Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1880-04-17
Mr. Trout and the Gypsy.
How She OBTAINED PACKAGE OF
$4,000 To CoNJURE VIM.

How She OBTAINED PACKAGE OF
$4,000 To CoNJURE Win.
David S. Trout is a rich planter of
Roanoke county, Virginia, a strict
church member and one of the most
successful men in his county. He has
several farms aud lives on the line of
the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad,
close to Salem Post Office and near the
Roanoke river. Yesterday, accompa-
MED by Detective John Ween, of Rich
mond, and Chief of Police Donovan, of
Newark, lie visited Brooklyn and iden-
tilted Matilda Wortou, the gypsy for
tune-teller, who is in Raymond street
Jail OIL charge of robbing William |5es-
sop, of Princeton, Indiana, OF S2,25O,
as the woman who, three years ago,
robbed him of a package containing
$4,000 in greenbacks, leaving IN lis
stead similar package containing strips
Of newspaper cut into the shape OF bank
notes. Mr. Trout says that in Februa-
ry, 1875, he received note, signed ID.
T. Worton, saying that there was nat
ural 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 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 In
dian chiefs, named Curry and Mesh,
who, on shifting their habitation, bur
ried their fortunes their and put spell
over the mine, which it required a sn-
perhuman gift 10 break. The hiding
place was sealed by secret, and she
alone could charm il 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 a package of $4,000 to handle,
always in my presence, 80 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
to see me number OF times, aud at
length she said she could extract the Sc
cret of the hiding place Of the mine if
she could handle $4,000, but she
promised that the money should never
20 out of my sight. AT length | got
the $4,000 together in bank notes and
the gypsy began her incantations. She
counted the money, sprinkled it with
earth, muttered over it and said prayers
without nnmb,r.
When she had finished she went a
way, leaving the money in my hands,
tied up in brown paper, and as she eau
TONED Inc not TO touch it for fear |
would undo her work | putt up and
kept it intact until she returned again.
She paid me several visits, and each
time took out the money examined 1t
carefully and prayed over it. / held II
.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
to it. She again took the money, pray
ed over it and asked me to count it, so
that | could see that it was all there. i
don't want you to think she said 70 me
shat | would steal any of it, fsaid: If
you took that money or fooled me. |
would kill you. / saw that all Of my
money was in the package, just as | bad
given it TO her, and theE she carefully
tied it up and put 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 to swear TO il
upon the Bible | turned to get the Bi-
bic, and the money was hardly out OF
my sight a moment. / turned again,
and she had the package extended TO-
ward me. | swore upon the Bible that
| would not open it or allow any one
else to do so and took the package. ]
wrote ID. ID. 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
awav. 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, Iopened | 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 left"
Mr.. Trout will begin suit in liud-
son county, n. j., where the gypsies
have property, 10 recover his money
NsW York Sun.
ONCE BELLE, Now BEGGAR-
The once most beautiful woman OF