The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-09
new place-an objection which is expressed
in the following couplet:
SATURDAYS sitting


Saturdays sitting
Makes quick fitting
Not long since series of questions "a
Ierrlng TO the belief in the different super-
sVltlons (which were named) was published
ana answers requested IL was found that
nea ~ everybody who responded admitted
aweaSneSs IN the direction of one or more
OF the super7t itions cited Among those
named, with Others in common vogue, were
the following: Breaking a mirror, which is
oeheved to be significant of death in the
immediate family Of the one who causes the
disaster; crossing the street in front of a
funeral; making a false start from ones
mouse to go to business and returning lac
cordlng TO the superstition the inimical
character Of this may be overcome bv sit
ting down In chair in the house before
starting out again; upsetting the salt Sup
posed to produce quarrel. a remedy for
which IS TO throw pinch of it over the left
shoulderl, and if a person puts on an under
garment wrong side out it is considered bad
luck to change it until it is taken off for the
day.
SOME QUEER NOTIONS.
One of the Pythagorean oracular SEN
tences, as it exists in the life of that phoio-
sopher by Jamblichus, is as follows: sit is
requisite to put the shoe on the right foot
first" The belief that the cracking or snap
ping OF furniture at night is significant of
evil Is quite as common a superstition as is
that other regarding the bowling of dog
which IS considered-particularl in Scot
land and Ireland, and hardly less so in this
country-to precede death: as the ticking
of death watch" alarms the supersti-
tious as forebOding of death. This sound
is produced by the tapping of very minute
insect, which lodges itself and burrows in
wood. The writ r of the present article has
heard this sound produced by a large num-
Der of the insects in question every night
for a week without any malign results
Another sound made by an insect, whic d,
however, is considered benefcent. is the
chirping of a cricket on the hearth or in
the wall.
By many persons-otherwise reputed
sane-the presence within ones house or on
an estate of that noble bird, the peacock, is
believed to be fraught with promise of dire
evil. Such is said to be the case even with
regard to the suited bird, or a fan or
other ornament made from its feathers.
The origin of this superstition is very an
cient, being derived from legend that the
peacock as the symbol of pride and "hun-
dred eyed intelligence" was cast out of
heaven with Satan.
CATS AND THE MOON.
Everybody knows the superstittons of
sailors, particularly, of course, with regard
to their sailing ON Friday, bat they are
also superstitious on other points, and from
this fac we get the saying, RATS desert q
sinking ship" Again, they resent the
presence of a cat on board, and usually that
of corpse, alth )ugh as regards both of
these instances the superstition is not suf-
ficiently widespread to altogether prevent
the occurrence. Speaking of cats, it is we'll
known that they were held in such high re-
spect by the ancient Egyptians that their
mummies are met with about as frequently
as those of human beings, and this was from
a superstitious belief in their intervention
in the affairs of men. A special goddess
among the Egyptians was represented
with the head of a cat, and temple was
erected to her at a town of the name she
bore-Bubastis. In the Egyptian mythol-
ogy Rubastis was the child of Isis and Crisis
and the sister Of Horus. What is not so
generally known is the fact that the cat
among the Egyptians symbolized the moon.
As to the moon there were in ancient times
many super ,titions. Our word 'Iunacyn is
derived from the Latin name of that planet,
and the disorder is still believed by many to
be caused by it at its full. Sailors in the
tropics have been known to become tempo
rarily deranged because of sleeping with
their faces exposed to the rays of the full
moon, while fresh fiji hung up on deck
under the same conditions are said to spoil
in a short time.
vOUDoO.
The most superstitious people in the
world, perhaps, are the negroes among
whom any combination Of odds and ends as
incongruous as the ingredients Of the
witches he'll broth "Macbethn becames a
''fetich." This expression comes from
a Portuguese word meaning magic, and is
anything In nature or art to which magic
power Is ascribed, such as stones, or certain
parts of plants, animals, etc. Curiously
enough, all the civilization which has sur
rounded the negroes in the southern states
has not been sufficient to disarm their be-
lief in fetiches. "Voudoo," or fetichism,
is still practised considerably in
some of the SO lthern states by ne
groes who are believed to possess special
powers, and to be able by the preparation
of certain charms to bring about whatever
their patrons may desire. In 1881 a Grim
inal trial occurred in Sumter county, South
Carolina, in which the defendant was a col
ored man named Johnton, who had killed
another named Davis, the former having In
his possession a charm which had been
given to him by an aged negro named
Orange Is iacs, voudoo conjurer, who as
sured him that it would protect him from
all danger as a result of his crime The
criminal to marry the widow of
the murdered man. The charm given
him by the conjurer was composed of
beeswax, foxes hair, a little sand from
the shoe of the person who was TO be killed
and brakes foot, the whole being sewed
up in a small cotton bag, which he was to
wear over his heart next to his skin. This,
it was claimed, would OBJ ain for him the
love of the woman he desired. In addition
to this he was to get a charmed bullet
which he was to put in his gun and fire at
Davis. The negro thus protected shot his
rival. buried him, and proceeded to take
possession of the widow, who, as it az
peared, was in no wise reluctant.
The body was found, and various
circumstances traced the crime TO Johnston,
who was put on trial. The jury com
prised nine whites and three blacks, and a
vast throng of negroes surrounded the court
house while the trial was going on.
Curiously enough, two of the men compos-
ing the jury were taken violently i'll and
others had to be subs -ituted for them. john
ston was found guilty and sentenced to be
hanged. Three hours after the ssnte the
sheriff of the county, whose business it was
to hang him-a robust man in the prime of
health-dropped dead. The murderer was,
however, executed. This story was published
in the Columbia Is. c. Register, Oct. IL,
1881.
THE FREAKS OF FATE.
Superstitions connected with games Of
chance are innumerable. Gamblers are
known to be full of them. But as the mat
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