CHAPTER XXV.

The “Missing Word Competition”: its rise and fall.

Lotteries being universally known to be illegal in England and Scotland, no attempt has been made to revive them in their old form, since their illegality has been definitely pronounced; but very many ways of evasion of the law have been practised, sometimes with much temporary success. Sometimes they developed into downright swindles, and then they cured themselves; and this has been the fate of most of the so-called “competitions.” But the greatest of these modern-times lotteries, and one which permeated the land throughout its length and breadth, was the “Missing Word Competition” which was so rife in 1892.

It was eagerly taken up by several weekly periodicals, but, undoubtedly, the favourite competition was in _Pearson’s Weekly_. For some time the public did not “catch on” to the scheme, and for the first nine months their interest in it was comparatively languid, the sum subscribed by the one shilling entrance fees only averaging about £500 weekly; but, during the next three months (fifty-three competitions being issued in all), the competition waxed fierce, and when it was stopped, the proprietor of the magazine was in receipt, for the competition in the number for December 10, 1892, of nearly £24,000, which represented nearly half a million entries. No one doubts but that these amounts were fairly divided amongst the winners, the proprietor of the paper recouping himself by the enormously increased circulation of his periodical. In the case of _Pearson’s Weekly_, its normal circulation was about 350,000 a week; at the end of 1892 it stood at 1,050,000 copies. Nor was this all. The correct solution of the puzzle was not at once inserted in _Pearson’s Weekly_. Oh dear, no! if you were impatient to know your fate, you had to buy next Thursday’s _Society News_, which thus got a fictitious circulation, to the great benefit of the conjoint proprietor’s pocket. And it became of such importance, that as much as £350 a week was paid in salaries to persons employed in dealing in various ways with the selections sent in.

It was, for a time, a veritable _furore_, which seized in its grip all sorts and conditions of folk, the old as well as the young, and formed such a topic of conversation as to be absolutely sickening. The _modus operandi_ is best described by the paper itself. Let us take an extract from _Pearson’s Weekly_ of December 10, 1892, the competition therein contained being the one over which there was much litigation.

“The correct word in this competition will be found in the number of _Society News_, which is on sale at all newsagents first thing on the morning of Thursday, December 15. Full particulars will appear, as usual, in _Pearson’s Weekly_ of the following Saturday.

“MISSING WORD COMPETITION. NO. 53.

“On the third column of page 331 is a paragraph about an experiment with camphor. The last word is omitted. Readers who wish to enter this competition must cut out the coupon below, fill in this word, together with their names and addresses, and send it with a postal order for one shilling, to reach us, at latest, by first post on Monday, December 12, the envelope marked 'Word.’

“The correct word is in the hands of Mr. H. S. Linley, chartered accountant, 124, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., enclosed in an envelope, sealed with our seal. His statement with regard to it will appear with the result of the competition in the issue for the week after next. The whole of the money received in entrance fees will be divided amongst those competitors who fill in the word correctly. It is hoped that competitions will be posted to Temple Chambers, London, E.C., as early in the week as possible. Members of the same family may compete, if they like, and any one may send as many attempts as he or she chooses, provided that each is accompanied by a separate coupon and a sufficient remittance. All postal orders must be made payable to _Pearson’s Weekly_. Coupons also appear in _Society News_ and the _Companion_, which entitle purchasers to enter for _Pearson’s Weekly_ Missing Word Competition, on payment of the usual shilling.”

In the place indicated (third column of p. 301) we find the following paragraph, at the end of which the “missing word” has to be interpolated: “Here is a little experiment which is well worth showing to your friends. Procure a bit of ordinary camphor, and from it break off tiny pieces. Drop these upon the surface of some pure water, contained in any kind of vessel, and they will immediately begin to rotate and move about, sometimes continuing to do this for several hours. The water must be quite clean; for if a drop of oil, or any grease, is in it, the experiment will not work. But, provided that nothing of this sort gets in, the little pieces of camphor will twirl about in a manner that is extremely ----.” No fewer than 472,574 coupons were sent in for this competition, accompanied by remittances to the value of £23,628 14_s._

No very large sums were made at these competitions (except on one occasion). Sometimes the successful competitor did not realize much more than a sovereign; at other times, judging from the experience of one gentleman, they might get £8 9_s._ 3_d._, as in the “awkward” competition, or £13 4_s._ 6_d._, as in the following, when the missing word was “evolved”:--

“Most of our readers will have noticed the fortune-telling automatic machine in the railway stations and at street corners, and will remember that the face of it is covered with various coloured triangles. It is, in short, a handy roulette table, and certain people have taken to dropping a penny in the slot, and betting upon what coloured triangle the finger of the gipsy girl will rest. It would seem as though a new form of gambling had been ----.”

