The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-13


band. They are inordinately fond OF music,
ana svery one owns . cracked fiddle or bass
violin, They vie with each in rapid jump |
ms. In which they excel. They are extreme
II fond of their horses and dogs, when sney |
net and teach all manner of tricks. In turn |
the animals Iseem fonA Of them. and fawn
around them very efectienaly. All n al,
the male gipsy 10 novelty. when interests
the mind and attracts the attention. Natu-
rally ap. they seem 70 haze been uepI TnS;.
their minds are subtle in the exteme, as wit
ness their sheivipg expeditions, and the ings.
nuity with which they inveghle customers to
their camp. They turn their hands to almost
auy kind of t,nkering, basket making and
cobbling They are literally jacks of all
trades.
THE ENcAxPxEsr AT NIGHT.
At night the surrounding groves are lit up
by the gypsy camp fires, which flicker up In
the darkness and cast wierd shadows through
| the wood. The air liz full of strange music,
which floats on the breeze faintly,yet charm
| ingly, as you approach the camp. Ii is the
voices of the gipsy women singing their ba-
bies to sleep, and rocking themselves to and
| fro on the ground; their bodies doubled up
in the form of a cradle; a shape no civilized
mother could assume. The music OF violins
ami accordeans soon follow, played in curl
GUS time, by curious musicians. The csil-
dren are sleeping soundly beneath the wag-
ons, watched by the dogs, and the young
| folks are having dance. Long haired bean
ties, dressed In gay costumes in which red is
| the main ingredient, pass between you and
the camp FIRE. The dance 10 . strange one,
and its wild mazes fascinates and enchants.
The old r.cn "a: all asleep in the wagons,
and the gipsies are merry making. A pecu
Sho nj Qf
its romantic features. Ii 10 prototype
of oriental customs. older by a thousand years
than even the history of the strange people
who are reproducing the Egyptian tribes
The moon rides slowly above, and looks mod
estly, net chidingly down upon the merry
gipsies That same moon witnessed their
forgotten origin and knew the people that
were their forefathers. No sign of sadness
comes from the gypsy tents They are too
simple minded to know grief. The wander
ing Monads are happy Happy in their SIM
ple content. Perhaps their pleasure is
heightened by knowledge of the future
Nav be the old women have read their mys-
tic horoscope, and found that they were les
tined to live happy and long that they
would always find good encampments. with
pelenty of plumber near by, and numberless
fools who desire to pry into futurity. If so,
they are doubly happy.
FORTUNE TELLING.
Among the band of gipsies 10 q celebrated
old fortune teller, over whose wise head sew
enty five summers have passed. The hand Of
, time has dealt lightly with this aged crone.-
Her nose is neither hooked nor her chin fall.
en- away. She looks as young as ones great
grandmother did, in the days when health
and longevity were fashionable. Her name
! ID Sarah Leke, and she was born in Alexan-
- = sha rs trulv md has N.
, forgotten her birth place. Sarah allows that
: she is the seventh daughter of the seventh
son and tina, her science in reading the flu
ture is a gift-nothing more. She knows al
about you and will tell it, toe, for Eve dollars
If you haven't that small sum about you, ,hi:
= aged Sheik will give you an insight into fu
turity for a smaller sum but she will not la
drop q single word from her lips of wisdom
r short of a two dollar greenbaek- She dom
tell fortunes by sea cups, or by the lines oil
the hands. Her knowledge comes from the
. stars
This woman is the strangest creature i'm
9 aginable. Her extreme old age is only sur
0 passed by her great profundity Of knowledge
. and her versatility. She talks by he hour
. and says nothing foolish. Her language i,
Z elegant in idom, and full in variety Of utter
{ ance. She nwes the beholder in spite of him
self Has one of the patriarchs descended K
9 smile, because the woman is unfathomable
Another famous fortune teller OF this band
is Polly Lettering. young prophecies. whC
Is very pretty tor gypsy. She possesset
. great power in the band and does about al
/, she likes, which is a very enviable position
J. in any sphere Of life. She dresses gorgeous
ly, and wears fine jewelry, whIch looks a
ancient as the mummies in Col. Woods mu-
scum.
! Crowds of people from the city visit these
: gpsies daily, and they are consequently max
ing money very fast. Ii is the best method
, of keeping them out of the gardens and barns
in that vicinity. The soldiers from Camp
: Douglas patronize them well. and are alwayi
: told that they fare separated from their fam
lilies, and that they expect . letter" which
the boys allow Is al true.
oIrsY WIVES.
The gypsy men are allowed to take unto
! themselves two wives. IL one of them dies,
another is obtained 70 keep up the maximum
number, Napoleon Butler, who is captain oil
this band, has two very pretty wives. and
about two dozen very dirty children. which
tute both ribs. and so Napoleon Butler is
good for nothing without them. This Nor.
mon custom accounts for the great FREEDOM
nance of the gypsy women over the men in
numbers.
ORIGIN OF THE GIPsIEs.
History has failed to reveal the origin of
the gypsy tribes, and there are consequently
many conflicting opinions on the subject
The term itself is corruption of the word
Egyptians. and signifies a yagabond people.
They are ignorant of their origin, scarcely
remembering their own parents. They are
found at present in nearly all parts Of the