Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-16
By John N. Cobb

The ring which was captured in hard fought
battle under the walls of jerusalem came into
possession of the Margrave Clrich, from whom
it has descended highly priced heirloom.
The ring Is of massive gold. with square,
dark colored stone. and is worn by the En-
peror the middle finger of his left hand. The
sentence from the Koran that adorned the ring
when worn by Saladin and his successors has
been removed and Latin cross engraved in its
place.
The Emperor has many pet superstitions.
He has a horror of cats, and none is ever per
mitted to appear in his presence. At the time
of his last visit to England all the cats at the
castles he was to visit were rounded up and
sent into exile until he had departed.
Whenever the Emperor meets a fox he raises
his hat. This is following superstitious rever-
ence which the peasant of North Germany has
for Reward, who is regarded SaCredly that
his name must not be pronounced and he is
alluded to by some euphem1stic title, as Blue
Foot He Who Goes to the Forest
The Emperor affects the agate, as this stone
is said to have the property of assuring its pos
SCISSOR long life, health, and prosperity.
There exists in Germany superstition that
the Empire will be overthrow when the En-
peror has seven sons. William II. has six. The
Emperor is always careful that the ancestral
cradle of the Hohenzollerns should be used for
each infant member of his family in succession.
This cradle is over two centuries old and is of
curiousy carved black oak 1t is supposed to
protect the baby who sleeps in it from con-
vulsons and other childish ailments.
A widely prevalent superstition in Germany
is that lead or iron bullets powerless to
kill wound Prussian monarch, and that it IS
only silver or gold that will prove effective
against them. This superstition was thought
to have been confirmed in 1873, when Nobll1ng
attempted to assassinate Emperor William.
When the bullet was removed from the body of
the Emperor it was discovered to be of silver
The Emperor recovered but it was claimed
that the bullet would not have touched him
at all had it been of lead or iron.
Table Knives and Ravens
WING EDWARD of Great Britain will
account allow two knives to lie on the table
before him together. AT all dinners held at
Buckingham Palace a clean knife is placed
beside each guest with every course, and this
rule must be rigidly observed at all public as
we'll as private dinners attended by his Majesty.
Princess Louise of Lorne wears a ring of jet
as preserver of health, while a number of
royal children wear necklaces of coral in order
to ward off evil spirits and the diseases incident
to childhood.
The Hapsburgs regard the raven as herald
of woe to the family. At the moment when
Emperor Francis Joseph began his troubled
reign at Olmiltz a number of ravens flew over
the town.
1t is told also that when the i'll fated Maxi
milan about to leave Europe for his fatal
imperial career in Mexico. a raven persisted in
following him and his wife they strolled in a
garden, and that the afternoon before the En-
press Elizabeth was assassinated at Geneva a
raven swooped down her and knocked a
peach out of her hands
When Maria Christina was starting to re-
ceive the crown of Spain, which was one day to
be grievous burden raven flew over the
horses heads and accompanied the carriage to
the railway station.
Sultan and Shah
THE lately deposed Sultan of Turkey has a
strong aversion to having his portrait
taken. AS young man he is said to have dab
bled good deal in magic, and he firmly believes
that an enemy acquiring his portrait would
thereby gain power over him. He is probably
more convinced of this than ever since his
deposition; for shortly before this event hap
pened souvenir postcards bearing his portrait
were being surreptitiously sold in Turkey.
During the coronation of the late Shah of
Persia in 1906 the tiara fell from his head. and
his subsequent reign was long series of
mishaps which finally eliminated in his depo-
sition.
The Shah is said to possess over two hundred
talismans. One is gold star of five points,
which is supposed to have been possessed by
the legendary Rustem. 1t is called Merzoum,
and has the reputation of making conspirators
Immediately confess. When the Shah's brother
was accused of treason some years ago, the star
was shown him, and, terrified and overcome by
remorse, he confessed his iniquities Unfortu-
nately for the Shah, the talisman seemed to
have lost it's power during the recent revolution