A PROPHECY OF EVIL
In the year 1897 the so-called science of palmistry, or chirology as it
was then called, was passing through one of its periodical vogues, and
was the fashionable craze of the moment.
Everyone was having his or her hand “read,” and “professors of
palmistry” of every description, good and bad, began to abound.
Shortly before Christmas, Edward Ledger, the editor of the “Era,” asked
several leading members of the theatrical profession to “sit” for
their hands, in order that the results might be published in the “Era
Almanack,” and, after undergoing the operation myself, I promised to do
all in my power to get Mr. Terriss to visit the palmist.
It was not at all an easy task to persuade him. When I broached the
subject he roared with laughter, and flatly refused to waste his time.
But I had promised to do my best, and at last he grudgingly consented
and paid his visit.
On his return he was as sceptical as ever as to the value of palmistry.
“I’ve got quite a nice character, Jessie,” he laughed; “so nice, in
fact, that it seems a pity that I’m booked for sudden death. I’m
very clever. I’ve got a kind heart, and I’m coming to a violent end.
Pleasant, cheery person, your palmist!”
For myself, I express neither belief nor disbelief in the so-called
science; as a matter of curiosity I reprint below, by permission of the
editor of the “Era,” the readings of our hands which appeared in the
“Era Almanack” of 1898, a few days after the murder of my friend.
In the same number appeared a reading of the hand of Sir Herbert Tree.
In Sir Herbert Tree’s case the concluding lines ran:
“He is quite safe on the sea, Luna uncrossed and unstarred, he has no
danger from fire--no star on Jupiter, but he should be careful as to
falls and blows, a star on Head line has faded nearly out, but he has
once been in danger of something falling on him from a height.”
Sir Herbert’s death was caused by a fall, but in his case it was many
years before the prophecy was fulfilled.
As I have said, I neither believe nor disbelieve in palmistry, and I do
not even understand the jargon of the science, but merely reprint these
forecasts, warnings--call them what you will--as matters of curiosity,
the authenticity of which is at least unimpeachable.
“HANDS OF MR. WILLIAM TERRISS.
“These hands possess a strong and distinct personality in keeping
with the character of the well-known actor who owns them. They are
large, hard and flat, with long fingers of the spatulate type, full
of the love of movement, of activity and energy. The hand is more
flexible than is usual with this type, though that is not to any great
extent; the spaces are wide between all the fingers, the thumb space
particularly so in the right. The subject is very unconventional and
independent, both in action and in ideas, but he is not adaptable or
amenable either to people or circumstances. There is much generosity
shown in his own time and his own manner, and that a rather eccentric
one. He would be very difficult to convince, but being so would act
freely and without stint, and would hate to be thanked for it. The
thumb shows an immensely strong will, and great perseverance, very
stern temper, and considerable impatience. The love of rule and
governance is strongly marked in the aggressive first finger, and if it
were not for the very excellent Heart line the hands would be somewhat
tyrannical. The size of the hands and the spatulate Saturnian give much
foresight and prudence, the dominant and spatulate Apollo his artistic
capabilities, and the love of action and movement in art, which would
turn his inclinations towards stirring melodrama rather than subtleties
of character-acting; a spatulate Apollo is always extremely forcible,
there is no hesitation or half measures with this type of hand. The
Mercurian finger is very fine; it is spatulate also, like the Apollo,
but long and straight; it shows excellent business management, and,
with the deep Head line, practical common sense and capacity, and a
considerable want of tact and diplomacy.
“When we come to the Mounts, we find that flat development that does
a great deal of hard work in the world. The temperament is Mars and
Mercury, with a little Apollo, a powerful combination. There is not
much Jupiter, but little love of society, or appreciation of good
things or luxury; what there is of this Mount turns to pride, but the
joining of Head and Life line with the flat Mount shows the subject
not to be so very self-confident, not so much so as a Mars and Mercury
temperament generally is, at least not with regard to his art, and he
is more susceptible to criticism than would appear on the surface. A
certain amount of vanity will come with the development of Apollo, but
it is by no means excessive. The Mount of Mercury shows he is cheerful,
especially when there is much hard work to do, and an appreciation of
humour, which does not amount to wit, the Head being too straight,
and Luna too little developed, and as a rule this temperament is too
desperately in earnest to dawdle over the light fascinations of dainty
wit or brilliant conversation.
