The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-05-14
STRANGE FANCiES.

HOuSe-Secretary CnanUier counts w mite
Horses-Thad Stevens Picked Up Pins.
The whims. superstitions, freaks, or
whatever they may be called, of many
men of good, hard, common sense, who
have become conspicuous in public or
business life. are more potent forces than
would be supposed. The experience of
such alienists as DR.. Hammond or the
late DR.. George NJ. Beard would. if
published, make most curious and in
teresting story. For these physicians
there is no urprise when shrewd and
wealthy financier or successful politician
hesitate ngly cOnfesses that he is con-
trolled by some fancy that seems child
ish, but is none the less potent. They
meet so many such cases that they are
inclined to think that if almost all men
would make confession they would adj
NIT that some kind of fancy or belief
had possession of them.
Dr. Beard once said to the writer that
one of the most successful tinanc;erS of
Wall Street had confessed to him he
was convinced that if he walked on the
right hand Broadway block, between
Houston and Prince Streets, he would
meet some terrible calamity, either in
business or personally. This banker
was accustomed to walk down Broad
way for exercise, on the right hand side.
and when he reached Houston Street he
crossed over, walking the block to
cross back again perfectly content.
Satisfied that the seeming conviction
was a mere within, he once, by force of
will, went on a few steps on the block,
but he suffered such agony of fear that
he gave it up and crossed the street
Another of DR.. Boards patients.
well-known lawyer. who lived in Brook
lyn, would never cross the ferry unless
he could get to u certain spot on the
rear deck, so that he could stand with
one foot on the big iron clamp. He be-
lieved that if he failed TO do so he would
meet with misfortune of some kind.
That men susceptible to sentiment
should be dominated by these hallu-
cinations. as DR.. Beard called them. is
more easily explainable than the eases
of men of practical hard sense with no
nonsense about them. Yet Dr. Beard
asserted that in his practice he did not
see that one class was less liable to no.
tons than the other. President Gar
field. for instance, who was of a keenly
susceptible temperament, had a pro-
found conviction that the figure nine
teen would be associated strikingly with
the events of his career. He was born
on the 10Th of the month, and died on
the 10Th. 1t was known by Gariield's
friends that he was firmly convinced
that he would one day become Presi-
dent. Some incident that happened
while he was in the army fixed the con-
viction in his mind that he would be-
come President, provided he never
strayed from the path the omen pointed
out. His friends, not knowing Just what
the omen was. were satisfied that in
Obeying its dictates Gariield'S otherwise
i1explicable course in some things of
comparatively petty consequence found
explanation.
Speaker Carlisle is as practical and
unsentimental in temperament as Gar
field was the opposite; yet Mr.. Carlis lie
is dominated by one notion, if not by
more. He viii begin no new thing on
Friday. When he came to Washington
to manage his canvass for the Speaker
ship. year and half ago, he arrived
one day later than than expected. much
to the disappointment of some of his
friends. 1t appears that he had made
all his arrangements to leave COvington
Friday night: but on the evening of
that day. just As he was about to start.
he remembered that it was Friday. and
he at once deferred his departure. He
couldn't have been induced to start that
night.
1t is believed in Wall Street that the
cool, impertubable jim Keene suffers
torture from the fear that poison some
how or other has got into anything of q
liquid form that he drinks, not inten-
tionaily put there, bit there BY acct
dent, and he would not dare drink
glass of water, wine, or coffee without
going through some secret performance
that wards off the danger.
Commodore Vanderbilt was a firm be-
lever in luck and lucky men. but the
old Commodore was shrcwd enough to
see that lucky men generally did their
best to make themselves lucky. Senator
Miller, of California. is firm believer
in his own luck, and has perfect faith
that any business he goes into will be
successful because lie is lucky. He
has had fifteen years of contirmatory
experience. Before that everything he
attempted to do turned out unfortunate
". and he firmly believes that a single,
simple little incident. unconsciously
done while he was Collector of the Port
of San Francisco. changed his luck.
Mr.. Blaine, with all his common
sense, VII never turn back to enter his
house after he has quilted it, in case he
has forgotten something, not, at least,
until he has walked 4 few PAGES on the
sidewalk. and he is not free from a few
other Authorizations, if that is the name
for these mental phenomena.
Who would think that ex-Secretary
Chandler would permit himself to be
bothered by such visionary influences as
counting white horses for luck? He
counts every one that he sees until he
reaches thirty-nine and then he begins
over again. Speaking of this once, he
said he had often wondered why he
did so. for his reason told him
that it was nonsense; yet he
felt uncomfortable unless he did. When
President Arthur went to Florida with
Mr.. Chandler the party arrived at Jack
sonville in the evening. The President
entered a carriage drawn by four horses
and in a moment the booming of a
cannon frightened them and started
them on a run. Mr.. Chandler stood up
in his carriage. well frightened. He saw
that one of the horses attached to the
Presidents carriage was white. and