Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-10-04
NECROoIANCY AND STOCKS.
Some of the SuPerstitiOns of Wall Street
OperatOrs-Getting Advice from a
Little Dried Old Man Before Ven
turing to Invest-A NecrOmancer'
Bold Jump for a Reputation.

out.
perhaps you were looking for me"
said the little man; perhaps you wanted
something in the line Of pasts. presents
and futures:''
No; but the reporter would be pleased
to pay the usual charge for such Informal
ton, if the gentleman would tell some
thing about his line Of business.
1t does me no harm to talk about my
business remarked the little old man
pleasantly. as ne led the way into the
shop. Those who don't believe in it are
never likely to. and those who do Will
never let il alone for their natural lives
You take me for point giver. Well, I'm
not; Pm a necrOmancer, and I've got
call to be considered so; I've made some
big guesses in my day. | operate on
faith, and l leave it to you if a fair guess,
with luck on your side. isn't better than
a bad pOint:'
But the other man may be lucky. too"
''Ihat's true enough, but a man who
acts on a method is less likely to strike
luck than man who doesn't, because the
points are generally bad. If the points
are good, then he acts from reason, and
that beats even necrOmancy. Now l get
my business from men who, do what they
can, are unable to keep away from the
influence OF superstition. They are not
big business men or heavy operators, but
lHcA DtileNe III luCk. ana lueA consult me
regularly IN order TO satisfy their minds,
even if they don't take to what | say. OF
course what | do say, l give out in
general sort of way; so that, however it
may come. / don't lose much reputation.
But il often comes just my way, and then
I'm sure TO make a good day. Eight or
ten dollars is a good day for me. But
Lord bless you, they wouldn't do without
me anyhow. They don't look around for
me much when they're doing well, but
when they get on the wrong side they like
to talk with 'POp'-that's what they call
me-and pay me my dollar.
'When l first came into the street,
about six years ago. | was pretty hard
up, and | had to make what is called in my
business Jump for reputation. L
passed my cards around in the morning.
advertising to tell past, present and
future. Pretty soon a big, fresh-lOOking
man took me aside and said: Now, look
here. can you tell me what things mean:'
Well, l didn't know exactly what he
meant, but said yes, of course. Now
said he, found a pair of eyeglasses in the
gutter as | was coming down town this
morning first thing I'ye found in fifteen
/ years-what does it means' What stock
7 do YOU see in your mind" | asked. Rock
Island DO YOU see it going up
or down" Up he replied. You're
right said !, she's going up How much
, do YOU want " he asked. Five dollars
said boldly; l was desperately hard up.
Now, said he, If you can give me any
fair reason why YOU said up instead of
down. you'll have your s. quick OF
course | was solid for good TeasOn-we
have to be in my business-so I'said,
y our finding those eyeglasses shows that
to-day you will see clearly. You see Rock
Island going up; well, she'll go up He
gave me my s. without another word, and
#Esr. Nr.r.H J.
the man, and my reputation was tirst-class
/ for several years.
'As | have said. that is what we call "a
jump for reputation The way it is
worked is to make a big. bold guess in
public on some prominent event. If it
comes your way. show yourself. and you'll
do business. If it doesn't work try
another district. The biggest jump for
reputation | ever knew of in my business
was made by a man who was excessively
. hard up, and went around the steamer
/ docks trying to find some nervous looking
man who would be soft enough to pay a
fellow for telling him that the steamer
was going to the bottom sure. Well, the
necrOmancer did happen to find Just such
a man going aboard with his wife. The
prophet talked so well that the mans wife
wouldn't risk the journey.
Now. IL 50 happened that the steamer
was the Evening star, for New Orleans,
which lost most of her passengers, and
when the news of the accident came the
necrOmancer called on the man and got
So. besides making a biz reputation. But
we don't often do such bold work as that.
How that man coined money out of ii
People used to consult him about every
thing, and when he got things wrong he
. could always say: Il may miss il once
or twice, but I'm good at it; remember
the Evening star But that fellow got
knocked out of his district rather sudden
" one day, and | think he deserved it.
There was a pork merchant who used
TO consult him every two weeks to
find out If his wife, who was in Ger
many with the children, had taken
passage for New York or not. You see
the pork manufacturer was a little tid-
getty on this subject, Tor
he had been indiscreet enough
to marry another woman here, and want
ed due notice of the wife's arrival. Well,
this Evening star necrOmancer used tC
get s. every two weeks out of the Ger
man by proving to him on celestial map
that his wife was still on the other side
But it so happened that on one Saturday
night. while the necrOmancer was salts
fying the old fellows mind as usual, the
lady from Europe burst into the room anC
the pork merchant knocked the astrOlOgeI
clean through the parlOr door.
''AtteT that this necrOmancer worked
with me for time in Wall street. He
was a curious duck, and was always
working what we call double points
That is. when he would find that both
man and his wife were playing the same
stocks, unknown to each other, he would
advise one TO bull it while the other was
bearing lt. In that way he was sure to bt
on good terms with one member of the
family all the time. But level-headeC
necrOmancer won't do such work as that
T and, the way things are going now, has
little chance of it. His best hold is to bt
mysterious and general in his talk to his
customer. The man who believes in hit
luck likes to talk to us about it: il seems
to relieve his mind. Eve customer WhC
talks with me about the market eYery
two or three days, tells me about his
dreams or Of any curious little inciden
that has happened to him which he think.
may affect his luck, and yet never seem!
to take my advice about anything. Vet
whenever he wins anything l always sc
my dollar. He doesn't believe in fortune
telling. so he says. but he hates to have the
gods against him.
Zone man who comes pretty regularly
into the shops may often be seen at diff
ferent hours of the day waiting a minute
. or TWO at a time around various LAM
posts in this vicinity. He will go to one
then hurry to another, and at last come
inside and play. When he goes out he doe,
the same thing for a while. He ism
crazy, not by any means; but he once
picked up a good point while standing a
lamp post and made a good deal o
money. He says it's only matter o
time for the same thing to occur again
and he wouldn't stop the habit if he could
Every two or three weeks he asks me t
guess post for him. | do so and that.
the last | hear about it.
women used to be more superstitious
about betting than men, bun l think Its
getting to be the other way now. | know
men who won't make a bet all day if they
spilled salt at breakfast. There is an old
broker in the street who always avoids
all speculative transactions for the day
If, while he was walking down town, q
dog happened to cross his path. Only d
year ago "A speculatOr came to me in
great excitement, and, putting a dol
lar into my hand, asked me to fol-
low him into his back office. AS
| turned from Broadway into Wall
street this morning., said he. Il stumbled
violently against a stone. Now, I'm not
a superstitiOus man, but just tell me what
the astrOlOgers and sOOthsayers think
about an occurrence of that kind Now !
knew this man had lost his head a littlJ