Chariton courier. (Keytesville, Chariton County, Mo.) 1878-current, 1878-09-21
THE GYPSY QUEEN.
Burial of Matilda Stanley, Queen OF the
American Tribes, at Dayton, Ohio.


American Tribes, at Dayton, Ohio.
Especial to the Chicago Tribune.l
CINCINNATI, O., September 15.-The
funeral of Matilda Stanley, late Queen
of the Gypsies in the United States, took
place at Dayton to-day in presence of
over 20, 900 people. The programme of
services did not differ essentially from
any Christian burial. If any exercises
of peculiar character took place, they
were apart from the public demonstra-
ton. There was long line of car
riages, and services in the cemetery
were conducted by the Rev. Daniel
Bergher, of the United Brethren's
Church, of Dayton, assisted by quar-
aette from the church choir OF the city.
The Gypsy Queen died in Vicksburg last
February, and her body was embalmed
in such manner that it still retains the
natural appearance of life. 1t was
placed in vault in the cemetery, and
every day members of the late Queens
family have come with fresh flowers to
strew over her. To-day there were a
dozen Chiefs and their tribes in the city
from different sections of the United
States to pay their last tribute to the
dead Queen. The deceased was a
plain, hardy-looking old woman,
with touch of Meg Merriltes in ap-
pearance, and q manner indicative of
strong and pronounced character. There
are stories told of her wonderful facul-
ties of telling fortunes when she pleased,
and her remarkable power as a mes
merist, both of these qualities being ac-
counted for by the fact that they were
handed down to her as the eldest
daughter in the Stanley family, and
were secrets possessed by her alone.
She possessed singular influence over
her people that has not entirely ceased
with her death. Her subjects came to
America in 1856, and shortly after Sc
lected Dayton as their headquarters for
the summer months, and it became the
center for the Gypsies of the country.
They are good ighbors-industrio
and thrifty-contrary to the usually
conceived idea. They have several
large farms near the city. In the win
ter they pack up for the South to specu-
late and trade, leaving one or two of
the tribe to look after their property at
home. They are reverent church peo-
pie, and the reigning King, Levi Stan
ley, and his son and heir, known as
"Sugar Stanley" are members of the
L. o. o. F. in good standing. The
grave of the Queen, in which the coffin
will rest, is box made of stone slabs,
two feet deep and ten by four in dimen-
sions. Over the grave will be raised,
in the form of monument,
huge bowlder eight feet in
diameter, surmounted by a life
size figure of the Queen in white marble.
History of the Stanleys.
Cincinnati Commercial Letter, Sept A.l
There is a peculiar interest attaching
to the deceased, and the race that buries
her, that accounts for and justifles the
curiosity that is manifested.
They speak half a dozen different dia.
lects besides their own. Their Anglo
Saxon has an English accent, which is
reflected in their manners and customs,
evincing traces of their long residence
among the country people of England
They are peculiar combination of the
civilian and the savage; peaceful citi'
zens and wandering Arabs; farmers
and peddlers; Christian and heather al
the same time. This tendency is further
illustrated by rhyme found in severa
instances on their tombstones in Eng
land, varying with the name of the de
ceased:
Owen Stanley was his name,
England was his nation,
Any wood his dwelling place.
And Christ was his salvation.
They are reverent church people, ant
the reigning King, Levi Stanley, and hi:
son and heir, known as " Sugar" Stan
lev, are members of the /. o. o. F., anC
in good standing.
The grave of the Queen in which the
coffin will rest is a box made of stone
slabs two feet deep and ten by four ir
dimensions. Over the grave will be {
monument which again illustrates the
peculiarities of this people. On farm
adjoining the Stanleys, near the road
was an immense bowlder, known il
these parts as nigger-head." Usu
ally these stones are but two or thre'
feet in diameter, and from that as small
as football, partially rounded, differ
ing from all the native limestone in the
peighborhood, being hard as adaman
and bleached by the weather to sor
of bony whiteness of surface. &c
ologists regard them as relics OF th'
glacial age, brought hither from remote
parts of the earth on the floating ice
fields. This particular bowlder captured
the fancy of Queen Matilda many year.
ago when she first saw it. The owne
of the land gave her permission to TAX
it away, and she did. 1t was nearl,,
eight feet in diameter, and is tinged will
streaks of red, and weighs number o
tons. This is being cut and shaped, ant
will then be polished like granite, TO
the base of the monument, and will b.
surmounted by life-sized figure of tn
Queen herself in white marble. Th
whole to be about Is feet in height. Th
plot in which the body is to be interre'
is in Woodlawn Cemetery of the city.
MIR. Anderson, of Chambersburg, ha
known the Stanley's for years. Al
though an outlandish people, they ar
not tramps. No violence, no robbery
high or low, has been reported of ther
in 20 years. "There was one thing tha
one of them did which always puzzle
me. One day in c., Thomas Stanle
sat by the fire with crowd of us coun
try people by; he had good team a
the door. Said he, THAT horse an
outfit will belong to the man that frs
tells me what a Gypsy is and where the
came from; | don't know it myself
This Thomas rented his farm-it mus
be three years ago, as the custom is i
March-and started on q journey mex
month, to be gone three, five or seve
years. time. His wife was great on fol
tunes, but was sick. Thomas move
into the woods, and two-foot sno'
fell. Mrs. Thomas began to brighte
up. The children played in the snow
They did washing and made light Of il
and it was a pretty picture, too, in tn
woods. He declared that she brighter
ed up on getting out of the house. Thes
Gypsy women, sir, are true, single Q
married, all the time"
The horizon was scanned for smokes
None could be seen. you will haN
to go up to Sugars place on the M
.:o,l Dad or to old Uncle Levi