Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1878-08-21
THE oYPsIEs,

lin THE 0YPsIEs.
HOY Many There are, ana How Sacred,
the Secrets Of the Rommany Tongue 1
Guarded.
/ Correspondent New York Sun.
How many gypsies are there in th
United States7 They are estimate,
4 variously from five hundred to Eft,
thousand; but there is no mode of gel
ting q census which will approach &C
cufacy. Of the tent dwellers there ar
probably a thousand, divided into abou
twenty bands or more. But of all wh,
claim gypsy blood, including choordos, O
alf-breeds, l should think 10000 wouls
be m under estimate. New York lit,
has several thousand. The Descendants
of ROmmanies are found everywhere
in trades and professions-notably amonl
horse jockeys, thimble-riggers, Pete
Funks and confidence men; at the bal
| (on both sides of it), on the bench, at th,
sick mans bedside, on the prairies of the
west, and in the gold diggings. At least
one, If not two, vice presidents of the
United States have have had gypsy blood
in their veins. There are some names
that suggest gypsy at once; but as these
are borne by many of pure Gorgio stock,
they need not be given. But about them
all-pure blood or half blood-there is q
tendency to the nomad life. The race il
essentially wild and tameless, place it
how you may.
There are a good many gypsies in
France now, and in Germany, and an
abundance in Spain, where they have a
locality pretty much to themselves, as
well as the run of the kingdom. But
for century or more they had hard
time in all these countries, especially in
France, where they were scOurged or
hanged at the mere caprice of the police.
Certainly, at that time, they deserved
rough treatment. But they were as
much sinned against as SHINING. Every
mans hand was against them, and,
naturally enough, their hand was against
every ono. 1t was perpetual war, and
to this day the popular notion of a gypsy
is chicken thief, tramp, and vaga-
bond. They are not all thieves, however.
Once out of their isolation, they are as
capable of improvement az their neigh
bors. In Turkey, where there are q large
number, the greater part are industrious,
and some are wealthy and prosperous;
and when they can escape prejudice by
concealing their lineage, they are respect
ed. In England, Scotland and the
United States the number of gypsies who
occupy respectable positions in society is
considerable. Many people think the
folk are dying out. That is
an error. They are certainly increasing
in those countries where they form q
distinct class, and there, notwithstand-
ing SO many emigrate, and SO many melt
out into other races by marriage and
adoption, their growth is remarkable.
The tent gypsies here do not multiply 80
fast, apparently, because SO many Of
their youth enter into ordinary pursuits,
and are not known as gypsies to their as
The gypsies set great store by their
dialect, and will not willingly impart ct
to the gorgios (Gentiles or strangers) un-
less when drunkenness or long Intimacy
relaxed their caution. This comes part
ly from notion among the more ignor-
ant than it is a penal ofIense to talk
and partly from the vanity
which leads them to think it q high
honor to have secret mode of commu-
with each other. 1t is said that
the thousands of gypsies who have come
to this country during and since the
colonial times, and, abandoning the tsnt
life and becoming house dwellers, have
melted into the stream of populalio l,
teach the language to their children and
keep the secret with more than Mason
ic jealousy. / doubt the story. They
guard the secret of their origin with
great care, from an absurd notion that
the gypsy blood, of which they are &C
tually proud, would lead to reproach
from their neighbors.
There are communities in the United
States all of gypsy blood, and / have
met men and women in the mountains
of Virginia whom / now believe to be
gypsies, although then l did not know
it. Since l have become acquainted
with their patter, l have discovered
them by that several times. They did
not always reply, as they might have
done had they picked it up like myself,
but they mostly showed that they knew
what it meant, though they denied un-
derstanding it. / noticed q coarse hair
ed, dark skinned man once at q country
inn, where l was at dinner. He looked
like a half breed Indian, but / suspect
ed him, and without pointing at any
thing, said carefully, Ma,sro" (bread).
He handed me the plate mechanically,
and without word ] smiled, and said,
!" Shan Romnaany' (you are gypsy.) He
Redeemed, looked at me curiously, and
then said, 81 don't know what you
mean." He avoided me after that dur
ing the two days staid there. learn
ed that he lived with his family and
their connections in the hills rode
there and saw some of them. The gyp-
sy blood was plain enough, but they had
been forwarned, and l could not draw
them out. / remember a dark skinned
old woman-French, she called herself
noted for her filthiness of aspect and bad
habits generally, whom / caught tres
passing. Iordered her out of the place.
She retorted impudently, and took her
by the shoulder to lead her of the prem
ises. She wrenched herself from my
grasp, and snatching up q large stone,
threatened to knock my brains out. The
expression of her eye gave me an in
spiration, and recalling all the Gypsy
slang could ct the time remember-we
never forget the abusive part of
tongue-I said: /" B;ng tasser toosy, ROM
many cAocohascny! jan drom! Devil
choke you, Gipsy witch! get out on the
roadI The old woman glared at me in
perfect amaxement, dropped the stone,
and with the muttered words, Bing
al ,oktein Romnany" (the devil-talking
GYPSY went out Of the gate sideways
casting 'iismayed ghnces over her
shoulder until she was out Of sight. y
was not good Rommany, the al should
have been a.; but it was Rommany, new
ertheless. A few years since I came
across q tramp family. There was :