The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-23
SUPERSTITIONS OF MEXICANS.
BELIEF or LOWER CLASSES IN
SIGNS AND OMEgNS.
Things the Poems Are Taught 70 DO or .
Avoid Numbers Lucky and tnlucky
-EasS way 20 FOretell Your Death
Getting Md OF q Husband By Charm.

ton OF BENG one OF tine most SuperStItAOub
races OF the world. Superstition exists
wherever there il a human being, but
Mexico seems to be the place where all
human superstitions are centred. To
such an extent il this true that superstition
has become almost Il kind Of religion, gov
erning every act of the people.
Take the average Mexican of the poorer
classes, Jaws the Merriam HsrcI, and you
may hear from his Iips hair raising stories
of ghosts and fairies and devils, He will
tell you OF the rare qualities OF many ami
mails, plants and stones, of the things you
can do and those you cannot do o. certain
days of the week or the month, and tinanys
he will invite you 20 make the sign OF the
cross to drive away the devils and the
ghosts that may have been attracted by
the con eersation you have had.
From their earliest childhood the poems
are taught Ia make the sign CT the cross
before going to sleep at night and before
touching the floor with their toes in tbs
morning. Maidens, until they become
brides, are urged by their mothers to put
their shoes point against point under their
bed at night to bring happy dreams, and
will even enable them to converse with
the Virgin during their sleep.
When dressing the right shoe (nevpS
the left is put on first. h buttons CT
the suit are buttoned upwards, that isj
starting with the lowest and ending at tbs
top. This il TO signif. that we are very low
here in this earthly planet, but that during
the day we will try to go upward. Further
more. his practice, if faithfully and CON-
stantly observed. will lead us very high,
to Heaven when we die. The contrary
will take us down 10 Inferno.
After one is ready to go out of his roomj
one must always move the right foot tirsi.
e il happens that you find at the door OF
YOUR house a bunch of hair or hemp, IL lie a
proof that a witch is after you with some.
i'll purpose, and you must at once bring
some salt and throw four handfuls as far
as YOU can. one to the east. another 10 tho
west. the third to the north. and the last
one TO the south. Then you have nothing
To fear from witches in the course OF the
dav. But at night, when you retire, you
must take two very fine sticks, make a
cross with them and nail it to your door.
No witches. ghosts or devils will bothef
you thereafter.
II before taking breakfast you happen
10 see a black cat, three lame fellows on one
and the same street or n corpse, IL would 10
better for you to go back home AMI stay in
doors Tor tne udy, DtcduES SOiHcOilihS
is in store for you.
II, on the contrary, you meet a humH~
back. il would be good for you TO shake
hands with him, pat mis- hump and give him
some money, if he is a beg gar: that will
bring you good luck. H~umpbacSs are ex-
ceptionally good omens for those wac bu
lottery tickets. If you buy one, do not SEQ
it, number until you have rubbed it against
somebody's hump; then you are sure to win
a prize.
are unlucky. No. 3 especially IL one that
never fail. to bring trouble. 80 never live
in a house or room numbered 3 be very
careful when you ascend a at"lrcase with y
steps, never ride on car No. 3 and undern no
circumstances eat. drink OF wear anything
that has cost you 3 cents or dollars, or that
you have bought on the 3h of the month.
Tuesday and Friday are very bad omen
days. and there II a common saving that
means do not marry or start on any
business on Tuesday or Friday
Black cats, spiders and ow Is are very
bad omen creatures. Never keep a black
cat M home, be sure to kill all spiders you
see win about your bed and always
close tight your ears when you hear an
Ow let boot. Indians abhor ow lets; they say:
when an owlet sings an Indian dies; IL
may be untrue, yet il alw avs happens
Butterflies are good or bad omen, Accord
ing TO their color. White ones bring happi-
ness; yellow ones advise US TO maintain
alive our hopes of love of fortune. and black
ones announce that death is stalking around
us or our relatives,
The dog is the greatest friend Of mans
no doubt about. that, as he is endowed with
the power of seeing ghosts, devils and
dsath. When you hear your dog how ling
it is a pryor. that he is warning you against
some evil event.
One thing of apparently small Importance
but which brings fatal results, il the lighting
OF three cigars or cigarettes ON the same
match. One of the three persons lighting
their cigars will die within the year,
Here we nave a very safe means to know
whether we are going TO die in the course
OF any given year. IL cannot be more
simple. You get up very early In the morn
ing of January | n aw ait on the field for
, The sun TO rise. you looking westN ard.
} The minute the sun rises you zee your ow a
shadow, enormously enlarged; II 1t has a
head on you are sure 10 live & rough the
. year, but IL there is no head at al then you
had better draw up your ' Ill.
For love charms women use, among
: others, the loadstone. If a woman suspects
I that her husband is in love with another
r woman or that he y willing to desert ners
let her carry Il small load-tone sewn TO her
corset; the husband will become more
loving than ever.
A man roves 10 he a bad husband and
his wife wants TO get rid of him; the only
way to accomplish this is to make hun dieJ
3 because divorce does not exist in Mexico.
But for this women do not appeal to kniveej
revolvers or drugs. but to other means.
! The one most in vogue is to have a ribnon
bles-,d by a priest, on behalf of the saint
whose name her husband bears; with this
ribbon the man is measured when asleep.
The ribbon IL cut and next morning a mass
is ordered in honor of the mans saint {
, name; when the priest IL giving the final
: blessing, The ribbon IL burned and the poor
husband dies within a month from an I'M
: known disease.
, There are scores of other very queer
! superstitions. The above are common
to all lowly Mexicans, but there are SONS
. which belong exclusively 20 certl ain groups.
= like masons, blacksmiths, bakers, BARRIERS,
= b~ullfighters, artists, &c, and which are
almost unknown out of the circle where
Z they belong 10. B~ulltighters, for instance,
are 80 supcrstitious about corpses and
a snakes that they will not dare take part In q
; fight if they see a corpse or a snake when
going 10 the ring.
, Last Man Killed In Civil war.
!; Anderson correspondence Indianapolis Nsvs.
I Cant II Il Haunnbon and nanIol y Ma