“Mars, the dominant Mount, makes the palm very high and flat. It shows
great courage, endurance and aggressiveness; an immense determination
to have his own way, and much disregard of other people’s. The subject
should be careful to show justice and to cultivate patience, otherwise
the good Heart line will hardly prevent him from being occasionally
hard upon other and different temperaments from his own.
“There is but little development of the lower Mounts, and one of the
best points of the hand is its fine outline towards the wrist. The
outline from the base of Mercury to the wrist is beautifully curved,
and is nearly equally so on the side of the thumb. The Luna being
raised towards the Head will give him imagination in the carrying out
of his art, and make him original and convincing, but the want of Venus
in combination with it will scarcely make him imaginative in other
matters.
“The Heart line is very deep and long in both hands; the subject is
very kind-hearted, a good friend, and extremely constant when once
attached, very difficult to please, and a little jealous in his
affections. He will attach himself very strongly to a very few people,
and will stick to them all his life.
“The Head line shows a very clever intellect, great concentration
of thought and power of mind all turned in one direction, a certain
difficulty in seeing two sides to a question; much straightforwardness
and practical sense. The memory seems rather fluctuating--good at
recollecting some things, and not at all at others.
“The Life line is good; all the lines being clear and strongly marked
give a very good constitution, and being much more deeply marked in the
right than the left, show the strength has been maintained, and health
better than the hereditary disposition promised. There is no illness
foreshadowed at the end of the line, it ends very abruptly in the
right. There have been two illnesses, one in the growing up, which was
not strong at first, and one since, and at the present time the throat,
as shown by the feathering of the line under Jupiter, is not at all
strong, and great care should be taken of it.
“The Fate line, on the whole, shows a very adventurous career, but
has been very steady on its rise after it once got away from the
obstructions of surrounding circumstances at about twenty-five. At just
under thirty the line in the left doubles, bringing in new influences
for good over the life and much success in the career. In the right,
the Apollo line goes to Mercury, and breaking on the way at the Head
shows that others attempted to cheat him or loss of money through
others, which did not have much appreciable effect on the career. At
thirty-five or thirty-six there is a change, and again just about
forty, all tending steadily to larger influence and more monetary
success. The line going to Mercury instead of Apollo shows that the
subject had it in him to have attained a greater artistic triumph had
the line been directed to Apollo instead, but the Mercurian line makes
for worldly success, and of that there is plenty. The subject has two
especial friends marked on the Heart line, one a deep friendship of at
least twenty years, and the other, more fluctuating from circumstances,
comes and goes at intervals.
“The lines of ambition on Jupiter are strongly marked on both hands,
one of the two in the left being discontinued in the right, and the
other greatly strengthened; the latter is a sign of much success.
“_There is no fear of fire or water, great preservations standing in
the way of danger, but much of falls and blows._ On the whole, these
are the hands of a strong character, great originality, and are the
records of a very successful career.”
(Since these lines were written, the dastardly and deplorable crime
has been committed which has deprived the theatrical world of one
of its most popular leaders, and the subject of the present study.
The interview at which the drawings of Mr. Terriss’s hands were made
took place about a week before his death. One of the chief things Mr.
Terriss inquired about was his death, and I told him it would be quite
sudden and possibly violent, a declaration he repeated before others
in the profession that same evening, and I especially cautioned him
against an accident, but I thought it was something that might fall
upon him from a height, and told him of it. But I honestly confess I
could not have told from his hands that his death was so near and so
terrible. We have had, thank God, but little experience in such cases.
The hands of General Boulanger were the only ones I had ever seen of
one who was immediately afterwards shot, and those of Dr. Kerwain, who
was murdered, but this was after the event. I do not, however, think
that, had it been possible to have warned Mr. Terriss, that warning
would have been of any service, as nothing could have prevented him
from the cruel and cowardly attack of his wretched murderer.--THE
PALMIST.)
“THE HANDS OF MISS JESSIE MILLWARD.
