10
irrrc omaita rttkday bee: September 20, 1907.
0
IJBR
gnosis
THE WOMAN'S SHOE
THAT FITS
I HH ladies' footwear shown in
all the newest and lest patterns
for feminine feet.
In all leathers that are accepted as
proper and good for the present season.
The Sorosis Standard of quality is
always maintained also the price
$3 and $4 . remain tie same.
Patent Kid is more poptilar than
tver with the Demi-glaze Kid a close
second.
Fitting every pair by measure in
sures the foot comfort so many people
are wishing for.
Do not ask for your size ask to
be fitted.
SOROSIS Shoe
otore
03 SOUTH 15th STREET
CHATTEL
AND
Stanton Loan
501 Deo Building
Tel. Douglas 6669
Thirteen and Its History as a Hoodoo
To the Retail
Jeweler:
An In vita ion is ex'ende
when yju -ttcnJ the Ak-Sar-Bcn
festivities to call
an examine -our immense
lined
Hand - Painted Natc&ra
Ware. Jewel Cases.
Vases. Toilet Ware. lute
Tb HaadWrnaat Lis Ever Shewn la Omaha
We tars Showing m Magnll lolenl Stocftc of
Jewelry, Cut Glass and Caiid-Palntcd China
S6e Shook Mfg. Co.
MnulMftiftog Ut4 WholMl
JEWELERS AND OPTICIANS
411 SvMMfc ISA ftt .- .. Omtht
(Continued from Page Three.)
consequences bad anything to do with the rase. He
will stoutly maintain that it was the hoodoo number
and nothing else that was responsible tor the first one
of the party to die.
la the Isle ( Man the prstltira takes almost
as gruesome a turn. It la related by old-time travelers
that in the crypt or cavern la wnlch criminals were
throws maay years ago there are IS pillars. If a
stranger out of curiosity enters the carers and leares
without first counting all of these pillars he will, ac
cording to the popular superstition, do something to
occasion lit- being incarcerated la the cavern. No
matter bow good a man be may be nor what bis stand
ing In the community entitles him to, fate will pursue
him until finally, before be dies, he will become a
broken-down Inmate of the noisome prison.
A recent lnatanoe was related by tho newspapers
a few days ago of a New York man who picked ap a
newspaper and noticed by the date line It was Fri
day, September IS. The fact preyed upon his mind,
and whether the uncanny combination had anything
to do with it or not, before night he was dead. Phy
sicians examined his body and could find nothing
wrong with him, but his body lay there, a mute tes
timonial In the minds of thousands to the fatality of
the combination of week and month-day.
But in this general gloom of welrdness and dark
ness there is a ray of light for the knights who attach
so much Importance to the number, for history is full
of instance In which the roysllc nunibor has prorcn
an omen of good instead of evil.
For example, no one with the patriotic blood of
an American can be found who will say that because
the original states In the nnlon numbered 13 any evil
spirit has followed the course of this country In Its
proeperons course among the nations. It will also be
remembered that 13 colonies fought and won from the
mother country with no thought that the mystic num
ber would act as a hoodoo. May not the number 13
be just as propitious in the realms of King Ak-Sar-Ben
as it was in the little country presided over by
George Washington?
As a further proof that 13 brings with it luck and
good fortune, there Is related the story of John Hat
.fleld, a soldier in the army of William and Mary.
John died, it is true, in spite of his charm, but ft was
at the ripe old age of 102. His death occurred June
18, 1770, and the tale of his unusual connection with
the number 13 is told on his coffin lid and in the Lon
don Public Advertiser. It appears from the best au
thorities that John was suspected of snooslng on his '
beat, which was on the grounds of Windsor palace.
Promptly ha was yanked up before the authorities,
and on a specific accusation of going to sleep one night
at midnight be was condemned to be shot. The sol
dier had prospects of forty to fifty long years of use
fulness ahead of him, and he was disposed to argue
the question of his death with the king. When he
was brought into the royal presence he saluted re
spectfully and thus began:
"It Is a mistake, O, king, tor your counselors to
tay I was asleep on that memorable night. 'Tls false.
