The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-24
OF III TOWN
FLoTsAM AND ETsAM OF THE CAP
TTAL OF HoosIERDoM.
A P~oliceman's Characteristic Method
of Directing a Stranger Some
Close ResembIances.

to bring bad luck Some say 1T Is only
necessary for the umbrella to be raised,
while others say a person must stand under
it. An umbrella clerk in one of the lead
ing downtown stores says the old saying
is all bosh, and he offers himself as a liy-
ing example of its fallacy. He says he has
been selling umbrellas for three years and
has enjoyed good health all of hat time
and wanted for nothing. He never sells
an umbrella but what he opens it and
shows it to the intended purchaser. He
estimates that he has raised ten thousand
umbrellas in his time, all indoors, and he
has stood under at least eight thousand Of
them.
IF it has brought me any bad luck I
don't know it," he Said to the Journal. IT
am never sick, I get \ good salary, ! am
happy, and the girl love loves me. What
more could a fellow wish? Once in a while
a customer comes in who draws back when
an umbrella is raised in here, and there
are some who refuse to stand under one
in the store. l have had customers who
buy an umbrella without opening 1t, rather
than have it opened indoors. But the num-
Der of people superstitious about umbrellas
is very small"
There is another superstition about count
ing the number of vehicles In a funeral
procession. All authorities agree that it
is the worst luck Imaginable. Some say
the number of vehicles counts the years
the counter has to. live. Others say 1t
counts weeks and Others months his This : s. SUI u
BNA q a Z NAO Oot =
Health office a few days ago. There was
a young man there who was after a burial
permit for an undertaking firm. He is
employed by the firm and hopes some day
to be a member of it. He laughed when a
superstitious man said he knew it was
bad luck to count the vehicles because his
uncle had died three months after doing so.
That's all ~foolishaess and you can't
make me believe the counting of the vehicles
in a funeral procession has anything to
do with a persons luck remarked the
young man after the burial permit, and
than hn xvanf on tn aXnIain That he ALWAYS
counted the vehicles to see how much of
a funeral the competitors of his firm had.
If the funeral was being conducted by his
employers he knew how many vehicles were
in line, and if being conducted by another
urn he was interested IN nroc leaTn,ng. va he
day, and has counted thousands of vehicles.
A travelling man, in the city for the first
time, was telling at the Grand Hotel the
other evening his experience upon arriving.
His train got in late in the afternoon and
as he had business at the courthouse, he
began to make inquiries as soon as he left
the Union Station, hoping to reach the
county offices before they closed. He espied
a policeman standing on South Illinois
street and he asked of the officer the di-
rection to the courthouse.
"Do you know where police headquarters
is?' asked the man in blue, to which the
stranger replied no.
Don't you know where the Jail is?" in
quired the officer, evidently seeking some
landmark to which he could tie the stranger.
mo, for / just came in and l am a
stranger" answered the traveller.
We'll, don't you know where the Ca-l
saloon is?' asked the officer, seemingly in
NO, my friend, I don't know where any
a ahing + Is xou ! w am k IN + p feIr n me now no ~ tini
the police headquarters, the jail or the Can
saloon, 1 will try and find the courthouse
from them"
well, you go north about three squares
till you come to a policeman standing on
a manner as if he pitied the inquirer's isnor-
ance. THAT policeman's name is Leppert
and he can tell you where the courthouse is.
/ could tell you, but as you are a stranger
it wouldn't do any good. cause you wouldn't
be able to find it,"
The stranger found the policeman on the
corner. who directed him to the courthouse.
The travelling man, in telling of his expert
ence, said he afterward walked around to
Can saloon, and back to see the policeman
on the corner, for he judged from his first
interview, that each was an important land
mark in Indianapolis.
She was a pleasant-faced girl, a passenger
on a North Alabama-street car, and she
evidently was from the country. She board
ed the car at the Union Station and asked
the conductor to let her off at North street.
She carried a small grip, which she placed
dI = lCCt ILL lhSh 5CChihiAohy WOAAiNo al
the way for fear it was in somebody's way.
The car was a late one, anu by the time
it reached Ohio street vas packed to the
platform. On Massachusetts, avenue one of
the other two cars on the line was met and
a. stop was made to change conductors and
motermen. The passengers waited patient
~, as North Alaba1na-street citizens have
learned to do. The conductor to whom the
girl made her request failed to tell the new
conductor and she did not observe the
change. The car did not stop at North
street. Near Home avenue the gin gently
asked the conductor if we are not nearly
w are a half mile past North said
the conductor. The girl arose as if she
sYou had better keep YOU seat. lady. and
North street on the wag back" The girl
took her seat and looked anxiously from
pitied her, for they had learned from ex-
perience what an uncertaiD quantity an Ala
bama-street car is. They knew that it
North street. One Of the passengers was
on his way down town about 7:30 o'clock
Occupied by the girl. 1t had been an hour
and a half going to the end of the line and
back. for on the route it had jumped the
Colonel Holloway, private secretary of
Mayor Denny, has met many distinguished
men in his day and he has a wonderful
collection of stories regarding them. The
Colonel also frequently sees a similarity
between men of this city and others he has
met. The other day Colonel Holloway's
cabinet was seated in the Mayors Office
talking about resemblance between different
persons and the Colonel made the following
observation: Chalmers Brown, president of
the Railway Employees Accident Associa-
ton, looks a great deal like Thomas Reed,
the Maine statesman. John S. Harrington
esemble Hon. w. T.. Wilson, the father
Of the Wilson bill and the new Postmaster
general. William P. Fishback resembles
Senator Chandler, of New Hampshire. Col.
Holloway says Mr.. Fishback not only
looks like Senator Chandler, but resembles
hin in manner Of speech and in actions.
A Chinaman walked into a downtown
cigar store Thursday evening, reached into
his pocket for some change and said al
he pointed to a certain brand of cigars:
.'Glimme some clegars." The kind he
asked for retail two for % cents. The deal
er placed the box on the counter and the
Chinaman took six cigars, laying down IS
cents. He slowly lit one and then walked
out.
.sThat fellow bought one of the best
brands in the house." saia the dealer, after
his customer had closed the door. China
men are good customers. for they are good
smokers and hey know good cigars. 1t is