The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-08-01
SUPERSTITIONS
OF THE MEN WHO BATTLE WITH
1.-THE TIGER"
Luck May Lie in Black Kitten-The
Fortune That Waits on a "Coon's''
Dream-A Crooked
Pin-LOSt.
[Chicago Herald interviews


"You may believe in luck or you may
not believe in it, said a we1l-known
sporting man. You may not think there
Is anything in superstition, or you NAV,
but l tell you there's heap in it, and
here is not a gambler in this town who
las not his pet superstition, and governs
himself accordingly. Why, look here;
the other day l found black kitten on
the sidewalk near my house 1t wanted
to be familiar with me, and picked it up,
carried it into the house and gave it a
feed That day l came down town and
made big win against the bank, and I
have been winning ever since
You ask any of these fellows if they
believe in such things, and they'll tell you
there is nothing in it, but they all have
their signs and their lucky numbers, and
their lucky clothes, and a hundred things
I can't repeat, for all that There's Pat
Sheedy. Wasn't he sitting in bad luck
one night and losing every bet he put
down, when he got sup, went home,
changed every rag of clothes he had on
his back. then turned and made the big.
gest win he ever made in his life? No; I
guess there's nothing in it, but they all
play it as if there was, just the
same. They are always on the
lookout for something. You know the
'coons' are great for policy and they are
always dreaming numbers. Now, if a
gambler can only get onto a 'coon's
dream he's fixed. Tom Wallis was walk
ing down State street one day and he
passed two 'coons' very busy talking. AS
he passed he heard one say: 4 tell you,
honey, dream 6, z, 8 twice; you go buy
two gigs and saddle Now, Tom is a
high roller and plays bank for all there
is in it. He turned round when he heard
those numbers, went up to 49, and
played the pot, which s'pose you know
3c fhoR L.
1t won for him, one deal eleven times in
succession, and he played the limit And
he played it al! day and nothing else
and he won a big pile, l tell you. No.
there's nothing in it. but they all do it.
l. know gamblers" he continued,
who will never play against certain deal
srs, nor If certain persons are in the room
They think they hoodoo' them. that they |
gave themsbad luck by looking at them. |
They will curse some fellow for hoodoo' !
up hill and down dale. Then there are
players who, if you touch one of their |
chips, or put one of yours on top of theirs |
think you give them back luck and that |
they will lose, certain. Poker players |
all believe in lucky seats, and in the run |
OF the cards, and in lucky decks of cards, |
and 80 do the most of bank PLAYERS. |
They'll walk round their chair three |
times in order to change their luck. Some |
men won't lend money to their most init
mate friend while they are PLAYING. be.
cause it gives their luck away. Others
believe in lucky pieces of money, old coins
with a certain date on them or some mark
or other
Il knew an old player who had a lucky
sixpence. He did seem to be mighty
lucky for long time. But one time he
got broke down to his sixpence He laid
that down on card and told the dealer
ne would make it good for a quarter.
The dealer knew him and knew about his
1xpence. He turned and the sixpence
was swept into the till. You see, joe
cid the dealer, there's nothing in it
! on know if it had been such lucky
,iece for Joe he ought not to have lost ii.
30 1t must have been something else that
gave Joe his run of luck.
NO gambler in his senses will ever pick
lp crooked pin on the street or one "
az crosswise with the way he is walking.
ne way to pick up pin is to have the
cad turned toward you | know some |
'ay that the point should be towards you,
nd L have heard that old Thad Stevens,
mo was great gambler, would only pick
up with the point toward him. I've
led all ways, but pins don't seem to 6
6ect my luck one way or the other A '
our-leaf clover is great thing to find to ! s
ring fellow good luck, but they are | {
bout as scarce as good luck is generally. I
"Most gamblers wear watch charm or '
finger ring that they build a heap on a
y Jaynes has finger ring that money
'uldn't buy, and he don't believe in il a
Their, if you ask him. Still he likes to "
ave the ring on when he is dealing. An L
her thing, man will have lucky and
1lucky days. tell you, you can lecture
day and preach all night, but luck is
ok, and l know it. dreamed one night
at the jack won four times In succession. b
ext day l went to the bank. l was t.
oke and couldn't play, but I'll ba n
AIMED if the very first deal I looked at if Z
e jack didn't win four times straight +" b
There must be good manv ups and | f;
OWNS at the gamer" suggested the scribe. | {
" Ups and downs? / believe you, said | V
e sport Il went down town one day | it
tn 10 cents, and that night carried | IL
me $500. went down the next day C,
tn the $780, and had to borrow car
re to get home Don't you touch it.
Jung man, if you do you'll never regret
but once; that'n be all your life AS for
:. I've got my cat now, and I shall try IL
d get out. OF
day or two afterward the scribe met "
J sporting friend again Sayl l lost h.
? cat day before yesterday, and last "
ght went broke I am on the hunt ca
W for black cat. F" IN