Although the sums won were not large, in comparison with the lotteries of old, yet the price of the ticket--one shilling only--was not ruinous, and, as there were no limits to the number of coupons, any one might send as many as he or she pleased, and if you plunged a bit, and were lucky, the prize represented a sum well worth having. This was the plan adopted by one person (Mr. Andrew Tuer), who won the largest sum on record; but it must be confessed that, previous to this stroke of luck, he was from £150 to £200 “to the bad.”

The competition was in _Pearson’s Weekly_ for December 3, 1892, and finished up with a paragraph which dealt with the capacity of a brick for absorbing water, and engendering consequences which, if undetected, might be ----. The correct missing word was “awkward,” on which the record-breaker had plunged seventy-five times, and as each correct answer was entitled to a prize of £8 9_s._ 3_d._, he netted a total of £634 13_s._ 9_d._--not altogether an unmixed blessing, as he states in a letter to the _Star_ of December 21, 1892. “As soon as my success became known, letters poured in from everywhere--letters of abuse, letters from persons wanting to beg and borrow, and foolish letters--all from women these--asking me for the 'tip’ for next week.”

While these competitions were in their infancy, no one heeded them much; but when they spread as a great social cancer--when every one was getting tainted with the fever of speculation, and the principal streets of London were literally strewn with _Pearson’s Weekly_, not bought to read, but to tear out the coupon page and then throw the rest away--it was felt necessary that something should be done in the matter. At first there was a little difficulty, arising not only in the glorious uncertainty of the law on the matter, but from the fact that most of the periodicals publishing these competitions were printed and published within the precincts of the city of London, and the _patres conscripti_ hesitated to commence litigation of which no man could foresee the issue.

At last one was found outside the sacred pale, and its prosecution was understood to be a test case; and on December 13, 1892, at Bow Street Police Court, before Sir John Bridge, the chief magistrate, Mr. Henry Reichardt, the proprietor, publisher, and editor of _Pick-Me-Up_, and Messrs. Wertheimer and Lea, the printers, appeared to answer six summonses for alleged infringements of the Lottery Acts. The summonses were: (_a_) for publishing in a certain paper called _Pick-Me-Up_ a scheme for the sale of chances and shares in a lottery known as “The Missing Word Competition,” contrary to the statute 4 Geo. IV. c. 60, sec. 41; (_b_) for selling certain chances in a lottery known as the “_Pick-Me-Up_ Missing Word Competition,” contrary to the same Act; (_c_) for publishing in the said paper a scheme for certain chances in a lottery known as “The Weekly Art Competition,” contrary to the same Act; (_d_) for the sale of certain chances in such lottery; (_e_) for keeping open at No. 11, Southampton Buildings, a lottery, namely, drawing by certain lots and coupons in a lottery known as “The Missing Word Competition” of the same paper, contrary to 42 Geo. III. c. 119, sec. 2; and (_f_) for suffering to be played and drawn, by means of coupons, a lottery called “The Weekly Art Competition,” contrary to the same statute. In this latter competition it was requisite to send in lists of what the competitors thought were the best pictures in a particular issue of the paper in question, with, of course, the inevitable shilling.

