The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1880-04-28
Something About the " Lucky" Horse.
shoe.

The horseshoe, now all the rage as an
ornament, and affected by men and
women alike. has long been considered
token of good luck, especially by sail
ors. Few sailors would start ON voy-
age in ship on which the potency of
the horseshoe was not acknowledged.
It must be kept at some conspicuous
place as sign of good luck. On West
ern steamboats,, not deck-hand could
be einduced TO engage himself on steamer
that did not have partly-worn horse
shoe ma led over the companion way OF
the bow. Very often they are placed
near the figure-head, at the stem of the
bow. How long this superstition has
prevailed, it would be impossible to tell.
It is by no means of recent origin.
Horseshoes and conjurers have been
allies. To find a whole horseshoe in the
road that has been cast from the animal
and still retain FIVE of the nails in it, is
considered remarkable token of good
luck. But should any one find horse
shoe with all the nails in it, he may con-
slider himself endowed with wonderful
bowers of magic. This conceit, no doubt,
had its origin in the fact that it is al
most impossible for horse to cast shoe
while all the nails are intact. There
lived a man in Shenandoah county, Va,
who claimed to have found such horse
shoe. His name was Conrad Gerst. He
had little education, but was consider
able of knaye. He professed to be
able to work wonders, and was believed
by many people to possess certain pow
erful conjecturing powers. Gerst was a
shoemaker, and very poor, for he was
too lazy to work, and had large family
of children. He could heal the sick. re-
cover stolen articles, cure diseased cattle,
find underground streams of running
water, make the butter come tor the
dairy women and drive off witches. A
woman churned all day over churn-
ing of cream, but the butter would not
come. She sent for Gerst. He told her
to get an old horseshoe, heat it red hot
and cast it into the churn. Then, fter
cleansing the churn with boiling water,
he guaranteed that the butter would
come at the next effort. And more. II
the woman would inquire carefully
among her neighbors she would dis
cover that some one of them Gan enemy
would have o severe burn on some part
of her body. There were plenty of peo-
pie who believed in this. Another case.
A widow lady living two miles from
Gerst had a sum of money stolen from
her. Instead of giving the matter into
the hands of the authorities, she sent for
Gerst. He inquired into the affair, and
after performing a number of incanta-
tions with a stick that he carried, ami
placing his horseshoe in the fire and
cooling it in the spring, he announced
confidently that on the morning of the
second day thereafter the money would
be found at certain place. This con-
clusion of the conjuror was widely cir
culated, and on the morning indicated
quite number OF people assembled at
the widows house to see the prediction
verified. The money was found at the
place indicated. The solution was that
the thief, whoever he was, believed in
Gerst's pretended power, and returned
the money out of fear. The superstition
that imparts such virtues to the horse
shoe gave birth to the prevailing idea
that makes it the emblem of good luck.