The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-25 00:00:00

The Death in a Gipsy's Tent.

Mr John Humphreys, the coroner for Middlesex, held an
inquest on Tuesday at the Greyhound Tavern, Old Ford.
road, Victoria-park, respecting the death of Barbara Leo,
aged 90 years, a celebrated member of the gipsy tribe, wile
died in a tent under the following circumstances :

The jury having been sworn, proceeded with the coroner:
across a meadow to a low tent which was protected frotutliis
weidlier by a dwarf wall abutting ou Sir George DuckctOes
Canal, when Mr Burrows, the summoning officer, removed
several wooden skewers from the dingy woollen covering,
the body of deceased was found lying on the turf covered
with a white sheet, and near the corpse lay a rough or wild
sheep dog, and it was stated that deceaeel had formerly been.
the Gipsy Queen,
The first witness called was

ziah Lee, a young gipsy, who said she was a traveller
and had no settled residence. She lived in a field near Mr
Bowen's, the Crown Hotel, Old Ford-road. Witness was
the wife of Benjamin Lee, a gipsy, who attended races and
fairs, and obtained a livelihood by keeping " Old Aunt
Sallys" and " Cockshies." The deceased was a widow, and
witness was her daughter-in-law. She lived with witness
as she had no home nor friends to assist her. Sometimes
they had six or seven in the same tent, but they never had
any sickness, the air was so pure, and although deceased.
was so aged she walked or tramped from the encampment
on Wandsworth-common. She was very weak and care-
worn, but was not ailing or in bad health. She could cat
anything when she could get it. On Saturday night, the
deceased ate a hearty supper in the tent, and there were
several persona present who slept there all night. There
was a fire burning until the morning. About S o'clock wit-
ness awoke and heard deceased making a gurgling noise in
the throat. Witness got up and ran for Dr Davey, who
immediately attended and pronounced life extinct. The
deceased was then upon the face of the earth, but well
wrapped up.
Coroner (to witness)—Your tribe live longer in such
places, do they not?
\Vituess, smiling—Oh, yes, sir. Why, if she had gane to
the workhouse she would have been dead years ago.
Coroner—l believe that, for a gipsy's tent is a palace to
some of the overcrowded and pestilential dwellings at this
part of the great metropolis.
Charlotte Lee, another gipsy, with a brown and sharp
countenance, said that she lived in White's brickfield, Old
Ford-load. She called to see the old lady, and stopped in
the tent all night. Deceased was then very poorly, and
could not get up. She could speak and knew witness, who
had travelled from Kingston to see her. The deceased never
complained while witness was present, and she had what
they could afford to give her. A surgeon was not called, as
deceased had never had a day's illaess.

Coroner—Are you not related to the family of the Gipsy
Queen ?
Witness—Yes, sir, but she is no more than our own
humble tribe. Why, our Queen is your Queen, and we bow
to her as her loyal subjects.

Dr Davey, of Florence-villa, Old Ford-road, said that he
was called to the deceased, and found her in a tent lying
upon the ground. She was still warm, but had only beerA
dead about a quarter of an hour. lie examined the body,
which was pretty well nourished, and he believed, as there
were no marks of violence, that she had died from exhaus-
tion upon old ago.
Tho coroner said the case was one of an unusual cha-
racter, and ho should not have troubled the jury but that
the deceased had died in such a sudden and strange manner.
There was, however, no doubt that the habit of living in
such open-air places was beneficial, and had in this instance
prolonged the life of the deceased, who had almost reached
100 years.
The jury returned the following verdict :—" That tha
deceased was found dying and did die in a certain tent
erected in a field at Old Ford, Victoria Park, and the
jurors further say that the said death was from natural

causes."

The body was afterwards buried by the Gipsy tribe at
persons.
the Victoria Park Cemetery, followed by a large crowd of

STATE OF TRADE,

_mil

CARDIFF, Aug. 24.—During the month of July there
were 283 vessels engaged in the foreign trade of the port,
and 105,830 tons of coal were exported, against 138,701 tons
in the corresponding mouth, anti 113,018 tons iu the pre-
vious month. The shipmeuts coastwise reached 70' 722
tons, as compared with 81,!,(3173 tons in June. 'ibis large de-
wale in both the foreign and COR9tViSO coal trade ii attri-
buted mainly to the scarcity of tonnage, and at the com-
mencement of the month there was also a slight dulness
evinced in the demand. Ot iron 14,123 tons were exported,
being a decrease of 1,546 tons as compared with the pre-
vious month Out of this New York took no less than 4,507
tons, which shows that the American demand is still large.
The arruktice was als..) taken advantage of to send nearly
2,000 tons of railway iron to Altona.
NorrucOllA.M,
24th.—The lace trade is still very quiet,and very little business has been done during the past few
Boys, all branches of cotton
goods bring a dull sale. !'ln the
silk branches there is no improvement—mcchlins and quilt-
inks are not in request, while the demand for black laces
continues without much alteration, The buyers who come
• into the market purchase slowly, and manufacturers only
finish what is ordered. The hosiery trade remains dull.
The shipping trade is quiet, and there is no improvement in
the demand for the home market., y,tyr, are recliciag
9r"arcely so much IDORET RS last '•ree,z,