The proceedings were taken at the instance of the public prosecutor. The offence was proved, and the defence was that these competitions were no lotteries. The magistrate, however, thought differently, and, in giving his decision, said that if the scheme was one of risking money, or gaining it by chance, then, undoubtedly, it was a lottery. On the other hand, if it was carried out by skill and judgment, it would not be one. The question whether it was chance or judgment must depend upon a proper construction of the facts of the case. With reference to the missing word competition, a good deal was to be said for the contention as to the question of chance or judgment depending on the selection of a particular word, or only of a proper word, which latter would require skill. The defendants did not pretend to say that they called for the selection of the proper word, or the word which would be suitable to complete the sentence. Therefore, on that ground, he thought that this case, as regarded the missing word competition, came within the scope of the Act. With regard to the “Art Competition” the case appeared to be slightly different, as it might be said that the competitors might have to exercise judgment in deciding whether they were artistic or not; but, looking at the whole case, it seemed to him that persons were induced to stake their money upon chance, and he must therefore convict, but should only impose the nominal penalty of a shilling fine upon each summons. An appeal against this decision was talked of, but never acted on.

Now, then, dismay fell upon the other culprits. Mr. Pearson discontinued his competitions, and the money he had in hand was impounded, and paid into the Bank of England for safe custody. Then arose a curious state of things. Of course Mr. Pearson could not claim the money--he had no right to it--nor could it be paid to the winners, because it had been decided to be illegal. No one could keep it, because it was not theirs, nor could it be confiscated, or given, as some suggested, to hospitals and charities. The only remedy seemed to be for some of the prize-winners to enter suits in Chancery against Mr. Pearson for the payment of what they considered their due; and this was done in two instances, which were tried on February 8, 1893, in the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, before Mr. Justice Stirling, who, at the end of a long and elaborate summing up, thus delivered himself:--

“As regards the defendant Pearson, no imputation is, or can be, made on his good faith and honesty. He appears to have carried through a large number of competitions without any interference, and the abrupt termination of the competition in question was brought about by the criminal proceedings against another person, to which I have already referred. He is in some difficulty, through having destroyed the coupons of the unsuccessful competitors, but no claim is now made to the fund by any person except those represented by the plaintiff, and the defendant Hearn. Under these circumstances, it would seem the best and simpler course that the fund should be returned to the defendant Pearson, who will then be able to defend himself, by means of it, against any legal claims, and to dispose of the surplus in such way as he may deem himself, in honour, bound to apply it. If, however, this course should not commend itself to him, I am willing, in this particular case, and without establishing a precedent, that the fund should remain in Court, whereby there will accrue a benefit, in the first place, to the legal profession, and, ultimately, I hope, to the public, in whose favour it may be fairly expected that there will result, at some date more or less remote, an extinguishment of some portion of the National Debt.”

The finale to this lottery took place on March 27, 1893, when the case of “Matthews _v._ Pearson” came before Mr. Justice Stirling in Chambers. It was ordered, by consent, that the sum of £3566 4_s._, paid into Court in this action, being the amount contributed to the missing word competition, No. 7, in _Pearson’s Society News_, should be paid out to the defendant Pearson, on his undertaking to pay the costs of all parties to the action, as between solicitor and client. It is understood that Mr. Pearson will pursue the same course with reference to this fund as in the previous cases, viz. will pay the prize-winners the amount due to them, less a deduction for costs.

It is said that Mr. Pearson has honourably fulfilled his pledge to the public.

And now to wind up with an anecdote.

It was where two roads bisected, and a matter-of-fact policeman was on the kerb, keeping watch on the four ways.

Then there appeared upon the scene a “Salvation Army Man,” who, after a little time, gathered an audience of two or three girls and boys. To them he addressed the message of salvation, inviting the juveniles to “come and be washed,” etc.; and, at the end of this exordium, he blossomed forth emphatically, emphasizing each paragraph with one fist in the other palm. “HE spake the WORD, and Peter spoke it” (_pause_). “And Paul spoke it” (_pause_), “Have you read the WORD?” (_pause_). “Do you know the WORD?” (_long pause_).

And then came the inevitable policeman who, ungently pushing the preacher on the shoulder, said gruffly, “You get away, young man; you know it ain’t right. We can’t have no 'Missin’ Word Competitions’ 'ere. You know they’re illegal, so just stow it.”

[Illustration: NO LUCK!]

“Throw Physic to the Dogs” for me. The best composing draught’s a Fee; For sinking Chest, low pulse, or Cold, There’s no Specific equals Gold.

INDEX.

