Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1851-09-18
A Colony of Gipsies

There is, at the present time, living near
Hoboken, N. j., a colony of genuine Gipsies,
consisting of three families, numbering about
twenty-five persons, young and old. Two of
the women are real Egyptian born, and most of
the other adults were born in England yet any
one who is familiar with the Gipsy charac,e.
can readily discover in their features, their ac-
tions, dress, gestures, looks, slovenly mode Of
living, and general tone, all the distinguished
characteristics of that migratory race A re-
porter of the New York Herald visited that
place few days since, and gives the following
account of them:
According to their own ,pse Dirt, two of
these families landed in Virginia about ten
months ago, from Durham, England and they
have until recently, been wandering about that
and the neighboring States of the south and
west. They state that they came north for the
purpose of escaping the unhealthy climate of
the south, which has proved fatal to several of
their children. The third family have been
rowing about Long Island for some months past.
having also come over from England. Among
this motley group is woman about sixty years
of age, the glance of whose small, sunken eye
is enough to fright the very dell Let any
one picture to himself one of those most hide
Gus hags, so renowned in romantic story, for
their powers in the dark mysteries of witchcraft
and he will have before his mental eye fac
"a sc, fl, Il l..
at Hoboken
We asked her several questions, few o (
which she answered gruffly, and in seeming
ly reluctant manner. She then rose, limped
short distance away, and squatted down by
the base of large tree, mutterng some inco-
herent expressions, and staring in no very at
tractive manner, at those whom curiosity had
brought around her family circle. We heard
one young lady say to her companions, Come
away, the ugly old thing looks frightful.' AT
which they all simutaneo usly moved off, cast
ing suspicious side glances at the old crone.-
/ On asking the old 'un if she told fortunes, she
answered in an unearthly voice, Not to-day
| will tomorrow.
Only one family has tent, the others sleep
in their wagons, in which they carry all their
effects from place to place. We could see no
cooking utensils, or the traces of anything that
could show their tinkering employment, except
few bits Of tin scattered here and there, and
small anvil stuck in the ground. Some of
the men informed us thai they got but very lit
tie to do, and that their living was very hard
the latter part of which assertion we fully credit
from the Starved looking appearance Of them
selves and children. We found among them
two of Hibernia's sons, one of them the lord
and master of the one whom we have describ-
ed
On asking one of the lrishman how he could
bring himself to live in such miserable way,
he said that he felt perfectly happy, that he had
joined the Gipsies in England when young land
that now he would not change his life for the
best farm he saw in the 'Ne,c Muai States; and
indeed his indolent and filthy appearance fully
corroborated the truth of his assertion. Ex-
cept these two men, all the others are of Egyp-
tian blood, and in every particular they fully
sustain the Gipsy character in all its repulsive
| features"