The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-09-06
OMENS In WARTIMES
EVENTS WHICH PORTENDEC GOOD
OR EVIL FORTUNE IN BATTLE
Warriors With Wit Who ParrieS
the Unlucky SiGns-Incidents" "a1cn
Attended Napoleon at the invasion
OF Russia and Mt Waterloo.

which enVelOpS nations ens"sSo III "ai
every throb of the political ground IS
acutely felt every trenor IN the air
is caught by the ear Instantly, and II
| is thought to propheSy an issue. The
air of troubled state soon becomes
thick with signs and prognostics; ev-
+, erybodv becomes an augur, a sooth-
saver. an interpreter of dreams; every
event is hailed as a bright or black
omen.
However, some great warriors have
been gifted with the ready wit which
has enabled them to pass of what
might reasonably be supposed to be an
unlucky portent as an auspicions sign.
For example, Leotychides II. Of Sparta
was told by his augurs that his pro-
| jecred expedition would fall because q
viper had got entangled in the handle
| of the city key. Not so,'' be replied.
The key caught the viper Then ev-
| cry schoolboy knows the story how
William the ConQueror fell to the
ground on landing at Pevensey and
how this was turned to a. lucky omen
either by William himself or by sailor
crying out that he took ''seisin" Of the
kingdom with both hands. Freemantle
thinks that it is probably an adaptation
Of the story Of Caesars landing In Afn-
ca. when, having stumbled. be, with
admirable presence Of mind. exclaim-
ed. Thus I take possession Of thee,
| O Africa" When William was armlng
for the battle of Hastings his squire
by accident handed him the back piece
before the breastplate. an evil omen
sisnifying flight, but the duke again
turned the mishap to cheerful account
eyes. the last shall be first" he said
that is. the duke shall be king.
Others, however, there have been
who have met the evil omen halfway,
so to speak, by throwing up the sponge
as soon as it occurred. On the morn
Of the sanguinary battle Of Shrews-
bury, Hotspur called for his favorite
sword. and on being told that it had
been left behind at the village where
he had spent the previous night be
turned pale and said, Then has my
pIow reached its last furrow." Before
many hours had elapsed the power or
| the Percies was shattered forever, and
their great captain was a corpse. AT
the hosting Of the royal standard at
| Nottingham in the month Of August,
| 1912, some delay took place. 1t was
with difficulty the standard could be
fixed at the place selected. the ground
| being solid rock Scarcely bad this OBJ
| iect been accomplished by means OF
digging into the firm stone with the
daggers and halberd points of the SOL
diers when fierce gust of wind,
sweeping with a wild moan across the
face Of the hill. laid PROSTATE the en-
blem of sovereignty. Many persons
regarded this accident as a presage OF
evil, and the lowering sky Of evening
sympathzed with the general melan-
choly that lay on mems spirits as, any
further attempt being abandoned, the
standard was borne back into the cas-
! tie in silence
Napoleon's invasion Of Russia was
inaugurated with curious personal
mishaD, followed by real as well as
metaphorlcal gathering clouds. On
June %, 1912, the emperor arrived at
the Niemen, the extreme frontier be-
tween Russian and Prussia. AS he
appeared on the banks Of the river at
2 o'clock in the morning his horse sud
denly stumbled anG threw him. 4
voice cried out: This is bad augury.
If this occurred to a Roman general
he would turn back 1t is not known
whether it was the emperor himself or
one Of his suit, who spoke the words.
''The next day. says an eyewitness:
scarcely had the emperor crossed the
river than dull noise agitated the air.
The light afterward became obscured,
the wind rose and the sins rolling
Of thunder was heard. The heavens
had a menacing aspect, ard the bare,
shelterless earth presented an appear
ance that filed US with sadness. Some
Of those who but short time before
were inspired with enthusiasm were
now shaken with fear, as il they re-
garded these circumstances as Of evil
omen. They believed that these fiery
clouds, which were gathered together
over our heads, were forbiddipg our en-
trance into Russia" At any rate, those
wise after the event declared that they
had portended the burning Of Moscow,
with its appalling consequences to the
grand army. Then on the morn Of
Waterloo ,ae emperor met with yet an
other ominous mishap. AS Gudin, his
page, was helping him into the saddle,
he lifted the imperial elbow too sud-
denly, and Napoleon pitched over on
the offsidc. nearly coming to the
ground
A vast significance was attached in
the old days to mere numbers, and ali
innate potency was supposed to be in
herent with each Of them. In this re-
spect there appears to have been an
evil destiny influencing the last impe-
rial ruler Of France when he preferred
to designate himself Napoleon III. in
stead Of calling himself that which he
really was, Napoleon II. The number
! three became his fatal number and in
dicated his destiny. He was engaged
in three indiscreet wars-the Italian,
the Mexican and the Prussian. Three
times was he banished man, three
times was he made q prisoner and
three times was he disarmed at the head
of his military forces-namely, first, in
the ditch at StraSsburg; second, in the
farcical bungle at Boulogne, and, third,
In the debacle Of Sedan. Nevertheless
the 'man Of destiny" could do grace
ful thing to avert an i'll omen. Captain
Jean Coeurpreux in ball given at the
TuiIeries just after the declaration Of
war against Prussia tripped and fell in
the dance. The air was charged with
electricity, al; what at another time