In fact, I was very wide awake, and as proof I offer
the fact that jast at midnight I heard the clock in fit.
Pant's steeple strike IS."
At this the fcourt Jester fell over backward and
rolled oa the floor In convulsions of laughter. The
king s counselors bid their fsees In their sleeves to
keep from smiling In the royal face.
"Nevertheless It 1s true repeated the stout
hearted John Hatfleld. "And more than that if yon
will give me half a chance I will prove It."
The king gave hint the chance and he returned a
few days later armed with affidavits from reputable
cltiicns living ta the neighborhood of St. Paul s, de
claring that oa the night la Question the clock had
departed from Its usual custom and had struck 13
times. The klsg granted the desired pardon and John
lived happily tor forty or fifty years afterward, and
the story of tow the mystic number IS saved his
neck was told by the mothers to their little children
urtil it became known to the entire city of London.
John Hatfield's experience was la a way duplicated
by Hr. Nanmn, whose attempts to discover the North
Pole a 4osea or more years ago made him a world
famous choructer. At the last mluute before the de
parture of Nansen on the Fram a new man was added
to the crew and when the good ship had gotten well
oat of port It was discovered that there were Just 13
men on board. Despite predictions of disaster all 13
or the t.rrrw returned to their homes well and sound
three years later.
Mote than this, on December 13, Nansen made a
tour of his ship to look at a colony of recently arrived
pups and he found to his surprise there were just 13
of them to keep company with the 13 men. To make
the proof of the charm of the number positive, Nan
sen arrived In Vardo, Norway, August IS, 1896, and
on the E9nie day the Fram emerged from the ioe floe
and swam the open sea again. After this experience
it is said Dr. Nansen swore by number IS.
In medieval Rome the superstitious had a peculiar
custom of dividing the mystic number into S and 10,
and the belief was widespread that the Sd and 10th
of September and October were nnlucky days. The
poem of the months contains the following couplet:
"The third and tenth, with poisoned breath.
To mna are foes as foul as death."
Consequently the medieval Latin would not begin
a business enterprise or take any unnecessary risks
on these two days.
To one who welsh s the accumulated evidence of
ages impartially it would appear that It Is about a
standoff whether the 13th year of the reign of the
beneficent king is starting under a cloud that will
require unusual watchfulness on the part of the sub
jects. With 1,313 of the latter, the knights will give
the old superstition a thorough test, and many there
are who are ready to predict tAe downfall of the
hoodoo belief In the- Kingdom of Quivera after this
year.
am i
TALL TALES OF THE TRACK
Conductor's HecoHectionj of the Early
Days cf Train Service.
'EXPERIENCE ON COEWROY ROADS
Side l lilts mm aim from
leWad .. The Jar-
rett and Palmer Trans
coatlncatal Train. .
" hsvs inn many queer happening's, both
ludicrous and tragic, - said a veteran rail
road man, long slnoe retired, to some
Washington friends recently. "Nowadays
the boys don't have such queer experience,
because in the early 60s railroad were a
novelty to the rustics living up the states
in newly opened sections.
"When I was a boy I was traveling- on
one of the branch roads in middle New
York, and an old woman flagged the train.
When the conductor went to see what the
trouble was she calmly asked him to
chang-e a IS bill, which he obligingly did.
"When I first took up railroading I
worked on the Boston & Albany road for
a short time. One day, just after pulling
out of Troy, N. T., the engineer saw two
women walking on the tracks ahead of
our train, and he rang the bull and whistled
frantically. Suddenly, before his startled
eyes they disappeared down Into a cattle
guard, and the entire train passed over
them. The engineer brought the train to s
standstill and we ran back to find the
women; It wn evident that they had not
seen the cattle guard, as It had been
flodded by recent rains and was covered
with a thin coating of Ice, through which
the unsuspecting women had dropped. As
we hauled them out dripping, but evidently
unhurt, the oldeat one rasped: 'I say,
mister, ain't' them things dangerous?
