The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-07-16
GYPSY LIFE IN AMERICA.
The story of Londo. and His WANDERING
Bald.

The story of Londo and His WANDERING
Bald.
Away off here in the romantic Welsh
mountains, overlooking the beautiful
valley OF the Conestoga, about 1875
miles west of New York, says the New
York San, your correspondent has been
spending the day with gypsy band.
The company is the largest tnat ever
visited this section. Mira, the daueh-
ter of the chief, is said to be the fairest
child of the forest in America. and
Londo, her father, one of the most in
te,ligent OF the family of Hernes, the
leader of the north of England tribes.
Ihey are, comparatively speaking,
rich, and their sorcererses and fortune
tellers the most accomplished on the
continent.
L had desire to know all about this
singular, strolling, vagabond, real gypsy
lie In America, to learn the habits,
customs, rights, and religious ideas of
these tawny skinned people of the
woods, and told Londo," the chief
of the tribe, what L desired. After he
had placed camp stool at my service
he excused himself to make horse
trade, and he sent his daughter, Mira,
to answer whatever questions the visi-
tor might ask. She is beautiful pi,l.
Not tall, nor featured as her
mother, but medium in height. com
pactly built, round, broad shoulders,
1ull chest, very regular features, very
black hair, black, dazzling eyes, and a
soft, pure olive skin. When she smiled
she showed a pretty set of teeth, and
when she spoke she did so modestly
and shyly. This was the fifteen year
old daughter Of the captain. She was
born IN the woods of Yorkshire, Eng
land, and never slept night in house.
She was dressed in pretty colored
calico gown. A sash of scarlet flannel
was about her waist, and a string of
pretty little shells formed necklace
for her. A large, beautiful topaz in
heavy setting ornamented her left fore
finger, while several smaller gold rings
were on her right hand. She had brace
let's, and carried a money pouch made
of snake skin at her left side. Her
slippers were of red morocco, and her
dress did not come down near as far as
those of city young misses do. She
said that her father was very busy, and
that if she could furnish the required
information she would be very happy
to do so. l asked her about fortune
telling.
She smiled and said, Perhaps you
think that is about all the women folks
know, or at least that is the subject
they are best informed on" Her Eng
iish was very good, and her Judgment
IN this instance still better. She con-
tinued: "Well, mother is the very best
fortune teller in America to-day; at
least we think so. Her mother was the
queen of the tribe in which she was
born, and mother gained all her knowl-
edge from that source"
At this the mother came from one of
the tents near by and approached. She
was q tall, handsome woman. about
fifty years of age. Her gown was as
colored as the wild flowers she had
dainty woven in her dark, coarse hair.
She surveyed her visitor, then looked
lnquirlngly at the daughter, and then
spoke: " There is much to be learned
and much to be forgotten in this busy,
busy, weary life." Her name, she said,
was Deborah Herne, and she was born
in Spain. Her English was only toler-
able. She wore a bone ring on the
third finger of her left hand. Under
the ring was dried lizards tail that
had been wound round the ring when
1t was yet pliable. I asked her why
she wore them. Her reply was, "The
only person in this life l shall ever tell
will be little Mira" and she clasped the
beautiful gypsy girl in her arms, and
kissed her over and over again. These
gypsies have blind love for their
children. Then the mother went away
and commenced playing with and toss
ing around four little ragged baby boys
and girls that were playing in pile of
hay and straw on the ground. Mira
smiled and said, eyes, mother fire.
quently assures me that she will tell
me all she knows some time or other.
She was told a great deal by grand
mother on her death bed. Probably !
shall never know mothers secrets until
she comes to die. Well, hope 1 may
never know, aud then she will always
be with us. We have five women folks
in our camp who tell fortunes. Four
of them are only ordinary folks who
deal with cards. They get twenty-five
and fifty cents from females, and one
/ ooAiNi iiolh uhO lutu. lu0 TedSOll
women are charged less is, they can't
afford it, for it is almost impossible for
a wife to smuggle a dollar from her
husband, whereas fifty cents or a quar-
ter is not so difficult. All the money
made on fortune telling is put in the
general treasury. 1t passes through
fathers hands, and then get it,"
Mira then reached back, caught hold
OF her snake-skin satchel, and opened
it. Several hundred dollars thrown in
loosely were shown. "I'm fathers
treasurer, and 1 pay out money when
he says l shall. But 1 do hate to part
with it when they lose on horse racing
bets. Ii l could break papa fir ON that
bad habit, should consider it splen.
did victory"
Londo then appeared and sat down.
He had finished business for the time,
and he handed his daughter roll oi
money and told her she might go to her
tent. The gypsy captain was a fine
looking, well-shaped man, standing
fully six feet, and weighing 23C
pounds. lie said his band consisted OF
himself, wife, only daughter, four men
and their wives, and seventeen chill.
dren, twenty-eight in all. They were
all related, and were of pure Herne
b'ood. They came from England six
years ago, and since then have been
Leading Wandering life in the woods
North and South. In the winter they
| are in tho moods nf Elor;Jo op1 10