Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-08-06
A Gypsy Camp.

SOME GYPSY FAMILIES IN BRo0KLYN-THEIR
HORSE TRADINC-IHE DOGS AND THE CHILD
REN-THzIR CHIEF-THEIR PECULARITIEs.
For the last two or three weeks there has
been gypsy camp nestled in the hilly
grounds about half mile from Prospect
Park. in Brooklyn. The assemblage con
sists of about thirty souls, the children be-
ing in large majority. The clan Is an
English one, and their chiei is Uriah Whar-
ton. ~ in patriarchial times, Uriah ap-
pears to be father and grandfather of the
whole family All seem to have the great
est rcverance for their leader; and men,
women, boys and girls obey him implicitly.
The men are traders. Around the
camp. packing up what scanty food they
can find, are some twenty horses, among
them brood mares with their colts. The
quality Of the horses need not be expatiated
upon. Most all Of the steeds are sprung or
spawned. Horse trades are Of constant oc-
currence in the camp. People inclined to
swap horses can be accommodated At any
time YOU can barter a sound horse for two
lounderei gypsy ones. The men seem to be
adopts at their business, cleyerly conceal
Ing the defects in their animals and vaunt-
ing such points of excellence as they may
p1>seSS. With the thorough knowledge
they possess, broken-down horse in Il few
weeks time will come out of their hands As
a high mettled steed. Dogs Of every variety
bark and yelp at you in the camp. Hele
nav be found settlers, pointers, fox-hOunds,
terriers, bull-dogs, lurchers, "yaller dogs,
and even an arstocratic greyhound walks
daintlly around, apparently quite out Of
place. In fact. children and dogs abound.
The women show their Eastern origin more
than the men. These gypsy ladies have the
aquiline nose, the small mouth, the dark
ewes, the bluc-back straight hair common
to the stock. Their costume is tawdry, and
they seem to delight in garish colors. These
women seem to be good mothers, and the
children are in such amazing proiusion as to
require their unceasing care. Fortune-tell-
ing, of course, falls into their line OF busi-
ness, and no end Of silly PEOPLE pay their
dollar TO have these gypsies patter fortune
to them. The gypsy wagons are peculiar,
something in shape like the Turkish Arabs.
In these conveyances the people sleep, some
of the ambulant houses having inside of them
prosaic fOurposter beds. In their ordinary
language the gypsies use English, resem-
bling in accent and intonation that spoken
by the peasantry in the south of England,
but every now and then a cultural burst of
romance rolls out and dissipates the idea
that they are ordinary folks. ''1f you stay
here much longer" said Times represen-
tatiye to Uriah Wharton, "you will become
Americanized Our Northern climate won't
allow of this wandering about. In twenty
years from now all these, your grandchild-
ren, will become good citizens, and will for
get Egypt and their forebears."
That's so, sir replied the chief. 81
have been here off and on for thirty years,
and see it coming. Maybe it is for the
best. Egypt don't get along as well here as
in the old country. Glasses is more mixed.
Half the children in the camp are of mixed
breed. am, though. rure--of pure Egypt.
We can make out here though, but in the
old country life was pleasanter. When !
was Young man there was fair or IA horse
race every day. lIorse-trading amt what
it used to be- Talk about Norfolk Jockey
and his being sharp Why, sir, Yankee
can give him pints. They do tell me, sir,
horses in England is doubled in price of
late, and that they are getting them over
from France. | see Cruiser is dead. Lord
Dorchester raised him. know all about
the Nenison stock. You wouldn't mind
sending me newspaper now and then,
would YOU, sir ~ Here was d revelation.
4 gypsy who wanted a newspaper If only
Mr.. Borrow could hear that, he would de-
clare that the civilization of the gypsy, at
least in America, had commenced. The
gypsy camp was perfectly orderly. The
people all seemed in good condition, and the
children especially, with their rudy faces
and sunburnt limbs, were the picture OF
health. \ certain smallness of hands and
feet, and the graceful poses taken by all the
people, showed the peculiarities of an alien
race