The Washington times., 1901-12-01
FORTUNES THAT
DID COME TRUE I E!U &.
Great Careers Influenced By Early
Predictions.
EVENTS TOLD BEFOREHAND.
Royalty Often ConsuIts Gypsfes With
the view of Hearing the Future.
Remarkable Instances OF For
tunes Verified Many Years Later.

Some day." said wandering gypsy
to the keeper of wayside inn near Ran
cola. in the Duchy Of Parma, that child
of yours will be among the great ones
of the earth. Kings will vie with one
another to do him honor. and when be
dies nations will mourn
The innkeeper guffswed loudly at the
prophecy as p01Ie cut a giass of
wine for the prophet" to drink the boys
| health; but he lived long enough to see
| his son. Giuseppe Verdi, on the high road
to the honors and fame which we're show
cred on the great musician later, and
which closed recently in national fu-
neral and the grief of continents, says
''Tit-Bits"
Ten years later a tall. gaunt raw-boned
youth. who had made journey to New
Orleans as a hired hand on fiatboat. was
| tempted by a fellow workman to have
his fortune told by an old woman who
had reputation for divining the future.
You are low now" she said, after con-
sulting the cards. very low; but you
will rise high. You will be the greatest
man in all America, but 1 see bloodshed
more"
Come along, Abe; that's good enough
the youths companion said. as he dragged
him away. laughing hugely at the pros
pect OF Abe Lincoln ever rising higher
than a fiatboat.
But thirty years later, when Abraham
Lincoln was inaugurated as President Of
the United States, he recalled the proph-
ecy, but he could not see the end. That
came later on that tragic evening of April
IA, FIVE years later, when the bullet OF
the mad actor. Booth, crashed into the
Presidents brain.
But it is by no means always evil that
these telleTs OF fortunes predict. 1t is
said that more than twenty years ago.
when the present beautiful Duchess OF
Marlborough was little more than an in
FAINT, fortune teller propheaied that one
day she would wear a coronet and that
she would become the aneestress OF line
Of kings. The first part of this good for
tune has come true. and who can say that
the latter part Of it is impossible?
When Miss Winifred DallasYorke was
a young girl, just giving promise of the
grace and beauty of later years. we'll
known Brighton fortune-teller told her
that she would wear a duchess coronet.
a prospect that seemed then almost i'm
possibly remote.
And yet casual meeting at country
railway station led to the wooing which
made her Duchess of Portland.
Nearly seventy years ago a remarkable
future was predicted for young appTen-
tice in Troy grocery store by stray
customer. Il guess you'll smile the
strange man said. but you remember
my words Before you die you'll have
as much gold as this store would hold
more than any man in the world has to-
day, and more than you'll know what to
do with"
To the boy who was then earning a
dollar a week, with small prospect of
ever achieving anything more than hay-
ing store of his own, this prophecy was
amusing. When that time comes,'' he
laughingly said. Il calculate you'll never
want to work again" The time did come;
today Russell Sage is credited with a
fortune of s20, coo sterling, growing
every year; and the prophet" lived long
enough to claim the promised share OF it.
which took the substantial form OF an
annuity of $1,000 year.
To predict that Yorkshire stable boy
would rise to the rank of a court official
and minister would ordinarily be a very
rash prophecy; but il came in the case or
the stable boy, who after being in turn
jockey and valet to the Duke Of Lucca,
rose ultimately TO the high offices OF Min
lister Of the Household and Minister OF
Finance in the Duchy Parma, and was
known to the world as Baron Ward.
Among other remarkable predictions
for which there is good authority are
that which foretold that the Czarina of
Russia would have seven daughters be-
fore bearing an heir to the throne: and
that of Dr. Charles Perrin, a palmist.
who told President Faure that he would
die within two years o, the date of the
prophecy. He actually died within eight
een months.
The Queen OF italy is said to pay fire.
queni visits to fortune tellers, always.
however incognita, and to have received
some remarkable warnings from them
Ii is common knowledge that she was dis
tinctly warned of the tragic fate that
would overtake her husband whose as
sassination Is such recent aid painful
memory: but in spite OF every precaution
that her love for him could devise she
=as unable to avert his destiny.
Notwithstanding these prophecies COM
ing true in the above cases. there Is no
doubt nine-tenths of them are mere
suesses and prophecies which are never
fulfilled