; Knocking; Around.
"After a few years of knocking around,"
continued the speaker, "I drifted down to
New York and then got a job as brake
man on the Long Island railroad. I was
put on one of the accommodations, which
gave me a lot of experience and hard work.
We classified these locals aa: ISO, work
les; 7:15, clorkles; S.ii, shlrkles, and 8:15,
fllrtles.
"One night a tall, well-dressea man
boarded the train at Mlneola, and I no
ticed he ank down wearily into a seat
very near the stove and gently slumbered.
We pulled out, and shortly after I Jerked
open the door and shouted, tjueens!' The
slumbering passenger slightly shifted his
position and atammered:
"'The pot's yours: I stayed In on Jacks.' i
"A few days after that experience our
train crew had a bad scare. As we pulled
out of Long Island City a man attempted
to jump aboard and fell under the cars.
ThS entire train paased over blm before
the engineer could bring It to a standstill.
When we picked him op he exclaimed.
" "I've bumped my nose!'
"He had, and that was his only injury.
"That same year a man was struck by
our train at the line between two counties.
As nearly as oould be told he waa in one
county when the engine struck him. but It
threw htm some thirty feet and landed him
just over the line In the next county, two
coroners Immediately laid claim to the
body, as each said that the man was killed
In his Jurisdiction. The dead man coum
not tell, nor anyone else, whether he had
died when the engine struck him or when
he reached the earth after his flight. A
very pretty fight ensued and the man re
main un buried while they disputed over
the possession of his body, but nature s
law Intervened, and be waa finally burled
ta defiance of the laws of the state.
Cn lease ft eha Unas.
j stayed on the road for some years
longer," went oa the railroad man, settling
back more comfortably In his chair. ' Then
t Joined the Chicago A Northwestern as
fireman oa the Chicago-Omaha Exprest.
It was a very smooth road sod as usually
made record time.
Om one run to Omaha the chief engi
neer planed a full glass of water on a seat
ta a FaTiaas ear to lest the smoothness of
the roadbed, and when ws reached Omaha
he found not one drop had been stilled.
He was very much plaaund, but thought
possibly specific gravity imd mucu to do
with It, so, to test that he placed a full
glusa of whisky on the Identical seat. We
went to examine It aftar we pulled out from
our first station on the route and discov
ered the glass as dry S4 the liurnlng sands
of the desert of Bahama.
"Once when we were going to make the
return run from Omaha to Chicago our
conductor was approaulid l-y a toleiun,
cadaverous looking man who gravely asked
him If he was a Chriatlan. John Gandam
managed to keep calm, and upon further
Inquiry he learned that the stranger had
spent two days in trying to find a train In
charge of a Christian conductor going to
Chicago.
"He was very anxious to start on bis
journey, but was firmly resolved not to In
trust his life to the care of a sinner. He
had questioned fifteen conductors, and had
failed to discover one of the desired kind.
He did not take our train, and I guess he
began his journey on foot.
"Conductor John Gaudam was very sen
sitive about his name, and always insisted
that friends addressing him hastily should
call blm John. He was one of the best
fellows I ever worked with, but he was
continually getting Into hot water.
Old Itnm ftevantvea.
"On one of our trips Gaudam was passing
through a coach when he noticed a woman
asleep In a seat. Her head was on the
window sill, snd her leet extended to the
aisle. Her dress was so badly disarranged
that her ankle and a good portion of an
exquisitely fashioned calf were plainly vis
ible. A number of men a few seats farther
down were contemplating the soens with
keen enjoyment.
"Now, Gaudam was always very strict
and kept things straight on his train, and
he noticed this. He touched the woman oa
the shoulder and woke her up.
" 'Madam,' bs said, politely, 'excuse me
for disturbing you, but your dress is so
disarranged that your ankle is exposed.'
