Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1885-12-16
Luc. COINS AND CHAR,fS.
Articles Carried TO Keep of Disease
and Appease Witches.

and ADDe9Sc w
On the 23d. an extrayagant gentle
man stopped at a Denver fruit store ara
purhased five cents worth of peanuts OF
the presiding genius, who happened tG
he a small boy whose brown skin an9
black ewes denoted that he was child OF
sunny Italy. As the gentleman was III
no hurry. and as the dirty awning over
the peanut stand afforded some sheltef,
from the rain, the gentleman fingered,
ate his purchase and chatted with the
boy. When he had finished his chat he
gave the boy a nickel. The youth
smiled. thanked his benefactor, SPIT
upon the coin and put it In hlS pocket.
.EWhv did YOU spit upon that nickel be
fore YOU put it into your pocket !:
asked the gentleman.
Me spita on hicks for lucks. }"
The act of splitting on gilt com 10
bring luck was a new thing to the ques-
TONER. but il set his mind upon the sub
iect of lucky coins, and during the day
he inquired among his acquaintance
with a view of aScertaining how many
of them carried luck coins or pocket
pieces. He found that almost every
man whom he met carried some sort OF
coin. medal or odd article in his pockets
either as an oblation to Dame Fortune
or as souvenirs.
The greater number of coins were
either from foreign mints or were CONS
of the United States, either conterielt
OF 50 badly defaced as TO be of no use as
legal tender for anything. Several were
I-cent pieces. which until very recently
We're almost useless in Colorado, as only
dimes and nickles were used as small
change.
One Young married man, who had
lust declared that he hadn't got cent
with him. fiShed Il very black nickel out
of his pocket when the matter of Souv-
euirs came up. He said that that didn't
count for money, as he carried 1t for
ten wears and wouldn't spend 1t. When
asked why he treasured it so carefully,
he smiled sheepishly and said: "Nell
| don't care about it now, but I've car
ried il so long don't like TO part with
it. When first got it | was young
fool. | was dead mashed by a Httle
girl, and | couldn't get acquainted with
her. although | tried every way known
to polite society. Finally one evening l
was sitting in the theater with a hilI
eve on the stage and an eye and han
on her. when she suddenly pulled her
handkerchief from her pocket and out
dropped this nickel, and it rolled directly
at my feet. l picked it up and I've
carried it ever since"
Quite a remarkable tale, y sad one
of the hearers.
You were dishonest fellow" re-
marked the second. You ought TO
have returned it 10 the lady"
YES" said another, ''and you might
have got acquainted by that means. You
were fool as well as a knaye."
WAS that Young lady your present
wife - asked another.
NO said the man with the nickel,
.-and don't you tell the story to your
wife or she'll tell mine"
Further inquiry revealed the fact that
a great variety of articles are carried
in peoples pockets for all sorts of rea-
sons. ANY quantity Of people carry
''buckeveS" or hOrse-cheStnutS as pre-
ventatiyeS of rheumatism. One old
gentleman wears a brass ring which
used to be a part of a pair of suspend
erS. This was also a warder against
rheumatism.
One undertaker's apprentice was
found with a bracelet upon his freckled
wrist. He was . red-headed, long
necked LAD. with an air of reckless am
bition. He swore and distributed to-
bacco Juice with perfect proligality, and
the discOyerer of the bracelet was as
tonished at such display of eethetic-
ism. He asked him why he wore the
bauble, and the boy replied that 1t was
a sure thing to prevent blood poison
ing, to which he was more or less liable
in handling corpSes. When asked where
he got the bracelet, he replied that he
got it off the wrist of one OF their sub
jects.
There were hOrseshoes everywhere
and of all kinds, gold, diamond, wood
en-. Jet. tin and paper. These were
worn as watch charms, as bracelets, as
wall ornaments. They were hung over
doors and behind saloon bars and IN
store windows. Everybody knows that
they are the most lucky Things Ill the
world. and if a person can find one III the
street or upon the country road, where
a horse has Just cast it, If the Under
knows when he or she is well off 1t Will
be picked up carefully, mud and all,
and carried off.
The horseshoe superstition Is rem
nant of the old habit of guarding against
witches and witchcraft. The old Gus
tom was as now, to hang 1t over or
upon the house door to keep the witches
or the devil out.
There is one old superstition that has
grown to be a portion of architecture, II
the term may be used, and which Is
never noticed. Any one can see 1t by
simply looking at an ordinary door
where the material IS entirely wooden.
a glance will show that the solid wood
work which passes between the two
upper panels of the door, crosses at the
base of the upper panels, and then be-
tween the lower ones, forms the figure
OF Z cross. 1t is a ''St. Peters cross. )"
st. Peter, according to history, was
crucilied head downward. This cross
was originally placed upon doors to
keep the devil or the witches out, and
it has grown to he custom of all car
penters and builders of modern times.
The Welsh Lcck.