St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-09-25
"QUEERED,, RY CROSS-EYES.
Mischief wrought by a Small Boy.
A Superstition of Sporting Men.

Chicago News.
All the sports who have been going to
Washington park from the Van Buren,
street depot have been ''queered." The
cause of all this trouble is a freckled-faced
boy who has been selling programs at the
depot. By a freak of nature pair OF
watery blue eyes have been placed in his
head in that cratic relation to each other
which is described by the phrase ''cross-
eyed" 1t is one of the strongest supersti-
tons of betting men that to be impaled by
the glance of cross-eyed person is equiva-
lent to being entirely deserted by the god
dess of luck.
Tuesday afternoon the cross eyed vender
Of programs stood in the path which runs
across the lake front from the foot OF
Jackson street to the little depot. Pretty
soon two handsomely dressed men saun-
tered down the path toward the depot.
Here's der offishul program" chirped
the cross-eyed youngster, darling out and
confronting the sports.
The two men cast one look at the youth,
turned pale and dashed by with their heads
turned the other way.
my God, JimE" calculated one of the
men, ''we're hoodooed, sure. Did you
catch those eyes?"
YES" replied Jim, ST guess we're done
for. / won't bet a cent to-day"
Lets sell our pool tickets" suggested
his companion.
NO" said Jim, with wise shake OF
the head; ''they'd win sure, then. Well
hedge out even if we can."
More men kept coming down Jackson
street, and the cross-eyed boy hOodOoed
of IN a
cursed the yOungster and resolved not to
bet that day. A rank outsider, Donovan,
won the first race and all the men who had
tickets on the favorites went down into the
bar-room and prayed for the crOSS-eyed
boy.
Thursday all the cunning gentlemen who
had been hoodooed the previous day stepped
around to Van Buren, street and tried to
sneak down to the depot by that route.
The cross-eyed youngster saw the crowd
coming down Van Buren, street. and at
once moved over and took a position
where he could intercept it. This al
most caused panic. Several gentlemen
who had been hoodOoed the previous day
managed to dodge the uncanny youth with
the dislocated eyes, but the big majority
walked right into him, and then kicked
themselves for not going to Lake street
depot. The boy, however, sold no pro-
grammes.
The next day Billy Doble discovered the
"Jonah'' and promptly discharged him.
The youth, however, had got in his work.
and now there are any number of disheart-
ened sports who firmly believe they will not
win another bet at the meeting, or UNTIL
they have worked some charm which will
remove the spell cast upon them by the
cross-eyed lad.
Cross eyed people are strangers to race
tracks, unless they go there to see the
races. A cross-eyed jockey would be an
impossibility. and crOss-eyed timer OF
rubber would be as much of curiosity as a
blue horse. Cross-eyed people could never
obtain employment on any racecOurse in
the country. A cross-eyed man applied
for job as gatekeeper just before the
opening of the meeting, but he was chased
away before he had chance to show his
credentials. Billy Pinkerton always in
spects the men he sends to the course and
never lets cross-eyed man wear the Pink
orion uniform on the grounds.