" "Oh, that makes no difference,' replied
the woman, smiling sweetly. 'It's nothing
but cork.'
"in three seconds Gaudam was in the
baggage car, where he promptly lost hl
religion.
"We had the misfortune, through no
fault of purs, to run over a man at a
grade crossing just outside of Omaha, and
one of the boys In that ofllce was Instructed
to inform his wife that her husband had j
been killed. He was cautioned to break
the news gently, so this Is what he wrote.
" 'Dear Madam: I write to say that
your husband is unavoidably detained. An
undertaker will call on you tomorrow with
full particulars. Yours, very truly, etc.
"The division superintendent in that same
office told me that he once sent the custom
ary half-fare ticket to a Nebraska minister
He promptly received a letter from the
minister asking if 'he couldn't embrace his
wife, also.' lielng a cautious man, the
superintendent replied, doubtfully, that he
thought he could, but he would like to sou
the lady first, as ha was a little particular
In such matters."
Tbs old man paused a moment to light
bis pipe, then continued; v
Aa 1 Exciting Scene.
"While we were in the yards at Chicago
one fall, a freight train pulled In. We
heard most extraordinary noises coming
from one of the cars. It sounded as If
bedlam was let loose. Upon inquiry ws
were told that It was a carload of cats
shipped from the Paclflo coast and con
signed to a desler In skins In New York.
Ths felines were to be slaughtered on
reaching their destination. Concerts bad
been given, inuoh to the annoyance of the
train crew, all along the route, snd had
attracted universal attention. One would
have supposed It a good deal easier and
quieter U have shipped the skins rather
than ths livs cats.
"But tho queerest story cf unpleasant
traveling companions was told me by s
railroad Inspector, who had Just returned
from a trip abroad.
"He was traveling oa a night express
from Vlenns to Berlin, when the pas
sengers were aroused from their sleep by
the shrieks of s woman, who Insisted she
was being stabbed with share Instruments
In several places, bus would not submit
hi ..a, 1
r
ii an m
. st:
! j, '
file Home" of Music
ABOVE PICTURE TALKS FOR ITSELF
This Is where you can find anything In the line of
Musical Instruments winch Is used la a band or orchestra. .
During AK-SAItDEN WEEK we are giving FKKK
CONCERTS every nftcrnorm In our Victor Talking Ma
chine Pgrlors, and wo extend a cordial Invitation, es
pecially to our "owt-of-town" frivnds, to give ns a call
while they are In the city.
Ao HOSPE CO,
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTERS
1513 Douglas St.,
OMAHA, NED.
to an examination, and the guard was at
his wit's end because he could not quiet
her. A fctout man, some distance away,
added to tho clamor by saying he was be-jX
Ins cruelly cricked. .
'At that moment the train drew up at I
a station and ths man ana woman were!
taken out. The man was searched and six
colossal leeches were found on his thigh.
The poor woman fainted from horror and
weakness as four of these creatures were
removed from her.
My brother was conductor of a local 1
on one of the branch roads of the South
em, ard he once told me these two stories
to Illustrate the slow time made m that
section of the country: I
"One day they' were making the usual
trip, snd one of the passengers w
awakened by the "toot-toot" of the en- ,
gtneer"B whistle, and ejaculated: j
" ' "This train has caugm up mui
that cow again."
" 'On another trip a woman put her neaa
out of the door of the last car, and said:
" ' "Whv. there's that nigger on horse
back we saw ten miles back from here."
A passenger screes the aisle remarked: :
- "Well, I wouldn't own that horse."
Tm glad I never worked oa that road."
concluded the speaker. Philadelphia North
American.
PROPERTY DESTROYED BY FIRE
lis r tne rire Bill Piled
Is AaasuUlr la Tnla
Ceaatry.
Our anneal fire bin has been steadily
growing as our population Increases and
ths housing facilities try to keep pace with
the expansion. Not even the spectaculsr
burning of Rome, nor the great eonflagTa
ttcm of ancient London, compere In extent
wKfc the) vast destruction of property by
Are In the United States In a single year.
