Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-09-23


With the exception Of gamblers there
no class Of people In the world 30
prone to superstitious fancies as ac-
tors. Living. as they do, In a world of
fancy and fiction, every incident Of
their lives is seized upon n 4 sign or
omen that possesses either q beneficial
influence upon their career or other
wise. To be sure there are many who
by reason Of a higher education and
culture are above the petty supersti-
tiOns Of the class, but these are merely
the exception which proves the rule.
Yet, even this latter class has Its pc
culiar vagaries, and the statement Is
made by the Washington Post, almost
without fear Of contradiction, that no
member Of the profession Is absolute
ly free from the influence Of signs.
omens and the possession Of talismans.
From the star to the property man there
is not a member df any combination
who does not have q stock supply Of
signs. denoting either good or bad luck,
which are as firmly believed In ~ the
most devout savage believes In his
:etiches and idols.
One would suppose that an actor y
prominent in his profession as Joseph
Jefferson would be free from such fan
cies, much less a believer in the efficacy
Of an old Irish potato as q symbol Of
healthfulnesS and q certain guarantee
against attacks of rheumatism. Yet he
Is not, and II one sufficiently acquaint-
ed with him were to ask, he would be
told an interesting story connected with
blackened, shriveled potato. nearly as
hard as a stone. which the great actor
invariably carries with him. Many
years ago, when Jefferson had an un-
usually severe attack, some friend sug-
gested the remedy, whereupon the ac-
tor procured a large-sized potato and
has carried 1t ever since. The rheuma-
tism left him and he has been entirely
free from 1t since, due probably to his
exceedingly temperate life and the
many safeguards with which he sur
rounds his health, yet he Is such a firm
believer In the virtue Of his talisman
that he would not part with it under
any circumstances.
The late William ]. Florence also cai>
ried a triangular-s shaped piece of brass
Inscribed with hieroglyphies. evidently
an eastern coin, to which he attached
of his eye and as immunity against
both physical and financial troubles.
Some Points Regarding Badgers.
IF you want a story" said the hunt
er, Il can give you one about a badger.
Out in the West one day saw a badger
and went for him with a stone. pick
ed up very large stone and dropped
1t on his back. He paid not the slightest
attention to the stone but kept on run
ming. picked up another as big as
paving stone and dropped that on him.
but he didn't seem to mind 1t, and still
kept on. Hurt him? No. If l had he
would have stopped. They are the
toughest animals l ever saw, and we
wanted to rid the country of them. In
dropping the stones l stood SO close
over the badger that 1t was wonder
he did not turn and go for me. Fight?
l should think so. A dog Is no match
for them. They always manage to get
underneath and turn on their backs.
and with their sharp claws often tear
Il dog inside out. Their teeth are sharp,
but not SO destructive as their claws.
I have seen them within 4 few yards
Of a wolf and even Of a coyote, but
neither of these larger animals has
made an attempt to modest them. When
they will not attack an animal as small
as badger you may be sure there is
some reason why. A coyote will attack
a pack of dogs. The one l pelted with
stones kept on to his hole, and there I
hit him on the nose and killed him."