Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-05-27
MIR. Trout and the Gypsy.

David s. Trout is rich planter of Roa-
noke county, Virginia, a strict church
member and one of the most successful
men In his county. He has several farms
and lives on the line of the Virginia
and Tennessee Railroad, close to Salem
Post Office and near the Roanoke river
Recently accompanied by Detective John
Ween, of Richmond, and Chief of Police
Donovan. of Newark, he visited BROOKLYN
and identified Matilda Worton, the gypsy
fortme-teller, who is In Raymond street
Jail on a charge of robbing William Jessop,
of Princeton, Indiana, of 50, 800 as the
woman who, three years ago, robbed him
of a package containg Sl0,0 in green
backs, leaving in its stead similar package
that contained strips OF newspaper cut into
the shape of bank notes. Mr.. Trout says
that in February, 1875, he received note,
signed ID. L. Worton, saying that there
was a natural deposit of silver on his farm.
In 1876 Mrs. Worton, the gypsy woman,
called on him. ''She said," continued Mr..
Trout, 'that close to my house there was
deposit of silver containing about a million
dollars: that the mass of it was In crude
state, but that large amount of the metal
had already been mined. The silver, she
said, was first discovered, many years ago,
by two Indian chiefs, named Curry and
Mesh, who, on shifting their habitatlon,
buried their fortunes there and put a spell
over the mine, which ii required 3 super
human gift TO break. The hiding place
was sealed by secret, and she alone could
charm it away and open the mine for my
benefit. told her that if she could show
me where the mine was | would give her
one-half of the proceeds, but she said that
she needed package of $I2, 900 TO handle,
always i'll my presence, so that she could
work out the secret. didn't have so much
money at hand, and told her that could
not get it. She came 10 see me q number
of times, and at length she said she could
extract the secret of the hiding place of the
NINE if she could handle $4,000, but she
promised that the money should never 20
out of my sight. At length got the SlO,-
900 together in bank notes and the gypsy
began her incantations. She counted the
money, sprinkled il with earth, muttered
over il and said prayers without number.
When she had finished she went away,
leaving the money in my hands, tied up in
brown paper, and as she cautioned me not
10 toHch it for fear would undo her work
put it up and kept it intact until she re-
turned again. She paid me several visits,
and each time took out the money, eX-
amined it carefully and prayed over it. |
held it for time while she prayed and
then she held it and prayed. This was
done several times. AT length, on May Z,
1877, she said that all of her plans were
working so well that in one more visit she
would charm away the spell that bound the
secret of the mine, and would, she thought,
be able TO lead me directly 10 1t. She again
took the money, prayed over it and asked
me TO coHnt it, 81 that could see it was
all there. Il don't want you TO think, she
SAID to me, that | would steal any of it,
said: IF you took that money, or fooled
me, would kill YOU saw that all of
my money was in the package, just as |
had given it 10 her, and then she carefully
tied 1t up and put u string about it. Now
she said, the spell is broken, and in one
more visit it will be cast aside. But, she
added, no one must touch this package
promised TO lock it up, but she said she
wanted me 10 swear 10 it upon the Bible.
| turned to get the Bible, and the money
was hardly out of my sight moment. L
turned again, and she had the package ex
tended toward me. Iswore upon the Bible
that l would not open it or allow any one
else to do so. and took the package. 1
wrote ID. S. Trout upon the back and
made marks upon it wherever there was
fold of the paper, so that could tell if any
one disturbed it. Then put it away. AS
she did not return and as my time was up
when was obliged TO return the money to
the bank where had obtained it, opened
the package and found that it contained
strips of newspaper cut to the size Of bank
notes, and that there wasn't penny of my
$4,000 Mr.. Trout will begin suit III
Hudson county, New Jersey, where the.
gypsies have property, TO recover his
money.