How the Sweepstake Winner Secured his Ticket at Mukden From Hanty K, Smmacian, Mukden, Nov. 6, It is very seldom that one cannot work up some sort of romance in connexion with the Shanghai Champion Sweepstakes and this year the Story is rather more than "usually Interesting, for it is closely allied with China's civil war. Probably'by now Shanghai has had its fill of the usual rumours assigning the big. prize to amahs, coolies, semi-professional gamblers,.the Kobe Club, tte., but the real facts are far more entertaining.
I left Shanghai at short notice to go to Mukden and find out how the war was progressing from the Fengtien side—a venture which has not been particularly satisfactory owing. to secrecy being a fetish in these parte—and was able only to obtain very early Champions ticket before sailing. T wanted at least one more amongst the later numbers, for they invariably win, The the Mukden Club were lift sweepstake lists from vari all over China, but not a sin for the biggest prize of all amongst them. I spoke to. set committeeman about it, but they they never had sent for Shang! lists and did. not think the innovation would be a success, However the result of repeated suggestion was that a few racing men, some belonging to the Shanghai' Race Club, telegraphed down on their own guarantee for 30 tickets, only fa week before the races, Nothing was heard until, noon on Monday, the opening day'of the races, when telegram informed us that 30 consecutive tickets had been reserve The Last Ticket The list was taken round to the Standard Oil Company, but an order for a gallon of gasoline had just arrived, the staff all were in a fever of excitement and the list was ejected with scorn. On Thuriday the Socony men formed a ring in the club and marched around kieking each other until they were tired, Elsewhere the tickets soon were snapped up, all except one. Major Stockwell, Mukden's Beau Brummel, director of fashion and social life, organizer of everything from Daby shows to Armistice Day eelerations, said: "Who will take it?" "Sutton, of course,"" said two or three of us, "you cannot leave him out," So the list was filled, some fierce financial calculating was done ith a heap of Mukden's many $150 wang hal motes happened to have left filled void and a telegraphic draft was despatched.
At 10 o'clock on Wednesday night, after the race had been run, Messrs. Stockwell and Sutton were gossiping and it was ensually mentioned that tthe latter had not paid. He only had Yen notes and a coin was spun tw decide whether ho should pay '¥.10 or ¥.20. Sutton won and so secured his ticket cheaply. On 'Thursday morning 'a telegram arrived from Shanghai, Sutton had won! For sheer' good luck, from beginning to end, there can hava: been few better instances in the history of the big prize.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.