A

Aarones, Joseph, 86 Abolition of Irish lotteries, 130 Adam’s Adelphi Lottery, 80 Adelphi Lottery, 80 Alterations in drawing tickets, 130 “Altogether!” 191 Anecdote by Theodore Hook, 311 Anecdotes of luck, 204, 205, 213, 214 Anecdotes of the lottery, 327 _Annual Register_, 87 Apophoreta gifts, 3 Armour lottery, 24 Armouth and the lottery of 1568, 23 Art Union Act, 331 Attempts to put down lotteries, 217, 221

B

Baddeley, Richard, 34, 42 Baker, Robert, and lottery gambling, 159 Baker’s evidence before the Commission, 301 Ballad of 1826, 274 Banks, Miss Sophia, 85 Bank of England, fraud on the, 97 Bartholomew, Christopher, and insurance, 306 Bennet, Secretary, 35 Bennett, Captain Edward, 34 Bish, T., 127, 145 ---- on the last lottery, 283 Bish’s enigmatical handbill, 169 ---- lottery alphabet, 162 ---- poetic effusions, 152, 180, 182, 191, 214, 218, 222, 261 ---- “Public Prizes,” 174 Blue-coat boys and the lottery, 79, 82 Book lottery, 44 Bowyer’s lottery, 139 Boydell lottery, 133 ---- Shakespeare winner, 138 Branscomb, James, 127 Branscomb’s agencies, 129 Brighthemston and the lottery of 1568, 23 British Museum, formation of, 69 Business of the offices of the lottery, 321

C

Cale, Nathaniel, 35 “Caleb Quotem,” 236 “Captain Bobadil,” 237 Chances of winning, 67 Child, Francis, 45 City Lottery, 149 Clarke, John, 108 Corbett, Francis, 32, 33, 39 Counterfeiting lottery tickets, 86, 87 “Cowslip,” 231 Cox’s Museum lottery, 75 Crosland, Sir John, 34 Curious handbills, 218, 219 ---- lotteries, 88

D

D’Aguilar, Baron, 131 _Daily News_, extract from, on lottery superstition, 213 De Duras, Marquis, 42 Death of the State lottery, 276 “Dennis Brulgruddery,” 198 Denny, Daniel, 87 Des Marces, Sir Anthony, 33, 34, 42 Dethier’s “Twelfth Cake Lottery,” 331 “Dialogue,” a, 245 Disposal of “Missing Word Competition” money, 350 Drawing of the lottery, description of, 312, 319 Drebbel, Cornelius, 29 Dupuy, Lawrence, 33, 34, 42

E

Earliest lottery ticket, 85 East Greenwiche and the lottery of 1568, 23 End of the lottery, 258 England, first lottery in, 5 ----, number of lotteries in, 42 English slave-ransom lottery, 32 “Enigma,” an, 187 Epitaph suggested for Vansittart, 221 ---- on the last lottery, 285 Evil of lotteries, 40 Extravagant prices for tickets, 74 Eyck’s lottery, 4

F

“Farmer Acres,” 226 Fielding’s song of the lottery, 1 Finochelli, Francisco, 33 First lottery in England, 5 Fishing vessels lottery, 31 Footman’s plan to spend expected prize, 311 Foreign lotteries, 331 “Fortune’s Ladder,” 165 “Fortune’s Train,” 218

G

Gage, George, 30 Gambling lottery, 33 _Gentleman’s Magazine_, 61, 66, 72, 103, 109 “Gently over the Stones,” 188 Glasgow lotteries, 330 “Gretna Green,” 214 Guinea lottery, 71 Gurney, Rev. W., and lottery gambling, 157

H

Hale, Pagen, 73 Hambleton, Colonel, 30 Handbills, 162, 180, 189 Harefield lottery, 25 Hastings and the lottery of 1568, 24 Hazard’s poetical handbills, 175 Historic lottery, 139 Holland’s wager, 67 Holophusikon, 104 Hone’s account of the last lottery, 267 Hook, Theodore, 311 Hornsby and Co., 119

I

Illegal insurance checked, 125, 130, 131 Insurance of lottery numbers, 296, 306 Insuring lottery tickets, 120 Irish Land Lottery, 31 ---- lotteries abolished, 130 ---- religious lotteries, 335 Islington miser, the, 131

