Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-07-12
LUCK ON WALL STREET.
SIGNS WHICH BROKERS BELIEVE IN
DlCATIVE OF BAD FORTUNE.

How Hunchbacks Affect the Market
The Wrong Foot Foremost-The Mum
ber 13-Lucky Suits of Clothes.
While eating lunch the other day with
prominent broker. ehanced to ask hin
about the stock market Before the ques
tion was out of my mouth his hand went
under the table like fash and three omi
nous raps greeted my inquiry
''SpiritsI' said |. distrustfuIly eyeing
him.
Luck. " he answered, slipping his coffee.
II raped for luck. as every sensible man
should when the market is referred to in
a restaurant"
Outside the circle of Spiritualists hun
dreds of prominent persons are supersti-
tious. We consider ourselves at the me-
ridian 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 pop
ulation here believe in signs indicative of
good luck or i'll luck or else they believe
that certain persons are favored with good
look, while others are naturally unlucky.
The Rothschilds will have nothing to do
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 a
superstitious reluctance to engage in any
! important enterprise on Friday This in
cludes as cool and matter of fact man as
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 simi
larly superstitious They consider every
Friday a Black Friday The prejudice
against Friday probably dates back to the
Middle Ages, or to even a 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
dropping articles which they happen to be
carrying they take it as sign that they
must sell their bonds and stocks Many
have superstitious fear of holding stocks
over holiday
lSome firms will not display the oninous
IL If it happens to be the number of their
places OF business
Il confess, said the manager of a large
banking and brokerage house, shat |
have 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 a
number of years ago was launched on
Friday. sailed on Friday and sank on Fri
day"
Some stock brokers think it is very good
luck to see hunchback If they can
touch the deformity it will bring big
gains. Such touch is also supposed to
cure headaches, To see a negro the first
thing in the morning is favorable sign.
In the play Henrietta" youth who
speculates in stocks when asked by his
broker whether be wishes to buy or sell
answers gravely, Il will consider it,"
Then he turns his back and tosses cent
to determine his course. This is really
founded partly on fact. person in the
habit of speculating in stocks found he
was losing steadily At length he hit
upon the idea of tossing half dollar
which he always carried for luck, and if it
proved to be head" he bought the first
tail he sold For a time at least he
was far more successful by this method
than he had ever been through the exer-
else of common sense.
THE WRONG FOOT FOREMOST.
Some persons on rising in the morning
have superstitious fear of putting the
left foot out Of bed first. Others believe
in always putting on the left shoe first.
II they meet negro or cross eyed
woman they spit for good luck Every
body wants to pick up, a horseshoe.
On the Cotton Exchange there is one
prominent member who consults the
':spirits" for points on the market. On
dark day. when the gas is lighted. some
OF the brokers consider it sign that the
market will advance. Others say it is
good luck to meet Sister of Charity.
Il shouldn't care" said a popular oil |
operator, ito be long Of 1900 barrels OF |
oil here and short that much in Oil City.
! would make it IA. 900 at all hazards Of |
course it is all nonsense. but should feel
better to change the figures at once.
ThepI have an 1nlhcky suit Of clothes.
It may sound la1ghable, but it is SO. |
have fine gray suit at home which /
have only worn four or five times in the
last three years, and it has already cost
me ten times what l gave for it. bor-,
rowed diamond ring from friend and
thought it might give me luck 1t was
just the reverse. As sure as wear that
diamond ring the market breaks. An
other thing. QeVer trade on Friday if
have seen that day cross eyed woman
or red headed man"
One Of the best known traders in the
oil ring of the Consolidated Exchange will
never cross street diagonally, but al
ways at right angles Between Wall
street and Exchange place on narrow New
street, on which both Stock Exchanges
abut, the brokers walk in the middle of
the street about as much as they do on
the sidewalks; but the oil operator re-
ferred to always keeps carefully to the
Sidewalks. and if he has occasion to cross
1t the intersection of another street al
,akes in each corner on the way rather
han cut across cata -cornered He has a
German coin that he could not be.induced
% sell It gives good luck
Hundreds of brokers on the two Stock
Exchanges consider that they have their
acky srits Of clothes.
On the Consolidated Exchange, espe-
tally in the shouting, gesticularing. push
ng and rollicking oil group, it Is consid-
red very bad omen to open an umbrella
md raise it over the head Putting up
IN umbrella in a board room would seem
lnder all circumstances to he unnecessary.
I Is worse> 1t brings bad luck. There
8 q skeptical wag in the crowd. however,
Who on dull days. when the brokers are
kylarkng. will raise an umbrella and
un into the trading ring and hold it oPr
8 many traders as he can They scamper
Ike fock Of frightened sbeep.-New
York Cor Globe Democrat