The sun., 1896-10-25
RABBITS FEET IN DEMAND.
THE CAMPAIGN PUTS LIFE INTO
AN OLD SUPERSTITION.

eome wears nro there died in this city an odd
character known around the market places MS
Misor Dick. For rs mdny years rs the oldest
nnarketmen could remember Miser Dick had
been In the habit OF visiting each market place
twice a d ay and ransackinp the barrels OF ref
use put ont by tho butchers. He invariably
carried a keen knife with which hecut off tho
things In tho refuse barrel that he wanted. On
nome days he would go through all the barrels
In sight and not find anything to his liking On
others tho pockets OF HE taucred old coat
yould bulge with the bits he had taken from
tho barrels.
Miser Dick had been doing this about two
years before any body discovered what 1t was he
searched for Then one day IA facetious market
man gave one OF the old mans spacious pockets
athump, emptying a large part OF its contents
on the sidewalk. To the amnzement OF every
body who saw the act, no meat fell out, but tho
ground was covered with little tufts OF brown
end-w,.ite fur. The old man made q leap for
hi, property. but before he could gather u in
mark etman picked up several of the bits and
found that they rabbits feet So II was
for rabbits feet that the old fellow hnd been
digging In the market barrels.
The marRetmen had heard of the old super
ptition Of the rabbits foot, and they put Mser
Dick down as ar eccentric old man with hobby
for collecting queer things. and ever after he
was allowed 20 prowl around unmolested.
pThese marketmen were enlightened at the
simo of the old mans death. when the police
found some 100000 In gold. silver. and bank
notes In his attic room in Gansevoort street.
The marketmen had called him miser, but
they did not know what an apt title they
giving him. The old fellow had been curing and
selling the feet that he collected. and all over
the country they had been retaied to poker
players, racing men. and supsrstitious people
generally as the proyerbial left hind foot OF a
rabbit shot in q graveyard at midnight with a
nilver bullet" &c.
That the business had been profitable to tho
old fellow WAS shown BY the thousands that he
had accumulated. He was probably the irst
man that ever went into the rabbits foot bus-
ness. His conscience must have been elastic.
for nobody ever heard Of a rabbits foot detached
by him that was not left hind foot and didn't
have all Of the other characteristics necessary to
make It attractive TO the nckIe goddess. while
the marketmen can testify that Miser Dick
never bestowed bit more attention on a left
hind foot than he did on right fore foot any
other foot, in fact.
The rabbits foot superstition went the way of
ell fancies that are overdone some time ago, but
now it has bobbed up again. and the sale OF the
famous left hind foot is greater than ever be-
fore. The political campaign has brought 1t to
the front once more. The fakirs are selling tho
feet in tin or brass, according to the purchasers
them in gold and silver, and each and every one.
whether IL be Of the 25-cent variety or Of the
kind costing ten times as much. Is sold with n
guarantee that it had the necessary graveyard
experience before 1t sliced Off and sent to
the shop to be msde both beautiful and con-
venient
The wooly Western Popocrat who sent Mr.
Bryan rabbits foot, accompanied by o docu-
mont telling how 1t was secured-the facts
being copied from q book entitled "Popu-
lar Superstitions lis responsible for the
present revival of the old craze. Mr.. Bry
aus press agent, whose business It is to
get into the newspapers queer things about
the candidate outside OF his speeches. fell
into o naroxysm of 10y when he heard about the
rabbits foot. Here was his chance to earn his
SALARY. and he did his work well. for the rabbits
foot is becoming the most popular badge Of the
bug, or, the button. but it is supposed to l.ave
80 much more influence In the right direction
MIR Bryan has carried his rabbits foot with
him snse he began his work Of popu,sstbz p,s ,b
story Of his RABBITS foot and the N an who sent
It to him until 1t bids fair to rival his property
s s1hSed ana ana ,od Of so it has
brought him. al over the country @ Those who
ii' viii esperieDcs per ruds shock when I s they hear
that MIR. Bryan carried his charm on the night
The foot arrived several days before the trost. s
hut the press agent did not hear of until later.
ishing oversight on the part OF a man who once
asRired to 0e press agent himself.
is with the rabbit foot craze a as With many other
fancies emanating from the same remarkable
the services Of peddierS With puzzles % and othsr
ens go i@%sdn %
with fellows Of the Miscr Dick variety. There Is
line. for the demand for them is greater than
ns Suppiyii r.o,oh,,.,, ,..,,,, o..,,o.
associations, who does small notion business
onT Third street, this city. got a box containing
and brass and put them on the street at twenty
I'VE cents Is apiece; Every one OF them was sold
ipr moro. They said they had not struck any.
hiI,f thing 30 easy in years: Now the Frenchmsns
from each catch, and New York viii soon soon have nave
A peculiar thing about the craze is that. al
though it started with tho silver men. 1t is the
tipped with tin," said % the 9Th Third % street. u man nan
they were all sold | had to put gilt over the tin
On 100 Of tho Bryan ones; so out Of that
demand is for the gold ones. and the next lot
get will be all mounted in brass or Eilded tin.
could only get a.hold Of the rabbits. but you
can't. I've sent far and wide for feet ana have
many as could sell II costs very little 10
mount them. and tho profit is about 100 per
rs many feet as we can. After this election the
craze will die and then the cinch is over; sc
we're out to mako all VIC can while II lasts"
The craze, some OF the best-known jewellers In
this city say. Ia not confined TO the poorer people
A diamond setter and jeweler in Maiden lane
told suN reporter the other day that since the
rabbits foot craze came in he had had the most
Hsmarkable line of orders in his experience.
Most OF them came from women, think
he said, "hecnuse even II a man wanted to
carry = rabbits foot, he wouldn't DO apt to hnve
diamonds and other stones set in the mounting
Idon't get my orders direct or I'd know more
about It, do work for number of Broadway
retail Jewellers; and they get the orders while
do tho work | put q gold top and Tree gold
bands on q foot last week. and sc' .hree die
mnnds in the top. II was 500 Job. which
will give yon a fair idea OF the ex pense people
will go 70 when hit by a craze. Eye fitted doz
ems with gold tops and small diamonds nj
prices ranging from $40 to SIS. and my i'm
preston iB that all Of them are sent in by
women, about half Of whom are actresses. Tn,
funniest thing about It Is the strict Injunction
which comes with each foot not to mix II with
others that may be working on. a.. despite tn,
fact that tho others are fakes. this particular
one really was shot with q silver bullet in
Rravey yard at midnight and all that q