J

“Jerry Sneak,” 262 “Jolly Dick,” 234

K

Killigrew, Thomas, 41 Knight, Sir John, 35, 36

L

“Lady Betty Modish,” 230 “Lady Mary Mousetrap,” 235 Last lottery, 265 ---- ----, epitaph on, 285 “Last of the lotteries,” 280 Launston and the lottery of 1568, 23 Leheup’s fraud, 70 Lever, Sir Ashton, 103 Lever’s lottery, 106 “Little Goes,” 287 L’Ocha di Catalonia, 33 _London Magazine_, 66 London water supply lotteries, 29, 30 “London and the Lottery,” 182 Loseley House, lottery record in, 5 Loss to the public by lotteries, 301 Lots, early history of, 2 Lottery alphabet, 162 ---- anecdotes, 327 ---- drawing, description of, 319, ---- frauds, 79, 81 ---- gambling, Parliamentary inquiry, 156 Lottery handbills-- A Prize for Poor Jack, by Jack Junk, 214 A Valentine, 173 Altogether, 191 An Enigma, 187 Bill of lottery in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, 5 Caleb Quotem, 236 Captain Bobadil, 237 Cook-maid, 279 Cowslip, 231 Cox’s Lottery, 77 Dennis Brulgruddery, 198 Farmer Acres, 226 Freeholds and Fortunes, 152 Fortune’s Ladder, 165 Fortune’s Train, 218 Gardener, 280 Gently over the Stones, 188 Green-grocer, 280 Gretna Green, 215 Jerry Sneak, 262 Jolly Dick, 234 Kitchen-maid, 279 Lady Betty Modish, 230 Lady Mary Mousetrap, 235 London and the Lottery, 182 Master and Man, 189 Miss Vixen Vinegar, 233 Mrs. Pry, 263 Mother Goose, 228 Queen Dollalolla, 232 Public prizes, 174 Sam Swig, 229 Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages,” 200 Sir Gaby Guttle, 227 Sir Simon Slenderwit, 264 Sir William Courteous, 261 Sweethearts and Gold, 176 The Doubt, 177 The Lottery Alphabet, 162 The Persian Ambassador, 184 The Philosopher’s Stone, 163 The Race of Fortune, 247 The Tradesman, 154 The Wish, 248 Three Royal Weddings, 222 Twenty Thousand, 180 Ways and Means, 219 Lottery numbers, insurance of, 296 ---- office agencies, 129 ---- ---- keepers, 293 ---- ---- ---- licensed, 90 ---- ---- ----, prosecution of, 114 ---- record in Loseley House, 5 ---- superstition, 213 ---- ticket, the earliest, 85 ---- ---- advertisement in _Post-Boy_, 210 ---- tickets, 238 ---- ----, counterfeiting, 86, 87 ---- ----, insurance of, 120 ----, the last, 265 ---- wheels, description of, 312, 318 Lotteries, attempts to put down, 217, 221 Lotteries, curious, 88 ----, derivation of, 3, 4 ---- disconnected from loans, 91 ----, discontinuance of, 258 ----, earliest records of, 4 ---- introduced into England, 5 ----, loss by, 301 ----, method of starting, 147 ----, Parliamentary inquiry into, 156 ----, suppression of, 50, 107 ----, suspension of, 29 ----, unauthorized, 108 Louth and the lottery of 1568, 23 Lucky lottery tickets, 205 Lyttleton’s resolutions in the House of Commons, 224

M

Maimed soldiers’ lottery, 32 Mainwaring, Everard, 29 Marcelli, Simon, 33 Margray, Mr., 112 Marriage portions by lottery, 56 “Master and Man,” 189 Military officers’ lottery, 45 “Miss Vixen Vinegar,” 233 Missing Word Competition, 339 Mitford’s (Miss) lottery ticket, 205 Morocco men, 298, 302 “Mother Goose,” 228 “Mrs. Pry,” 263

