The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-12-07

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But my clerical friend had not heard
of a certain curious circumstance which
occurred to me after [ had mailed my let
ter to him and before | received his an
swer.
On leaving Mount Vernon for Cedar
Rapids the next morning, the landlord,
Mr.. Ballard drove me to the railroad de-
pot As | was stepping upon the cars,
Mr.. Ballard shook my hand, and with a
laugh exclaimed "Good-by friend Bar
mum, hope you won't get room number
thirteen at Cedar Rapids to-day" II
hope mott" | replied earnestly, and yet
with a smile. reached Cedar Rapids
in an hour. The lecture committee met
me and took me to hotel | entered my
name, and the landlord Immediately called
out to the porter
"Here John take Mr.. Barnum's bag
gage, and show him to number thir-
teen y"
confess that when | heard this | was
startled remarked to the landlord that
it was certainly very singular, but was
nevertheless true, that number thirteen"
seemed to be the only room that | could
get in at Il hotel:
1--WE have a large meeting Of Railroad
directors here at present. he replied,
"and number thirteen is the only room
unoccupied in my house."
proceeded to the room, and immedi-
ately wrote to Mr.. Ballard at Mount
Vernon, assuring him that my letter was
written in number thirteen" and that
this was the only room could get in the
hotel. During the remainder of my
journey, was put in number thirteen
so often in various hotels at which | stop
ped that it came to be quite matter of
course, though occasionally | was fortu-
nate enough to secure some other number.
Upon returning to New York, | related
the foregoing adventures to my family,
and told them was really half afraid of
number thirteen" Soon afterwards, |
telegraphed to my daughter who was
boarding at the Atlantic House in Bridge
port, asking her to engage a room for me
to lodge there the next night, on my way
to Boston. Mr.. Hale" said she to the
landlord, father is coming up to-day ;
will you please reserve him a comfortable
room?' Certainly" replied Mr.. Hale,
and he instantly ordered fire built in
the "room thirteen ~ went to Boston
and proceeded to Lewiston, Maine, and
thence to Lawrence, Massachusetts, and
the hotel register there has my name
booked for number thirteen"
My experience with this number has
by no means been confined to apartments
In 1867 church in Bridgeport wanted
to raise several thousand dollars in order
to get freed from debt. subscribed one
thousand dollars by aid of which they as.
sured me they would certainly raise enough
to pay the debt. A few weeks subse.
quently, however, one of the "brethren'
wrote me that they were still six hundred
dollars short, but with little prospect o
getting it. | replied that would pay
one half, and l might forward him my
subscription of thirteen hundred dollars
During the season | attended fair il
Franklin Hall, Bridgeport, given by the
temperance organization. Two of my
little grand daughters accompanied me
and telling them to select what articles
they desired, l paid the bill, twelve dol
lars and fifty cents. Whereupon | saiC
to the children, " | am glad you did not
make it thirteen dollars, and | will ex
pend no more here to night" We sa
awhile listening to the music, and finally
started for home, and as we were going,i
lady at one Of the stands near the door
called out "Mr. Barnum, you have no
patronized me. Please take chance il
my lottery" | replied; give me ;
ticket" Ipaid her the price fifty cents)
and after arrived home, | discovered
that in spite of my expressed determine
tion to the contrary, had expended ex
actly thirteen" dollars
| invited few friends to a " clan
bake" in the Summer of 1868, and bein,
determined the party should not be thir
teen, invited fifteen, and they all agreet
to go. Of course, one man and his wifi
were disappointed" and could not 60
and the party numbered thirteen. A
Christmas, in the same year, my child
rem and grandchildren dined with me
and finding on counting noses," that the
would number the inevitable thirteen,
expressly arranged to have a high chai
placed at my table, and my younges
{ nj ohtlA ,,onthu old W.
: placed in it, so that we should numbe
fourteen. After the dinner was over, W
discovered that my son-in-law, Thompson
: had been detained down town, and tn
9 number at the dinner table, notwithstand
ing my extra precautions, was exactl
thirteen.
Thirteen was certainly an ominous nun
Der to me in in 1865, for on the 18th da
: of July, the American Museum was burr
ed to the ground, while the thirteent
I day Of November saw the opening
"Barnum's New American Museum,
a which was also subsequently destroyed b
j fire.
= Having concluded this veritablc hist'
' VI ShpSlsNlNlOuH ColHCllCuNco III ltEdl
| to thirteen, read it to clerical frien'
n who happened to be present; and aft'
reading the manuscript | PACED it, whe
= my friend and | were little startled I
t find that the pages numbered exactly thi
| teen.-hmgcporf Ntdnda,d
'. When man gets drunk in Janesyill
I, Wisconsin, they say that he has "misse
: his demeanor
3 Gustayus A Smith, of Alabama, hi
r been appointed Collector Of Internal Re-
n enue for the District of New Mexico.
Mrs. Evans, Of Frankford, Penn, w
tied and gagged by burglars, in the al
: sence of her husband, and her front ha
p c, off. The th1ives found but 800
), repay them for their labor.
J. A Buffalo dispatch says yesterday WI
Al Lilo. ,,neptn., ON raa,,