Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-07-10
LUCK ON WALL STREET.
SIGNS WHICH BROKERS BELIEVE M
DlcATlvE or BAD FORTUNE.

Wall Street Hotbed of Superstition.
| How Hunchbacks Affect the Market.
The Wrong Foot Foremost-The Num-
Der 13-LucIsy Suits of Clothes.
While eating lunch the other day with
| prominent broker, l CHANGED to ask him
| about the stock market. Before the ques-
I ton was out of my mouth his hand went
under the table like flush and three omi-
nous raps greeted my inquiry.
"Spirits2" said |, distrustfully eyeing
him.
Luck, he answered, slipping his coffee
II raped for luck, as every sensible man
should when the market is referred to in
| q restaurant.
Outside the circle of Spiritualists hun
dreds of prominent persons are supersti-
tious We consider ourselves at the me-
Tsdian Of civilization, but, as Emerson
says, we are only at the cock growing and
the morning star Hundreds of people
consult swindlers who call themselves as
trologers A large proportion Of the pep r
ulation here believe in signs indicative of
good luck or Ill luck, or else they believe
that certain persons are favored with good
look, while others are naturally unlucky.
with man whom they consider unlucky.
Commodore Vanderbilt, one of the ablest
railroad fnanciers this country ever pro-
duced, believed in luck.
BAD LUCK ON FRIDAY
Hundreds of intelligent persons have
superstitious reluctance to engage in any
important enterprise on Friday. This in
cludes as cool and matter of fact q man IS
Jay Gould. Under no circumstances will
he use an elevator. The late Jesse Hoyt,
the millionaire grain merchant, would
never engage in any important business
undertaking on Friday, and many of the
spectators on the big exchanges are SINH
larly superstitious. They consider every
Friday Black Friday. The prejudice
against Friday probably dates back to the
Middle Ages, or to even remoter period,
as the day on which Christ was executed.
| 1t is only one of innumerable old super
stitions which still survive.
| Many investors and Spectators in Wall
street are superstitious about dropping
| things. If they find themselves constantly
1 dropping articles which they happen to be
| carrying they take it as a sign that they
must sell their bonds and stocks. Many
have superstitious fear of holding stocks
over holiday.
i Some firms will not display the ominous
1 l3 if it happens t., he the number of their
places of business.
81 confess said the mana oe, of a largo
banking and brokerapa hoI,se stbat
4 have a superstition about the 18th day of
the month. 1t is not generally lucky
day. One unlucky instance | remember,
too about Friday. A big lake steamer
that piled between Buffalo and Chicago q
number of years ago was launched on
Friday, sailed on Friday and sank on Fri
day"
Somc stock brokers think it is very good
luck to see a hunchback. If they car
touch the deformity it will bring big
gains. Such touch is also supposed to
cure headaches. To see negro the first
thing in the morning is favorable sign
In the play Henrietta" a youth who
speculates in stocks when asked by his
broker whether he wishes to buy or sell
answers gravely, ~ will consider it. :
Then he turns his back and tosses cent
to determine his course. This Is really
founded partly on fact. A person In the
habit OF specializing in stocks found he
was losing. steadily. At length he hit
upon the idea OF tossing q half dollal
which he always carried for luck, and II il
, proved to be head he, bought the frs
osAe w St!S ohsPo' - Az " o.
tail. he sold, For time at least h,
was far more successful by this methoe
} than he had ever been through the eSer
} else OF common sense.
THE WRONG FOOT FOREMOST.
. Some persons on rising in the morning
a have a superstitious fear of putting tn,
: left foot out of bed first. Others beliey
: in always putting on the left shoe first
y If they meet a negro or a cross eye,
i, woman they spit for good luck. Every
{ body wants to pick up o horseshoe.
On the Cotton Exchange there is on
prominent member who consults th
sspirits" for points on the market. On
dark day, when the gas is lighted. som
q of the brokers consider it a sign that th
j. market will advance. Others say it
good luck to meet Sister of Charity.
"I shouldn't care" said a popular o
o operator. ito be long of 1900 barrels Z
oil here and short that much in Oil Cit,
a would make it Ia 900 at all hazards. {
y course it is all nonsense, but should fe,
better to change the figures at once
h Then / have an unlucky suit of clothe,
: II NAV sound lauphabie, but II is so.
4 have a fiae gray suit at home which
have only worn four or five times in tt
! last three Years. and it has already COS
:. ma ten times what / gave for ii. I bo
. rowed a diamond ring from n friend on
y thouGnt f. MIGHT oiya mo lnclr n ,vs
q inst fhe reverse As sure as I wear tn.
,, diamond ring the market breaks. A,
other thing I never trade on Friday n
). b@sya @ ,saan that dav = ~ cross 90 averi rcom .
3, or a red headed man o,e-
1t Ono of the host knoyvn 4radars IN ~