Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-04-01

Beifefin the Power Of Charms.
C0njurers Of Local Ren0Rn.

Beffefin the Power of Charms
Conjurers Of Local Ren0Wn.
1t probably never Secured to the ay.
erage mind that there is a very large
quantity of superstition amongst the in
telligent people of the nineteenth cen
tury. We have been accustomed to see-
ing persons hold up their hands in hor-
ror at the absurd superstitions and IA
naticism of the Southern .nergoes, and
been shocked at reading of their awful
voadooism. We have laughed ineredu-
Loudly at the silly ghost stories told by
the nurses to frighten children to bed,
slld shuddered when we read of the Pu-
Htans burning witches hundred years
ago We have wondered how people in
this age of intelligence and refinement
could believe in dreams and tokens; but
1t is a fact most undeniable that very
large proportion of the intelligent men
and women of this day have more or
less faith in "luck." Schoelmen and
ttieologians have tried to beat it into our
heads that there is no such thing as
luck But. after all, the most OF rs be-
lieye IN it all the same. Religious peo-
pie do not always call Thy that ns1ne,
but they believe in-whft il sbout the
same thing sort Of mysterious Prod
dencs; aRagsncy that brings fortune or
nissoFtune. In spite of us and In spite of
all the sgencies we may use to bring
about q different state of things, Napo-
leon dignifed his belief in luck BY cali
ing it fate.
If a census wereitaken Of al thepeo-
pie who to greater or less degree have
a belief in superstitious agencies or luck.
thssresuit would be most astonishing.
How many hesitate to begin any inn
pQtant undertaking or start upon q
journey on Fridays Whs would prefer
70 be married on Friday Others, expec-l
iaily in some parts of the South and West
haFs - strsng antipsthy TO undertaking
matter on Saturday. Their
lives mold lady in Virginia who never
negiects to lay out and begin work
enough on Thursday to last her for
whole week, for fear that she might
have to undertake some matter on Sat
nrday. 1t Is impossible to divest the
minds of many, especially women, of the |
belief that there is some significance in
dreams. They will wait sometimes for
weeks for some unusual dream to "come
,ut,r but they will never fail to discover
hat the last wedding they dreamed of
was followed by q funeral. 1t is said
wazscn are~ more superstitious than
men. If this is true, it by no means
proves that there is nothing in signs and
,okens and dreams. e
THE HORSESHOE,
now all the rage as an ornament, and |
affected by men and women alike, has
ong been considered a token of good
uck, especially by sailors. Few sailors
would start on voyage in a ship on
which the potency of the horseshoe was
not acknowledged. 1t must be kept at !
Iome conspicuous place rs a sign of good
uck. On Western steamboats, not a
ieck-hand could be induced to engage
himself on a steamer that did not have |
/ partly-worn horseshoe nailed over the |
of the bow. Very often
hey are placed near the figure-head at
he stem of the ibow. How long this
has prevailed it would be |
to tell. 1t is by no means of |
recent origin. Horseshoes and conjurers |
have long been allies. To find a whole
in the road that has been cast |
from the animal and still retains five of
The nails in it is considered a remarka-
Die token Of good luck. But should any
,ne find horseshoe with all the nails |
IN it, he may consider himself endowed
with wonderful powers of magic. This
no. doubt, had its origin in the
tact that it is almost impossible for a
horse to cast shoe while all the nails
are intact. 4g-s.5l. .nl} Il
There lived q man in Shenandoah |
county, Va, who claimed to have found
such a horseshoe. His name was Con-
rad Gerst. He was German with lit |
lie education, but was considerable of |
snaye. He professed to be able to work |
and wits believed by many peo- |
pie to posses certain powerful eonjuring |
powers, Gegst was shoemaker, and |
very poor, for he was too lazy to work, |
md had a large family of children. He
could heal the sick, recover stolen ar |
,icles, cure diseased cattle, find under
ground steams of running water, make |
,he butter come for the dairy women, |
and drive off witches.
A woman churned all day over Q |
,hurning 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 In the churn. |
Then, after cleansing the churn with |
boiling water, he guaranteed that the |
butter would come at the next effort. |
And more: If the woman would inquire |
carefully amongst her neighbors she |
would discover that some one of them |
IAN enemy would have severe burn on
some part of her body. There were
plenty of people who believed in this.
Another case: A widow lady living
two miles from Gerst had sum of mon
ey stolen from her. Instead of giving
the matter into the hands of the author
tiles she sent for Gerst. He inquired
into the affair, and, after performing
of incantations with stick that
he carried. and placing his horseshoe in
the fire and cooling it In the spring, he
confidently that on the morn
ing of the second day thereafter the
would be found at certain
place, with some other valuables that
had been lost. This conclusion of the
conjurer was widely circulated, and on
the morning indicated quite anumber of
people assembled at the widows house