Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-05-19

uu9s udu 10 llSten lO INC Oiu woman glN-
ing me instructions in fortune telling.
For the first season / was only to tell for.
tunes for young girls. | was to Judge
them and say most about love subjects.
Aiterward / was allowed TO tell ANYBODY.
If l could lay my hands on anything
worth having / could do so, but IT was
nobodys business where l got It. was
never asked where l got things / was
pleased with the idea of telling fortunes.
| was dressed in bright red colors, which
were strong contrast to my dark skin
| always wore my hair hanging down, and
string of big yellow beads hung around
my neck. / had a bracelet made of snake
skin, and was careful 10 let everybody
see it. | got along well at fortune.telling
picked up fast and before the first sea.
son closed | knew how to read human
nature very well, and could read character
tolerably. / will not say much about
stealing, for l am ashamed. Some of our
wagons had false bottoms, so that when.
ever the camp wa5searched nothing could
be found If the officers came they were
given full privilege to search all around,
and in this way they were led to believe
many times that we were really innocent
There is no truth at all in fortune telling.
We said just what came into our minds.
One time young man in Tennessee
came to me and told me to go TO Ger.
tain house and induce young girl to
have her fortune told. lie told me what
to say. lie was in love with her and
wanted TO marry her. | understood him
and carried out my part very well. /
sung her song about the young lover,
and the beautiful girl got as white as
snow, then red, and then gave me five dol
lars. She could well afford It, | got ten
dollars from the man. He had been dis
carded but before we left the place, Muir
ircesborO, think it was, | saw the pair
out driving. It's all trickery with those
bands that are not regular blooded for
eigners. They are mighty few in Amcri-
ca, | tell you. fell in love with the life.
1t was romantic, if it was bad. | was
paid well for my labor, and became very
healthy. We Travelled all around the
West and wintcred in Texas. / got the
chills in the Red River country. In the
winter we practiced new lodges.
"At last became tired OF the life. l
was abused several times because | was in
hard luck. / also wanted TO keep up my
appearance, which made someOf the other
jealous. They commenced to
spread evil reports about me, and SAID that
| was guilty of committing crime that |
had fought hard to overcome and escape.
Business got bad, and all my money was
either lost or stolen from the wagon.
"One night last summer | determined
TO leave. | mounted fast running horse.
but before | got three miles toward Cum
berland, Md, was Overtaken by one of
the young men. Then they wanted me to
get married. Right or wrong, | must be-
come the wife of the Oldest son of gipsy
horse doctor. They thought that would
keep me with them. They told me of my
oath, and at last promised not to run
away if they would not make me marry
that man. They consented, and last win
Ter we went down to Georgia and win
tered there. But 1 firmly made up my
mind to get away this spring just as soon
rs they came north. | was tired of being
held in bondage. All my life seemed to
be a fraud. We did nothing but lie, cheat
deceive and lead astray. During my first
wo years | saw two young women taken
into gypsy life. Where they are now
can't say, for their bands separated from
ours last season. pitied them, but said |
lOt word, The men are as bad as the |
women. They buy up old horses, and |
hen fix and doctor them to sell or trade |
Farmers are their victims. They are
'windled and plundered in many ways.
But gypsies never burn arms. They think |
90 much of horses, etc, to burn down |
)arns. don't think they'd set fire to |
That is one of the few of their
rood points.
60 made many dollar in dishonest
way, and 1t is no wonder that | lost every
)enny L had. | travelled as far north as
Maine, down through Canada, through
N far n Il al,
he Indian country to Mexico, and thence
trough the Gulf States, as they call em,
o Georgia and northern Alabama, where |
We spent the winter. A good many Irish, |
english and Welsh people travel by wagon !
trough the country in the summer, but
i've in the larger cities through the win
er.
=" The people that Luke Murell says are
lis ancestors he calls the great north of
england Herne family. He says his |
was a Spanish woman and |
lis grandfather Bohemian. He came to |
his country ten years ago. He claims to |
'e gypsy, but | don't believe him. If !
Ic is, or is not, it don't make any differ
nee. I'm no gypsy, nor never will be,
ct passed for one nearly four years,
nd | never was mistrusted. | would have |
un oil with Southern storekeepeT that |
net at gypsy dance, but l thought it
light be jumping out of the pan into the
re. l did not trust him. TRUST nobody.
typsies are liars, and / sometimes think
hat leople generally think so. / am de-
ermined to tell clean story about them;
othing but what is the truth.
When we got as far as Warren COun.
Y we were camped about three miles out
f a small town. The night was fearfully
ark, and the rain poured down in tor
ents. That night made up my mind to
cave. i had been down hearted for the
ast two months, for dear girl in the
amp, the same one that hugged me on
he night | was baptized, took sick and
ied in the southern part of Ohio. |
hought | could never get over that. She
vas a beautiful girl, just turning thirteen
ears: She had the pneumonia, and she
led in her fathers wagon in the woods.
'wo days afterward we got permission to
Jury her in farmers graveyard on his
arm in one corner of field. The funeral
ias at night. shall never forget it. An
Id man took the part of minister. He
'as fearful thief, and / thought il could
ot be possible that such bad man
hould say the funeral prayers for that
oung, innocent and beautiful girl. -Four
III graves NtTC Wlllln lnc stone walls oil |
ne little cemetery. A big tree ratified its
often branches in the night air, and in
nat damp night the body was lowered To
s last resting place. 1t was dressed in
eautitul shroud and laid in a neat coffin.
After the funeral that night, made
p my mind to leave them. At the time
started it was just such night as the
neral, only it raincd. i slipped out of
le camp and silently got away from the
'oods. | told my story to a hotelman,
nd | got to WilliamspOrt. People have
cen kind 30 me all along, and now am
Ding toward home on this train. hope
ley're alive and well; but my heart
nks within me almost when | think
lat have not heard from them for so
ng. No doubt they have long ago
ought | was dead"
The woman attracted considerable at
ntion. Her deep black eyes fairly
Darkled when she became warm in her
of forest life. She was slight
above the medium in height and her
lin was dark olive. She had mag
ficent set of natural teeth, which were
rely shown, however, as she smiled but {
ny little. She was dressed in black,
ith the exception of cherry. colOred