The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-05-14
EVIL oMENs.


Why n Professional Gambler Locks With
Disfavor Upon Cross-Eyed Maids.
81 never knew a gambler, an actor
or hack-driver who was not supersti-
tious. and have known a 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 if
he did. Sailors are superstitious, too,
but l 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
stitious people in the world. Have YOU
never noticed the gang of night-hawks
who sit in their cab doors till morning
in Chatham square, and along the
Bowery near the ball rooms? They all
believe in signs. / know two cabmen
who work the Germania Assembly
Rooms balls and the hops at Everett
Hall, in Fourth street, who follow GER
tain rules of obtaining good luck as re-
hglously as monks observe their pray
ers. And they 90 through certain
forms, too, for preventing bad luck.
when indicated by omens, with just as
much method and sincerity.
1.-Two Philadelphia faro players came
to New York last New Years. They
went to a clearinghouse on Lexington
avenue, near Twenty-fourth street, Sc
cured rooms, had their luggage moved
ID the house and paid their bill week
IN advance. as required by the landlady.
That night they went down to dinner.
The head waiter. an Irish girl named
Maggie, was cross-eyed. She was q
lively girl, and otherwise not bad-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 ogether in the hall a
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 a place on Sixth
avenue, near Twenty-scventh street.
that night, but they didn't play for a
week after that.
'You can't talk a night hack-driver
out of his queer ideas. You can reason
with a gambler, and he'll tell you he
don't believe these superstitions, yet he
wouldn't dare play if the signs were
bad. He would make some other eX-
cuse. Early yesterday morning | saw
two thin horses hObbling through
Blocker street. drawing hack. TWAS
Sandy Eagan's rig, from the Germania
Rooms. Just before the horses got to
Mulberry street white cat ran across
the road and disappeared down cellar
stairs. Sandy saw the cat, jerked the
half-starved horses nearly off their feet,
and came to a standstill. Then with an
old whip he dashed them as he turned
around and drove down Mott street at a
gallop. He went through Houston street
to Crosby, back up to Blocker, and then
on his way again. As he crossed Broad
way Sandy looked back over his
shoulder like veritabN Tam O'Shan-
ter looking for witches. ANY
kind of cat running in front of
a cab is bad sign, but white cat
means utter decentralization. Some
night-hawks. after seeing cat run
across their way, Immediately begin to
drink, that they may forget the appari-
ton. They don't always wait for the
cat before beginning to drink, however.
When a hack-driver has the delirium
tremens, he doesn't see snakes like the
ordinary man, but he sees hundreds of
white cats: always on a run, crossing
and recrossng 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
carriage with his left hand. If shoe
gets loose on his horses foot, that's a
bad omen. If passengers drunken
man who has lost his hat, that's good
sign; that means big rain-storm, and
consequently a good business. If a
cabman carries three men at one time
early in the evening. that means good
Iuck, 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.-N. Y. Star