Show T Monster Keno Game Thousands of Players Tempt Fortune in the Plaz Cavour Rome Every Sunday a big keno Every afternoon Is played played in the Piazza Cavour game o of lire re prize for a near the Vatican and you youcan youcan youcan It They call cal announcements on big red posters posters post post- can see the dead walls of tome Rome ome ers ens pasted upon wals people At 3 o'clock In the afternoon thousands In this open gather by the rude are square where square where three It costs a franc placed for Zor the criers I with one and any anyone to enter the game that amount of money and the proper disposition may b buy boy y at the agencies which are scattered all al over the city five rows of numbers cards containing Everybody Everybody Everybody Every Every- with five numbers on each row play it knows Children body knows the game under the name of lotto loto Gamblers call cal cali bel In a church near nearby nearby nearby i H it keno When the of citizens attended attended attended at at- by strikes 3 a committee tended by representatives of the municipal municipal municipal muni muni- cipal of Rome and Inspectors Inspect Inspect- government scaffold scaffolding ng g t 5 of Police mount the ors Jl JL J. J f J v ors Jl JL J. J f J v where he a large g g glass af affair ir shaped like I a watermelon half hal filled fled with wih marbles between and arranged upon upon the axis two wheels has already been placed The manager bows to the people politely polte- polte polite polite- ly a soldier beside him blows a bugle and the Immense audience au i to secure thence silence stand staring with wih their mouths open while the conditions of the game and the amounts of the prizes are proclaimed proclaimed proclaimed pro pro- claimed in stentorian tones The first prize of 1000 lire will lire lre will be awarded he says to the person who first fills a aline aline alne line lne of numbers upon his card If I more than one person fills a line lne at the same time the prize will wl be divided among them The second and grand prize of 2000 lire will be paid to the person who first lre fills wi the entire entre card and It will wi be divided in incas of of a tie te This announcement announcement announcement announce announce- ment Is incase repeated from the other two stands and the trumpet blows again a warning to make ready A child 6 or 7 years old old loaned by a neighboring asylum now appears upon the platform dressed In white and blindfolded blindfolded blind blind- i folded and turns turns' a crank crank which whirls the glass watermelon around and mixes up the marbles Inside Then hen when they are thoroughly mixed the top Is unscrewed unscrewed unscrewed un un- un- un screwed the child reaches in his hand and picks out a marble which is passed along to the crier He shouts the number number number num num- ber at the top of his voice and repeats It three times It I Is then echoed from the other ther stands and everybody sticks a pin through that number if i It appears appearson on his card Other numbers are cal called ed edin in the same way amid breathless excitement excitement excitement excite excite- ment until somebody who has filled fled a a. aline alne line lne begins to yell yel and dance like a a. lu lunatic lunatic lu- lu and breaks through the crowd to toward toward toward to- to ward the stand where the Inspectors examine his card and call caU off of the numbers numbers numbers num num- bers to verify It i. i If I It i Is correct his name and address are taken and he is told that he can cn call cal at headquarters in inthe inthe inthe the morning and get his money less 20 per cent tax which he must pay to the municipality If I more than one person fill tl a ln line at one time there is intense excitement and sometimes a small smal riot amo among g their friends until the authorities ties tes on the platform have verified the cards and decided the claims Th Then n the confusion contusion subsides and the people settle sette down to business again while the palling calling of numbers continues until some fortunate fills a card n the scene of ot verification Is repeated names of the winners are and the announcement of or the n t drawing is made This occurs every ever Sunday ex cx when it i rains rain too hard to allow alow the pie to stand outdoors There is al ii postponement on some pretext al p or i 0 whenever the number of gamblers short of ot the amount of the prize company which runs the game pa pay heavy tax to the city for the and must sell seU at least car cards card ti even The prizes alone require the theof theof theof t of cards and the 30 per cent ta tax quires es another thousand Som tim many as or cards are sold always to that number of people people many buy two three four and s times five cards each to Increase s chances There Is a regular lottery dra dr every Saturday afternoon In a a big opposite the American Amerian college for Ions 7 w tickets are sold at agencies th the city The prizes amount to ft week and are divided into j amounts The largest prize is 1000 ll 2000 but occasionally two wo or i times that amount is offered Th I pan pany gives a heavy commission t to t municipal pany government and the 11 wit ufo are also subjected to a tax of or 20 per ae of their winnings At 4 o'clock each Ir afternoon a committee of ix In Ins ors composed of the community pears on the balcony overlook large court Not many years ago I Iwas t was always a a b bor or ox a a. in his robes among the Inspectors and l It i customary for him to bless the I t watermelon which contained the i ibers x n bers but that formality is obsolete the church no longer vouches r for honesty of ot the drawing The committee Is accompanied by eral clerks a crier and a small saW clothed in a a. surplice like those wo won Wor acolytes in the churches and thea thea the a a. good deal of ot business to be don dont cause the numbers are printed on of ot paper which are exhibited In I ito si sito to the crowd and then torn tor into i a Each slip is folded and placed In inal hollow gilt git ball bal about as large as ass asal a The balls bals are thrown In watermelon as fast as they are I and although the nimble fingers 0 oi clerks do the work very rapidly It ii I e aly takes two hours to handle Ir eral thousand numbers which ar az armany a many as the number of the tickets When these are all al placed In the then ii 1 melon there is a general shaking shak The wheel is turned by the Vi the committee in order and they to the patrons who are anxiously ci s e before they resume their seats to small smal boy gives the wheel a whirl whir to when it stops he pokes in his hs h draws out one of the gilt gi spheres sphere ca passes It i along to the committee first one ne opens the ball bail bal and tab tak the paper The second unfolds Iper t I nr per and hands it to the third hO bl It i aloud making a note with his hs- hs pencil upon a pad before him a aIt and r ri It i to a crier who calls cals out the theIn nu nu e e eIn In a loud voice voie The man who holds bold h number wins the first prize and process is continued until a andt number of prizes are drawn race rC from 2000 down to 5 according to t tIer number of tickets sold Rome Rone Rome Corf Cor cago Record Hera II |