Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1894-01-02
CATsKIN MASCOTs.
PUSsYs HIDE IN GREAT DEMAND WITH
THE sUPERsTlTioUs.

while Others Are Dirt Cheap-A Chica-
go Dealer who Knows.Au About Il.
what in the world do you do with
all Of those catskins2" inquired a re-
porter Of a well known dealer In furs in
this city.
"sell en-, " sententiously replied tho
furrier.
Yes true enough, II you can find
purchasers. 8"
Don't fret yourself about that, my
son. Buyers are plentiful. All classes
Of people call for 'em, but they are in
demand chiefly among gamblers-a
very superstitiOus class-who wear 'em
for good luck"
Arc any colors declared Off"
Decidedly 50. The greatest virtue
lies in those Of Stygian blackness-na-
lures dyeing. Art is deceiving as
well as long, and we call in tho dyer
to meet this demand. He transforms
Tables, tortoise, gray, Maltese and all
other off shades into Jet black. Still,
as you see, we carry all %colors, because
tastes will vary, you know"
What use do the sporting gentry
find for the pelts?"
THE orthodox and accepted fashion
Is that of wearing the skin next to the
chest, the hair nesting against the
mans epiderlnis."
Must be charming in summer
weather"
Superstition and fashion take pref
ty strong hold on people. Seriously, I
am telling you the simple truth. 1
know gamblers whose names are famil-
lar to you who would sooner appear up
on the streets in the decollete garb Of
an African doko than divest themselves
of their precious catskin charm. Why
should You be surprised?" added the
f~urrier, who is somewhat of an anti
quarian. THE Egyptians w%orshiped
the cat, the animal from which our fe-
line is descended, and embalmed it by
the million. 1t wasn't much of q leap
from alteration of the creature to faith
that virtue lies in its integulnent. The
garments Of departed saints, as well as
their bones, teeth and nail parings, are
declared to have healing in them, and
millions Of good souls devoutly believe
in these relics"
"Oh, Chicago, Chicago, with the
twentieth century so near
"What is thomatter with your Why,
the practice of wearing the skins is by
no means local. On the contrary, we
supply the trade at New Orleans, At
lanta, Galveston, San Francisco, Port
land, New York, Baltimore, Philadel-
phia and cultured Boston even. My
father sold catskins so years ago."
Are their virtues restricted to the
realms of dice and cards ~alone?"
by NO means. All classes of peo-
pie wear them. Only yesterday a law
vera regular sober side of a fellow,
who is said to be in training for a
judgeship, bought the finest skin in the
collection, paying me SO for it. Yes,
he said he wanted it for a friend, and
he did-his very dearest friend-him-
self"
"What becomes of the old ones, for
suppose they finally wear out?"
why, to be sure, like all things
earthly. Their Ov1efs wear out, uo-
spite their reputed nine lives. Then
they sometimes lose their efficacy. Let
a gambler have an uncommon run Of
i'll luck. and no makes a scapegoat Of
his fetch. With many nominations he
cCnsigns it TO the flames, for it would
never do in the world to let it fall into
the hands Of another SO long as he is
living. This would mean the fortune
of the new possessor and the irretricv.
able ruin of the other fellow.
MANY gamblers, continued thu
f%urrier, ''possess several skins. One
know has one for each day of the
week, and he is most careful to max,
no mistake in the wearing of them. Hi
Monday guard would not avail fol
! Tuesday, and his Saturday wear would
cripple his Friday plans. Such blum
ders could only be corrected by hoodo,
doctors of skill"
You romano we'll"
Il maintain the truth of ali / say
You have your superstitions and l hav,
mine. Shall we torture those who diff
fer with MS? The cat has been man
companion from the beginning. Ava,
back in the orient the cats presencl
marks mans home. It's virtues ar
a strong enough to win and hold the af
I lection of woman, and that's more thai
I many men can boast. But do not de
q TEND the superstition.
"What are these black ones worth
anyway" demanded the reporter, feel
ing in his pockets.
They range from $1.75 to $2.75
The dyed ones are lower, and / can pic,
you out a good one for about $1.25 t
$3.50. Perhaps a gray or spotted on
would suit you. Here's one a bit Of
that I'd sell you for 75 cents. While
! may not have the virtue Of a prim
= black, it might do well as a starter. "
, You have no secondhand articloI"
Haven't l said that people guar
against that2 When an u~nfortunat
3 gambler dies no one would touch hi
leayings, but when a rich or lucky on
Q goes off there's a rush among the fra
ternity for his catskin. II hasn't bee
! so very long ago shat a knight of tn
. card table in this city made a journe
: to New Orleans solely for the puTpOs
" Of possessing himself Of a peculiarl
lucky skin left by a gambler who ha
recently died, and he paid a good roun
o sum for It too. But the demand
V steady with us, and prices hold goot
To be sure they are tanned, and we
y tanned too, but the charm lies in PR
< serving intact every hair, which, liz
v those of the head, would seem to be a
v numbered. Chicago Tribune.
When a clumsy man has stepped @