Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-02-19
Gypsies in London.

Mr.. George Borrow has given au ac-
count, of the gypsyries in the suburbs
of London known as the Southwestern
and Northwest. TIE Southwestern
gypsyry, about quarter of a-mile from
the Thames, is spread over piece Of
open ground two acres or so in extent.
1t is nearly deserted in the summer and
automn; the gypsies at those seasons
migrating to races, fairs, seaside resorts
and other places where little money
can be made BY doakey-riding, fortune
telling and ''three throws penny" or
else hOp-picking IN Kent. AS winter
comes on the darh-visaged tribe return
to the gypsyry and take up their abode
in tents and carayans-chiefiy the for
mer. The men chiefly employ themsel-
YES during the day in ''chinning the
cost" that is making skewers for butch
ers' use, also in making clothes pegs, in
basket-making and tidkering old kettles
and saucepans. The woman stroll a.
bout various parts of the metropolis
and suburbs, telling fortunes to silly
servant-girls and other people who are
not servants and occasionally perpetra-
ting little cheateries which, if found out
call for the intervention of the police
magistrate. The children play about
and beg half-pence from passers-by.
The tents are oblong and symple. Rods
are stuck in the ground and bent over
to form sort of wagon-shaped roof,
tied together by strings and couvered
with coarse, brown cloths, pinned or
skewered together, and pegged to the
ground. Anarrow trench is cut around
to prevent rain water from flowing in
to the tent. The tent differs little from
an Indian wigwam, except in being Co
vered with cloth instead of bark. Sit
ting cross-legged is the order of the day
there being neither chairs nor stools;
and as tables are as scarce as chairs,
the meals are spread on the ground,
perhaps with a cloth for little approach
to tideness. Pots. pans, platters and
trenchers are pretty abundant; knives
AlOl -BOOH> sllt ueth, Jul SNAtOth n
fork. A kind Of brazier forms the fire.
place, with a crook and a kettle for
cooking. A pail and a water-cask,
box or two for clothes and blankets to
serve as bedding and bed-clothes, nearly
fill up the list of goods and ehattels.
The caravans-keri-vard or wagon
hOuses-are on four wheels, drawn each
by one horse or two donkeys. The gen.
eral demensions may be taken about II
feet by and 8 feet high above the nooI
or platform. There are two sleeping
ber;hs at the further end, one above
the other, as on shipboard with cur
tain running on rod-rings as a screen.
A small glazed window on each side
admits daylight. A steve is PLACED just
within the door, the smoke from which
is carried off by a metal chimney or
pipe through tide roof of the domicile.
Some of these caravans manifest a
slight attempt at smartness in the intir-
ior, but for the most part they are dirty
and squalid. In q sketch of the average
daily life of the tribe in this gypsyry
we are told that the people take two
meals day-a breakfast of tea, bread.
butter and cheese, and a supper of tea,
with some kind of stew. \ midday
meeal is more uncertain and outdoor
affair. On some occasions, for lack of
a better, a tea or soup is made from the
tender leaves of Kind of nettle, called
by the sonorous name of dandic men,
oreskie zimmon-broth from the sting
ing thing. Those gypsies are of various
tribes of sub-tribes, of which three
are called in their own language Pur-
runs, Chumomescroes and VardOmes-
croes. Lee, Boswell and Cooper, we'll
kdown surnames, are the English equi-
valent for those oddly-soundieg tribal
names. The men are well-made and
active, somehat below the middle
height, with dark compilations bright
ewes and garments not remarkable for
soundness or cleanliness.