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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1905)
tUARY 10, 1905 The Commoner. Criminals Fear The Bible Washington crook who has "been tho road" several times to Tren- land Moundsvillo, and who do- ho is going to reform, was dis- Ing some of the tricks of the trade night in front of one of the city Ions. The conversation finally re- to the superstitions which are ilent among thieves and crimin- E The "Washington man said while as in prison he had talked with ly crooks on this subject, which f, he added, an interesting one to )n my last tour to Trenton," he X to a Star reporter, "I met up with mid fellow who has bean in the pro- for many moons. From him I i data enpugh to fill up 'my 'book' superstitions connected with the ines3." e said many of these beliefs came England. One of them is that ; pickpocket would' think of "work- " unless he Jias about his person Bharm of some sort. These some- es consist of a lucky penny, a all stone or some other article Ich the wearer believe3 possesses a Fstic power against ill-luck. He mot )icknocket at Trenton who carried Shis pocket the finger bones of an I woman whose hand was amputated la railroad accident. The owner of uncannv charm claimed that he lurrected the hand from the spot fere it was buried near a hospital, K iho ilp-iif nf thfl full moon." When fe fellow lost the charm one day he plared misfortune would soon over- te him. f.'And it did," 3aid the Washington in, "for in less than a week he was aohPri hv n. New York bull and is Iw doing a five-year stunt in one of i state pens." Should a thief be riding in a vem- of any kind and the horse suddenly ds or stumbles, he regards mat a3 fffimimr that he must refrain from prk" on that day. Almost all pro inrmi tTilP.vfiR r&crard the Bible with e. Under ordinary circumstances jy will lie with impunity, hut tney if -wVion tiiA Rlhle is nlaced in their hd when on the witness stand and iort to all sorts of schemes to evane sing the holy book. To kiss the ble and then ten wnai i i' "" card as sure to bring the worst sort Arlington BXilletin WINTER TOURIST RATES to Cali co fhA niiif Country. Cuba, Flor- ETthe South and Southeast. lOW ONE WAY SETTLERS" pES first and third Tuesdays of Kuary, February, Marcn ana awi-u iu Itheast points oeyona uie uuiu er XDMESkEKERS RATES on the and third Tuesdays ot eacn montn ioints South and Southwest. Irrigated Lands, thiv ntr Horn Basin, North Platte !ey and eastern Colorado several irrigation enterprises are pracii r r.omnleted and will be prepared eliver water thi3 year. They are ing special Inducements In the nf low-priced lands and water is to early settlers. Buy lalid now, lead of the water and reap the big ease in value whicii win sureiy iw. Tt is the best investment in ;world for your son if you want to him out right. In a few yearsi ill be independently wealthy. irite me for reliable information. L. W:WAKELEY. tral Passenger Agent, Omaha, Neb. ot ill-luck, which veteran crooks de- Wttl win xonow tne perjurer all the days of his or hor Ufa ti,.iv,. evade kissing the book some of them maa uio inumo tnat is helping to hold tho ljook instead the actual Biblto. They have an uttor run,.,! . 7,. said, lor the practice of affirming by wUmfa Ul, tuo rigm nana, which is in vogue in some of the Washington courts, and when a fellow has told a lie to the court after raising his hand ho will explain that he has "fanned the judge" or the "wise gazaboo," as his honor is termed. A policeman is known as "a bull" because for a thief to see a real bull when he is out of a "job" is a sure sign that he will either have an en counter or a foot race with a police man, a constable or some other offi cer of the law. Another omen of evil to a thief is to have a yellow dog bark or snap at him when he is out looking for "work." To have a cat cross his path at night when he is going to perform a job is al30 considered a sign of bad luck. In the legends of thievery it is related that the noted English highwayman, Claude Duval, came to his death event ually by ignoring the warning given him by a "big bjack cat with gleaming eyes which crossed his path on the Charing road." To steal a purse containg foreign money is regarded by the purloiner as certain that before the year is over he will have traveled in strange lands. It is good luck for a pickpocket to find gold in a purse he has stolen from some person at a wedding, while it is equally bad luck to "work" at