Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-09

footinen. to be met in the Alameda, the Quinta
Normal and other fashionable resorts, rivals
central Park Or Rotten Row, and the toilets Of
tne iadles at the opera, the races everywhere
put at church. where custom very properly de-
mands plain black gowns), are fully equal to
anything displayed when the creme de La creme
OF Washington, Murray Hill or Belgravia are
out ON dress parade. FANNIE b. WARD.
FOLK LORE IN THIS REGION.
Some Curious snpsrstitions Current In wash
fngton and Its Vicinity.
TIE STORY OF THE ''PrNcUsHIoN Stone GOLD
NINE NEAB cAcAPAS GRERx-TALE OF THE
DRUMMER BoY-A GHOST wIrH BURNING FIN
aERs-FoLK LORE ABOUT ASrMALs-wHY THE
MOLE Is DLIsD-cURIoUs SIGNS AND oxENs.
GONE LITTLE TINE AGO MIR. ". d.
~ Babcock of this city got together q very
interesting little collection OF folklore tales
peculiar to Washington and its vicinity, few
of which may amuse the readers Of the STAR
Fifteen miles down the Potomac the Piscat-
away joins it from the north by a broad, shall.
low estuary. Near by is . cluster Of wild and
steep ravines, branching like the fingers of
ones hand and oyergrown with superb forests
From this spot it is related that the devil once
open country. and to this day sinners in that
region have reason to dread his unexpected
appearance il they venture to be ont late at
night. Crossing the river and going a short
distance downward you come to the old Mt.
vernon estate. where at the crossing Of two
roads there formerly stood an upright land
mark known as the "pincushion stone.' At
this stone man once murdered his wife be-
cause of quarrel aboai pincushion. and ever
since then she has been accustomed to lie in
wait there for benighted wayfarers, whom she
delights to stick full OF pins. At all events she
pursued this habit until skeptieal person took
up the stone. and. to show that he was not afraid
built 1t into his barn. Soon after the barn took
fire and burned down and a series Of misfor-
tunes happened TO the skeptic and his family
which gave the superstition of the pincushion
stone stronger hold on popular credulity than
ever.
FABULOUS GOLD NINE
In the neighborhood Of Cacapan creek, one
OF the minor afauents Of the Potomac while
the river passes through the Allegheny ridges,
is supposed to be a gold mine of fabulous
wealth. Once upon time some foreign men,
who spoke language that no one could under
stand, found this mine. They worked it at
night, and at last went away suddenly. having
covered the hole that contained the precious
metal with stone and put q epell upon it, 90
that IT should not be discovered. For long
time nobody could find The spot but man out
hunting came on 1t in . thicket and tried to
raise the stone. He could not lift IL and went
for help. but was not able to lead the people
whose aid he sought back to the place. Subse-
quently a man looking for q lost sheep discov-
cred it, but he could not raise il either, and
likewise was an unsuccessful guide. These
men describe the stone as marked with very
strange ietters It happened that not far Oh
there dweit negro who made . business Of
practictng voodoo magic. He determined to
set his black lore against that Of the foreigners
and succeeded not only in finding the stone,
but In partly lifting it. But Ut that moment
he was attacked by throng Of invisible enc
mics, whose blows he felt all over him a. he
fed beadlong down the mountain eide. No one
has ever found the magically anchored rock
since that day.
TEE DRunxka soY m LITTLE FALLS.
Three miles above Georgetown the Potomac
comes through a rapid known as Little Falls
Just below this point boat load Of British
soldiers attempted to GROSS more than century
ago. Near the Maryland shore they were upset
and . drummer boy who was with them was
drowned. But his music did not cease From
that time to the present the rolling Of his drum
has been heard at intervals beneath the water
and when people fishing there hear the sound
they make all haste for land. On one occasion
certain river man, growing tired Of the end
less repetition Of the tattoo, demanded Of the
unseen drummer: Cant you play ANYTHING
but that" That man never got ashore alive!
Across Chesapeake bay, in Queen Anne county,
Nd. there il q story Of long standing of
ghost which appears by daylight, evidently
from very hot place, demands money from
people for his children and burns his finger
ends into fence rail TO attest the verify of his
presence. A rail 80 marked by him is said TO
have been produced Ia court Is documentary
evidence.
ABOUT ANIMALS
There il much interesting folk lore about
animals that belong to the neighborhood Of
Washington. OF the mole it IL said that he
once had excellent eyes but no tail, DO that the
other beasts made fun Of him for the deficiency.
Meeting some sort OF creature, description not
stated, he bewaiied his tailless condition and an
offer Yves made to him that he should give up
his eyesight in exchange for a TAM He ac-
cepted, and consequently 10 blind to this dav.
The bargain would not seem to have been q very
good one, because his tan ID a very slim one
According to another account the mole was a
intolerabie. So she wears fine clothes UNDER
ground. but has no eyes to admire her own
beauty with.
DANGEROUS AND xYsrExroUs CREATURES.
The rock Ash or striped bass is unwholesome
at certain seasons, the cause Of which is a bad
habit that ii has Of feeding on the copper mines
under the sea. About homes in the District
there dwell many sorts Of dangerous and mys-
FERROUS creatures. The wood bitch" takes any
opportunity she can get 10 attack people, leap
ing upon them in the springtine from souie
tree. Her bite 10 fatal. The "greund dog il
an animal that crawis upon the earth, but can
bark and bite. Also there il diabolical wing
less little dragon, which bites most poisonousIy
The 'sassaffss worm has q face like an owl.
feeds on the ssssafras tree and stings severely
A caterpillar with @ fan-shnped tail, known a.
the fire tansler,' b very handsome and viru.
lent Similar strange attributes are attributed
to the blood oven known elsewhere as the
bull frog; also to the "bull bat" which Is the
night hawk, and 70 the rain crow" which il
HolH IohE MOTIFS.
When 1t h ebb-tids the slits In a cats eyes
are horizontal When 1t 10 food-tids they are
vertical Kill frog and 1t viii rain hard for
three days II a cock walks in at the door,
turns around and crows he announces q death
in the family. Potatoes will not thrive unless
they are planted in the dark Of the moon, and
a child born at the full Of the moon will be
boy. II you open an umbrella in house the
only person present will die, and the sams
thing will happen Is you hang oost or hat on
. door knob or door bell. II b not wise to
set hen during . certain part Of August, be-
cause the life OF the world il ct it, lowest then.
II two persons going hanll-in-hand meet an
obstacle which divides them the ons on the left
viii 60 70 hell and the one on the right TO
heaven. II you drop pair Of scissors and one
point sticks in the door visitor will come from
tho direction toward which the other leg il ex-