Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1886-08-26
EVIL oMENs.
Why "a Professional Gambler Looks With
Disfayor Upon Cross-Eyed Maids.

Disfayor Upon Cross-Eyed Maids.
II never knew Il gambler. an actor
or hack-driyer WHO Was not supersti,
tious, and | have known great many
men of those professions" said one Of
Inspector Byrnes' detectives the other
evening. "a gambler won't play for a
week if he meets cross-eyed woman
Monday morning. He couldn't win il
he did. Sailors are superstitous, too,
but | have never been thrown much
among them, SO don't know the bent
OF their fears. But cabmen-the all.
night hack-drivers are the most super
stltlous people in the world. Have you
never noticed the gang Of night-hawks
who sit in their cab doors till morning
N Chatham square, and along the
bowery near the ball rooms9 They all
believe in signs. | know two cabmen
who work the Germania Assembly
Rooms balls and the hops ut Everett
Hall, in Fourth street, who follow GER
tain rules of obtaining good luck rs re-
liglously as monks observe their pray
ers And they 90 through certain
forms, too, for preventing bad luck,
when indicated by omcnS. with Just MS
much method and sincerity.
Two Philadelphia faro players came
to New York last New Years. They
went to boarding-housc on Lexington
avenue, near Twcnty-fourth street, Sc
cured rooms, had their luggage moved
to the house and paid their bill week
in odyancn a. rnnuirod l,. tl,o IonIIa 10
That night they went down to dinner.
The head waiter, an Irish girl named
Maggie, was croSs-eyed She was
lively girl. and otherwise not had-look-
ing. The two gamblers were handsome
men, and Maggie smiled on them. The
more she smiled the more nervous they
got, and at last they left the table.
After whispering together in the hall
few minutes, they went to the landlady,
told her they didn't like the fare and
wanted rebate on the money adj
vanced for their board. They moved
out that evening. Those men intended
to buck the tiger in Il place on Sixth
avenue, near Tweny-seventh street,
that night, but they didn't play for q
week after that
You can't talk night hack. driver
out of his queer ideas. You can reason
with a gambler, and he'll tell you he
don believe these superstitionS, yet he
wouldn't dare play if the signs were
bad He would make some other cN-
cuse. Early yesterday morning | saw
two thin horses hobbing through
Blocker street, drawing a hack twas
Sandy Eagan's rig, from the Gcrmania
Rooms. just before the horses rot to
Mulberry street q white cat ran across
The road and disappeared down cellar
stairs. Sandy saw the cat, jerked the
half-staryed horses nearly 1H their feet,
and came to a Standstil. Then with an
old whip he lasted them as he turned
around and drove down Mott street at
gallop. He went through Houston street
to Crosby, backup to Blocker. and then
on his way again. As ne crossed Broad
way Sandy looked back over his
shoulder like 4 vcritable Tam O'Shan-
ter looking for witches ANY
kind OF a cat running in front of
a cab is Il bad sign, but white cat
means utter decentralization Some
nj ght-hawkS, after seeing cat run
across their way, Immediately begin to
drink, that they may forget the appar-
ton. They don't always wait for the
cat before beginning to drink, however.
When hack-Griycr has the delirium
tremens, he doesn't see snakes like the
ordinary man, but he sees hundreds of
white cats always on run. crossing
and reerossing always before his vision.
An all-night cabman never puts his left
foot on the wheel first on mounting the
box. He thinks it's bad luck Nothing
can induce him to open the door of his
with his left hand. If shoe
gets loose on his horses foot, that's
bad omen. If a passengers II drunken
man who has lost his hat, that's :, good
sign; that means a BIG rain-st0:m. and
consequently good business IT a
cabman carries three men at one time
early in the evening, that means good
luck, providing he does not eat during
the remainder of the night. To eat
would spoil the luck; but he may drink
as much as he chooses " J. str.