Tbe record for 190f stands unusually high,
wing to the burning of Ban Franclaoo,
The total losses for that year U the United
States and Canada by fire wwre foST.MB.IOS.
Of this vast sum, Ban Francisco was re
sponsible for some $i.808,0e. Including
buildings snd contents.
Compare this enormous destruction of
property with the Investments In new
building enterprise In 1906 building opera
tions throughout the country represented
s total Investment of I525.O8O.00O, snd that of
190Sthe high-water mark In the nation's
history-approximated 1700,000.000. Thus
during the greatest building year of history,
noted for its phenomenal prosperity in
nearly every Industry, we have been able
to replace only a little more than what we
burnt down. In 1904 our fire losses aggre
gated $229,198,060, and this was greater than .
hn nt nnv nrovliius vear. not even ex- '
ceptlng the years 187J snd 187S, when the
great Chicago and Boston fires sdded
enormously to the total. In 1908 the losses
from Are showed s still further Increase,
culminating in the great record of 1906.
But the waste through fire consumption
Is not the only loss which tits people must
pay for any extended conflagration. While
the fire losses of Ban Francises have been
placed st t350.MS.Ooa. it Is estimated that
the loss to business In that city and
throughout tho country will sggregats at
ANNOUNCEMENT
C. ItBrown Co.
JEWELERS
16lh and Farnara Streets
wish to extend an Invitation to every one In
Omaha and Ak-Sar-Ben Visitors to call and In
spect the most beautiful Jewelry Store west of
Chicago. Newly furnished from office to awning.
'fS.OOO worth of TXew GOrTiam Sterling Silver.
410,000 worth of New IXamond Goods.
In fact we have Increased our stock in every line new and up-to-
date goods.
Examine our goods and prices and your patronage is sure to folio
Bring your friends while they are here and show them a beautiful store.
You will always be welcome.
c. o.
ass eeZie tm M
Brown
16th and Far nam Streets
v m tw I mm
Is showing the most beautiful selection of
oj materials for
High-Class Tailoring
and Dressmaking
SSBBSBBa EVER SHOWN IN THE CITY BsBKSBSB
All thafs strictly new can always be
found here.
The best dressed ladies of Omaha are
our customers.
least 11.000.000,00ft. It oast about tl 2.000. 9u ;
to clean up ths debris and put the etty In
shspe for new buildings, and a further
gS&0,OM.OOO to rebuild and make the city
what It was before. It will take ten years
to give the city Its former prestige snd at
least twenty years to reoover all of Its
lost trade and position. In return for this
loss tn property and business, tbs dtisens of
Ban Francises received something like
1136.000,000 Insurance. The amount of In
surance covering property tn the burned
district was approximately SS,SOO.0OO. Insl
payments by the companies will probably
be tn the neighborhood of so per cent of
ths amount of Insurance Involved.- In the
great Chicago Are only 60 per cent of the
Insurance was paid, snd In ths Baltimore
fire where no earthquake occurred to In
validate any sf ths insurance the pay
ments were M per cent of the value of In
surance. The known ratio of insurance to
value was about W per cent, snd at least
I per cent of the property carried no In
surance whatever. George B. Walsh In
Harper's Weekly.
IT
Ask Us A seal Dm
-H)m Dollsr a Month
riaa" tor Mca,
gPMKCE TOP
Show the Ak-Sar-Ben Visitors
that Yon Are a Neat Dresser
The cost of having your clothing cleaned
and pressed is a email consideration com
pared to the satisfaction you get out of be
ing well dressed.
Full dress suits and evening gowns for
the GRAND BALL given special attention.
Out of town patrons write for our price
list. "We assure you the same courteous
treatment heretofore shown this class of business.
Expert Cleaners and Pyera
aOlfl Famam St. Xel. Douolass 1729
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