The sun., 1896-02-03
SIGNS AND OMENS.
Rhode Islanders Who Believe in Vampires
and Burn Dead Mems Hearts.

and burn Dead Mcu's Hearts.
Some surprising superstitions are held still
by the very modem inhabitants of this town.
but such beliefs much more common and
vastly more serious in the rural communities,
even of the New England and Middle Atlantic
States. Many border State persons Of fair cd
cation and comfortable fortune are alarmed
BY the breaking of mirror as being a sign of
an approaching death in the family. The howl
ing of a Watchdog when one of the family lies
sick is held to be a bad omen In many parts Of
the country, and the old superstition was re.
called with touch of awe when n dog hayed
on the night Of n recent death in u suburban
family Of this city.
CCa1t dwc!lers on Long Island and elsewhere
along the Atlantic coast still expect II dying
life to 90 out with the tide. Some border State
persons think 1t bad luck to bring Il shovel into
n New Yorker of border State birth confesscs
that he is momentarily uncomfortable when
of farmers within 100 miles of New York who
will not kill their hogs in waning moon lest
the pork shrink in the cooking, and many of
the same farmers refuse to plant potatoes In
should never shine on hops, is an o't-quoted
hops in those parts are gathered by Aug. 81.
unless that date fall Oh Sunday. when the
The, child that walks lame in sport is re-
proved by the uneasy mother lest real lame
ness come upon the little one. Warts are
supposed to he removed by rubbing them with
raw meat and then secretly buryinu the meat.
Peach leaves, by the way. are held in Della.
ware to be an nnfailing remedy for warts. 1t
Is hard to get servants to go to n new place on
Friday This is true in New York. Bad luck
follows one entering house by one door and
passing out by another. according to border
st ate superstition, doubtless current else
where. This last and many like supcrsti-
but held In earnest by their more ignorant
nelghbors.
Many odd superstitions Of rural folk in this
country went out with the candles when coal
oil came into use. Perhaps those supersti-
tions will return. now candles again In use.
The best known, of these supersti!ions con.
cerned the peculiar lateral elongation of the
candle flame. wlich was supposed to indicate
the coming Of Il letter TO one of the household.
Boys In the border States. and doubtless else
where. still count the number of their gifts by
the white spots on their finger nails, although
the spots have other and less agreeable signif-
cance according to the superstition Of some.
ger joints. Supersttions as to strange rene.
dies for sickness hold out in various parts of
the country. One of the most shocking of
these has been discovered in Rhode Island by
u student Of anthropol pgy. The remedy is
associated with a belief in tho vampire, which
person that sucks the blood of living relatives
until they die; Many, times within tho last
fifty years. and several times within the last
ten years, the bodies OF the dead have been dug
up in Rhode Island cemeteries, and the heart
In each case burned In order to save the lifc
occurred within two years at n village fifteen
or twenty miles from Newport. Doubtless
the Stif-leg OF the Legro song is some such
dreadful creature as the vampire.