a fun eral. .Funerals and the houses of death aYe regarded by every class of crimi nals as tokens of ill-luck. To meet a funeral while going to a "crib" that is to be "cracked" means that death or imprisonment awaits the attempt. Cross-eyed men and women are im mune from the attention of the crim inal classes. Even a shover of coun terfeit money will never attempt to get rid of any of the "queer" by pass ing it on a cross-eyed man or woman. All thieves are believers in dreams, but to .give their various definitions would be to fill a book as thick as the Bible almost. The very best dream in the category is said to be one in which the dreamer sees a rainbow. It is related that Cha onelot, a notorious French burglar, while on trial and in the very shadow of the guillotine, the evidence being most 'damaging against him, dreamed in his prison qell of a beautiful irri dpsoent rninbow, From this he de ducted that he would be acquitted, and to the sumrise of evervbodv he was. A previously unheard of witness appeared at the trial on the followiper riav a prettv young woman and on hpr testimony thcr brutal Chaquelot The worst dream in the Crook's cat peorv is that which depicts a darken-inp- storm, noomnanfed bv thunder and vivid lightning flashes. This they re gard as a cprtain sign of death. One of the liicldpat charms to he rnrripd about bv a burglar is a woe habv's shoe that is well worn. If the shoo is "stolon bv the nosspssor-tho oharm is fafrl to he more potent. A millet whtfh has hppn in artual war fnrp, is another Inckv rharm. SVoon nffor the war with Spain thievps ar 'flnfrt to have paid wpll for biilT'p.ts nriiioh vpro carried or found hv TTnclp SflTIlS TMMUMiu i iru. " tons extrvtpd from the wpundod limb of an African soldier at a lioanftnl wns nnrohnwcl bv a noted New York hurelar. who is said to have -paid a fancy figure for itWashington Star. If You Want a FENCE SEE THAT TWIST! rOi ? That Is mado from thobost High Curfioa fill Wirt. That JaHfllrCali!td to pruYcnt runt orcorroslon, Th&tlflCOIUbto prorldo for contraction and expansion, That is Blrotg Knotted to turn tho tnoitvlclous animal, That is Woim Clottl to turn chickens and imiall jilfcs, That staples to tho nods as you would nail a hoard, Tlmt easily adjtistsltsolf to all unoven surfaces, That Is vroren In such a manner that conipols orcry wire to hcarlts nortlon of strain. That you can ftuj Plrtcl from tho Arm that makes It, with I Freight Prepaid to your nearest railroad station, That you can oxamlno at your railroad utatlon and re turn ii it aispicanosyou in any particular, That you can erect and Ue for Thirty I);, and If unsat isfactory return at onreinenm anil cct vnur mnnor. Wrltofor Kroo Cataloff giving full Information, Adlrci, 'KITS ELM AN BROS, Box 3.5 MUNCIE, INDIANA. 'VsVAvv. ' JUST WHAT YOU WANT THE PLATFORM TEXT BOOK Brimful ov Political InfokmatioK Bkouoiit "Down to Date." CONTAINS DECLABATION OF INDEPBNDKNCB CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES ALL NATIOXAI, PliATFOHMS OV AI.T. VOKXTICAXi rAHTIKS, 8IKCK THKIK rOKMATION, TO AND INCLUD ING THOBH OV 1D04. .V V V V VVVV EV32RY PTJBIilC SPEAKER OR WRITER NEEDS IT. PAPJtn COVEIl, 188 PAGES, 2G CENTS, POST-PAIl Address THE COMMONER, Lincoln, STeb 'VVvaVvVVvVn GROW BETTER FRUIT. Here is an opportunity to Secure for 10 cents a year's subscription to a MONTHLY MAGA zlne, devoted exclusively to -....FRUIT CULTURE and GARDENING.... ' We offer for a short time , THE COMMONER $1.00 THE WESTERN FRUIT GROWER 50 BOTH $1.10. SEND ORDERS NOW TO THE COMMONER, LINCOLN, NEB. EVERY FAMILY SHOULD HAVE .A DAILY PAPER:. Send us Only $1.75 for a Year's Subscription to The Commoner and The Kansas City World (Daily Except Sunday) " Address THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb. The Science Of Agriculture Is Interesting More People Today Than Ever Before One Of Tho Best Weekly Farm Pmpar In The Field THE PRAIRIE FARMER Published at Chicago Subscription Price $1.00 Br a special arrangement with the publishers we are enabled to ssnd both THE COMMONER and PRAIRIE FARMER for the price of ONE. $100 Address THE COMMONER, Lincoln, Neb. V. Test of Love A man is not really in love if he stops to figure out tho increased cost of living before making a proposal. Philadelphia Ledger. Good Wishes Tho present week Tho Commoner cel ebrated its fifth year. Long may It live to educate and uplift humanity. Lincoln (Neb.) Democrat. 1 i 4 4 rf-iksi J -&W. ,Vi ,JffeM . - 4 W Jw- jij.a tfm -w - uiii2