“The hands of Miss Millward are pointed, soft-skinned and flexible,
yet strong in their grasp and firm in the touch. They belong to that
temperament of Venus and Apollo that rules the souls of their fellow
creatures, that governs by persuasion, and controls by influence; those
that never seem to seek their own way yet always get it, and that
without any very apparent effort of will on their part.
“The spaces between the fingers show extreme unconventionality, and the
thumb great generosity and a cultivated extravagance. It is a firm,
constant thumb, decided in will, reasonable in judgment; the first
finger gives the love of rule and good sense of justice, in fact the
dominance of Jupiter in the finger will make the subject hate injustice
and greatly rebel if subjected to it. The Apollo finger, which is
pointed in the left, has developed a conic tip in the right from the
cultivation of her art, and the extremely long and straight Mercurian
finger gives that great tact and the management of difficult people for
which this character should be remarkable. Language is much developed
in the long first phalanx of Mercury, as colour is in the first of
Apollo.
“The Mounts on these hands are strongly developed, the temperament is
emotional and passionate, capable of great self-sacrifice, and equally
so of resentment, and even, under provocation, of inclemency. Jupiter
will give her love of society and social gifts, Mercury a certain
brightness of disposition and love of wit and humour; Venus, strongly
developed, the love of pleasing, the desire to be liked, and some
little vanity, and Apollo in combination with this will give her a
great dislike of seeing anyone suffer, and the desire to console and
assist all who are in trouble.
“The hand is rather flat, the moral courage is excellent and is
intensified by the widely divided line of Head and Life, which gives
much audacity and somewhat too quick action. This may be guarded
against by the good sense of the thumb and the fine depth and length of
the Head line, making the judgment, if hasty, as a rule sufficiently
reliable, and also by the exercise of the gift of intuition, or
spontaneous decision caused by the senses, which is peculiar to this
temperament and often exercised as safeguard.
“The Mount of Venus will also give much love of music, though the shape
of the hands deny much execution; the voice should be sweet and clear,
rather low-pitched.
“The Head line in the right is much improved. The subject has studied
much and carefully, her memory and her quickness of apprehension have
greatly improved and are now far beyond the average. There is good
practical common sense in many ways shown by this line, and it is quite
capable of keeping secrets, and of much thoughtful diplomacy, not in
business, but in personal management.
“The Heart line is very affectionate; the turn up towards Jupiter makes
it capable of jealousy in a very few cases, not altogether unselfish,
but a steady, constant friend, helpful and amiable.
“When we look at the Life line, we see the subject has passed through a
time of illness and great physical strain, brought on a great deal by
trouble and grief; the breaks on the line in the left and the crosses
barred on the right show a period of great delicacy, now happily a
thing of the past. The hands are altogether much covered with small
lines, showing a very nervous temperament, and great care should even
now be taken against overwork and too great mental excitement; the
heart is still a little delicate, and the circulation not very good.
But as all the worst trouble in the life is early, so the worst of the
health is also, and between thirty-two and forty-six the lines are all
on the improve. At the latter age the subject will have to be careful,
but although the line forks in the right hand, it continues afterwards
as well as before and continues to a good age.
“The Fate line is altogether a Saturnian one. The subject is much
under the rule of circumstances, and these circumstances have not been
favourable. There have always been difficult people to contend against
and obstacles to be overcome, and the temperament of our subject,
although fortunate in friendship, is seldom so in love. Circumstances
constrain these temperaments, and the choice is seldom the best.
The line of Apollo, which is much broken in the left, showing the
difficulties and trials of early life, is very good and strong in the
right, but rises somewhat late; the success was not secured without a
great struggle, and is due to the subject’s own courage and exertions.
“_There is a great preservation from physical danger on the lower Mars,
and a shock to the feelings of great intensity in the other hand_,
otherwise the subject seems free from accident either from fire or
water.
“These hands show a most kind-hearted, emotional, artistic temperament,
grounded on sterling sense and practical benevolence, and the owner
should be deservedly popular and dramatically successful in her own
special line of art.”
Whether there be any explanation or none, in the light of what happened
the passages I have italicized have a curious and tragic interest for
me.