Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-10-07
Notes from a NecrOmancer.

A fortune-teller who practices on the
dudes of Wall street tells the following
stories: wv en- | first anne into the
street. about Dix years ago, j was pretty
hard up, and | had to make what is
called in my business a jump for a
reputation. [ 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
things mean?' Well, | didn't know
exactly what he meant. but | said yes, of
course. Now, said he, L found a pair
of eyeglasses in the gutter as | was com
ing down town this m~orning-irst thing
I've found in fifteen years-what does it
mean?' What stock do you see in your
mind?' | asked. Rock Island DO you
see it going up or DOWN. Up he re-
piled. You're right said l, she's going
up. How much do you wantY he
asked. Five dollars | said boldly; |
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 So quick OF course | was
| solid for a good reason we have to be in
| my business: so | said: Your finding
| those eyeglasses shows that to-day
YOU will see clearly. You see Rock Is
land going up; well, she'll go up He
gave me my So without another word, and
the stock went up. l got so more from
the man, and my reputation was first
class for several years. As | have said,
that is what we call a jump for reputa-
ton The way it is worked is to make
a big, bold guess in pnblic on some prom
inent event. If it comes your way, show
yourself. and you'll do business. If ii
- II A-- ,rn.L.r l,,t ~,
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 demonstrating 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 spch a man going
aboard with his wife. The prophet
talked so well that the mans wife would
not risk the journey. Now, it so hap
pened that the steamer was the Evening
Star, for New Orleans, which lost mos
of her passengers, and when the news G.
the accident came the called
on the man and got SO, besides making
big reputation. But we don't often d.
such bold work as that. How that mar
coined money out of it! Peopl,
used to consult him about everything
and when he got things wrong h,
could always say: i miss it nj OF
twice, but I'm good at it; remember tn,
Evening Star But that fellow got knock
ed out of his district rather suddenly on,
day, and | think he deserved it. Their,
was a pork merchant who used to consul
him every two weeks to find out if hi
wife, who was in Germany with the chill
dren, had taken passage for New York o
not. You see the pork manufacturer wa
a little fdgety on this subject, for he ha,
been indiscreet enough to marry anothe
woman here, and wanted due notice o
the wife's arrival. Well, this Evening
Star used to get So ever
two weeks out of the German by proving
to him on a celestial map that his wifi
was still on the other side. But it so hap
pened that on one Saturday night, Will
the was satisfying the oil
fellows mind as usual, the lady iron
Germany burst into the room and tn
pork merchant knocked the astrologe
clean through the parlor door,