N

Noah, Samuel, 86 Norwich and lotteries, 40

O

Ogilby’s book lottery, 44

P

Parker, Michael, 29 Parkinson, James, 107 Parliamentary inquiry into lotteries, 156 _Pearson’s Weekly_ competitions, 339 Penalties on private lotteries, 59 Penny lottery, 48 “Percy Anecdotes,” 212 “Persian Ambassador,” 184 Peyto, Sir Edward, 30 “Philosopher’s Stone,” 163 Physician’s Fortune, 327 _Pick-Me-Up_ and Missing Word Competition, 346 Pickett, Alderman, 154 Pigot Diamond Lottery, 128 Pleydell, Captain William, 32 Pointz, Sir Robert, 30 Posies, 17, 19 Posie by Alice Crewe, London, 18 ---- Dorothie Hawes, Cheapside, 19 ---- Nicholas Martin, Exon, 18 ---- Sibbel Cleyon, 19 ---- Sir George Speake, Whitlackington, 19 ---- Sir Thom. Woodhouse, Warham, 19 ---- Thomas Chamberlayne, Horsted Teynes, 19 ---- William Dorghtie de Westholme, 19 _Post-Boy_, advertisement in, for lottery ticket, 210 Pounteney, Mrs., 93, 101, 102 Praying for success in lotteries, 74 Price (or “Patch”), Charles, 91 Pricking Book Lottery, 41 Prince Rupert’s jewels lottery, 45 Prisoner’s complaint, 114 Prize, sharp practice over, 110 Prize-winners, 118 Prosecution of lottery-office keepers, 114 ---- for insuring lottery tickets, 304, 305 “Public Prizes,” 174

Q

“Queen Dollalolla,” 232

R

Radcliffe and the Lottery of 1568, 23 Raffling, 334 Raine’s Charity, 55 Regulations for lottery drawing, 83 Religious lotteries, 335 Richardson, Goodluck, and Co., 118 Roche, Captain James, 33, 34 Roman lottery, 3 Royal Fishing Company, 41 ---- Oak Lottery, 33 Rudge, Edward, 30

S

Sale of ticket twice over, 73 Salvation Army man and “Word Competition,” 351 “Sam Swig,” 229 Saunder, Henry, 29 ----, Sir Nicholas, 29 Servants and the lottery, 298 Shakespeare lottery, 135 Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages,” 200 Sharpliffe and the Virginian lottery, 29 Shergold and Co., 110, 112 “Sir Gaby Guttle,” 227 “Sir Simon Slenderwit,” 264 “Sir William Courteous,” 261 Southfleete and the Lottery of 1568, 23 Spaniard’s luck, 204 _Spectator_ on lucky numbers, 208 State lotteries, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 59, 60, 66, 71, 72, 75, 89, 107, 110, 118, 120, 126, 145, 189, 197, 204, 238 ----, method of, 89 Story of a footman, 310 Suicides caused by the lottery, 89, 109, 310 Suppression of lotteries, 50, 54, 60, 107 Suspension of lotteries, 29 “Sweethearts and Gold,” 176 Sweet-stuff lotteries, 336 Sydenham lottery, 52

T

Tassie, the winner of the Boydell Shakespeare, 138 Ticket sold twice over, 73 _Times_ on “Little Goes,” 287 “The Doubt,” 177 “The Race of Fortune,” 247 “The Wish,” 248 Theft of tickets, 75 Thornton’s Royal Botanical Lottery, 193 “Three Royal Weddings,” 222 Tomkins’s picture lottery, 252 Tontine lottery, 334 Topsham and the lottery of 1568, 23 Twelfth Cake Lottery, 331 “Twelfth Night Characters” handbills, 225 “Twenty Thousand,” 180 “Two Gold Finches,” 197 Tuer (Andrew) and the Missing Word Competition, 344

U

Unauthorized lotteries, 108

V

Valentine, a, 173 Vansittart’s suggested epitaph, 221 Virginia lottery, 28

W

“Ways and Means,” 219 Wells and the lottery of 1568, 22 “Wheel of Fortune,” 335 ---- handbill, 48 Westminster Bridge lottery, 65 Williamson, Joseph, 35, 42 Winchester and the lottery of 1568, 22 Winners of prizes, 118

Y

Yermouth and the lottery of 1568, 22

[Illustration: £10,000 PRIZE!

“My dancing days are over!”]