OF THE COSTERMONGERS' RAFFLES.
In their relief of the sick, if relief it is to be
called, the costermongers resort to an exciting
means; something is raffled, and the proceeds
given to the sufferer. This mode is common to
other working-classes; it partakes of the excite-
ment of gambling, and is encouraged by the
landlords of the houses to which the people
resort. The landlord displays the terms of the
raffle in his bar a few days before the occur-
rence, which is always in the evening. The
raffle is not confined to the sick, but when any
one of the class is in distress — that is to say,
without stock-money, and unable to borrow it,
— a raffle for some article of his is called at
a public-house in the neighbourhood. Cards
are printed, and distributed among his mates.
The article, let it be whatever it may — perhaps
a handkerchief — is put up at 6d. a member, and
from twenty to forty members are got, according
as the man is liked by his "mates," or as he has
assisted others similarly situated. The paper
of every raffle is kept by the party calling it, and
before he puts his name down to a raffle for an-
other party, he refers to the list of subscribers
to his raffle, in order to see if the person ever
assisted him. Raffles are very "critical things,
the pint pots fly about wonderful sometimes" —
to use the words of one of my informants. The
party calling the raffle is expected to take
the chair, if he can write down the subscribers'
names. One who had been chairman at one of
these meetings assured me that on a particular
occasion, having called a "general dealer" to
order, the party very nearly split his head open
with a quart measure. If the hucksters know
that the person calling the raffle is "down,"
and that it is necessity that has made him call
it, they will not allow the property put up to be
thrown for. "If you was to go to the raffle
to-night, sir," said one of them to me, many
months ago, before I became known to the class,
"they'd say to one another directly you come
in, `Who's this here swell? What's he want?'
And they'd think you were a `cad,' or else
a spy, come from the police. But they'd treat
you civilly, I'm sure. Some very likely would
fancy you was a fast kind of a gentleman,
come there for a lark. But you need have no
fear, though the pint pots does fly about some-
times."
