, 1896-03-13
WEAR TALISMANS.
A HABIT BY NO MEANS UNKNOWN:
IN POLITE SOCIETY.

We'll KNOWN PERSONS IN sashs.Eton Who
Have Rabbits Feet and Other Charms.
A Curious Stone That Was Taken Out
Of . Camel's Foot In Sahara.
A fancy for the possession ana con-
tinuous carrying about of trinkets of va
rious kinds supposed to endow tho pos
SCISSOR with good luck, or at least with
immunity from bad luck, is far moro
general than the world at large has any
idea of. There is hardly Il person living
who has not some pet superstition, and
it is somewhat of an enigma why the
people are SO afraid or ashamed TO nc
knowledge it. Unconsciously, even to
ourselves, we have ilnbibed supersti-
ton from earliest childhood until it has
become an established part of our being.
The popular idea that sailors and snuIt-
ing men are the only ones who abound
with superstitions is not by any means
the truth. This feeling also has its abid-
ing place i'll the strOnyhClds of Washing
tons society. Indeed, it exists there in
quite as marked degree as anywhere in
this country. 1t is a universal failing.
When tho president and Mrs. C!eve-
land were in the first flush of their
honeymoon, there came to them from
some unknown donor, carefully packed
in a little box, sent through the express,
q rabbits foot. This, the sender stated,
was to be carried either by the president
or Mrs. Cleveland carefully in u COM
partment of the pocke,buok. This fash
ion of carrying a rabbits foot in the
pocketbook is very prevalent. Few Of
the society women of Washington are
without at least one rabbits foot, while
some have quite an array to use i'll case
one should inadvertently be lost. 1t may
be added for the benefit of the unini,i-
ated that to insure the most perfect luck
the rabbit from which tho foot is taken
should have been killed in a graveyard
in the dark of the moon
Another talisIuan which Mrs. Cleve-
land received about Il year since was in
tho form Of u tiny Eskimo doll, present.
ed by the Eskimo child who came to
Washington and was given an audience
II morning i'll tho blue room Of the
White House, where the cabinet took
part in the amusing entertainment af-
forded by the child and its elders. This
little image, an exact miniature of an
Eskimo in native costume. could readily
be held on the palm Of the hand, and
was given Mrs. Cleveland to carry in a
purse presented for that purpose. and
was supposed to impart all manner of
benefits as well as immunity from harm
of every nature.
Mrs. Leland Stanford has a fancy for
carrying in her purse u tiny metal fig
ure Of St. Joseph and the Child, given
her by one of her Washington friends.
The superstition i'll this case is that the
person who carries in the purse one of
these figures will never be without
money. 1t would hardly seem likely,
even il the little st. Joseph were left
u OF Mrs. Sanford's purse, that she
would be ut any time without funds.
One Of the most grewsome of tho su-
perstitions entertained by Washington
women is that one of the west end resi-
dents carries in her purse a tiny bit of
rope with which Guiteau was hanged.
This is always taken with her to poker
parties, and is believed to cast II Gordon
Of luck about the possessor and insure
success at cards.
Mr.. Beriah Wilkins has n pet super
stition in regard to the name Emma
his wife's name. When he goes to n
horse race, if there is ahorse running
under that title. he will lay Il wager on
it sooner than upon any of the well
known favori,es. The reason is us fol
lows: When he was a young man and
first became engaged, he attended IA
horse race. On the list was Il perfectly
unknown horse billed to run under the
name Emma, which especially interest
ed him us being that of his sweetheart.
The horse won, and from that time
forth Mr.. Wilkins has held to his bit of
superstition in regard to his wife's
name.
q In like manner Senator Calvin S..
Brice has n pet superstition in regard to
a solid gold scarfpin which he wears
almost continuously. This is in the de-
sign of an open safe with n watchdog
chained to II side, and is emblematical
in some way of the first important rail
road deals i'll which he euchred the New
York magnates.
Mrs. Stewart, niece Of the late Gen
eral Hunter, who some years since left
Washington to make her home with one
Of her married daughters at Colorado
Springs, carries in her purse the first
coin made If tho first bit of gold taken
from the mines ut Cripple Creek.
One of the most curious talismans
possessed by u Wa%shingtonian is that
now worn by q man well known i'll
fashionable life. This is u ring of the
oldest design and appearance. 1t was
presented 10 him by his wife on their
wedding day. In the wife's family it
has beer 8 :aiisman for three genera
tions. having been first worn by her
great. grandfather and then in success
sion by her grandfather and father. The
stone with which it is set was taken
from the foot of II camel while a party
Of travellers were crossing the desert Of
Sahara. The stone, though quite small,
Is exquisitely cut with a multiplicity of
devices. Among these is chariot drawn
BY six horses, a full moon and n chanti-
cleer apparently in the act Of Growing.
A few years since this ring was loaned
to q person supposed to be imbued with
second sight for Interpretation. This
wa given to the effect that it had orig
inally been the property Of one Of the
favorite wives Of the earlier pharaobs.
Il had been buried with her IN N Of
the catacombs, from which it had been
exhumed and removed by a later pha-
raoh, who had subsequently lost it In
crossing tho desert; then, :. some unes'
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