many dangers and temptations that surround the youth of the city. In an evil hour he was induced by the persuasions of a friend to purchase a ticket in a Delaware lottery scheme. Five dollars was the sum paid for it. Once in possession of the ticket, he gave it no more thought until, one afternoon, he was accosted by his friend, who wished him much joy of his good luck.
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