The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-05-27
MIR. Trout and tho Gypsy.

David S. Trout Is rich planter of Roa.
nokc county, Virginia, strict church
member and one of the most successful
men in his county. lie 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
fortunc-tellcr, who is in Raymond street
Jail on charge of robbing William Jessop,
of Princeton, Indiana, of 80, $50 as the
woman who, three years ago, robbed him
OF package containg $4,000 III green
backs, leaving In its stead u similar package
that contained strips Of newspaper cut into
the shape of bank notes. Mr.. Trout says
that III February, 1875, he received note,
signed d. II. Worton, saying that there
was natural deposit OF silver on his farm.
In 1876 Mrs. Worton, the gypsy woman,
called on him. s'Shc said," continued Mr..
Trout, 'that close to my house there was a
deposit of silver containing about u 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,
ny TWO Indian chiefs, named Curry and
h1csli, who, on shifting their habitutlon,
buried their fortunes there and put spell
over the mine, which it required super
human gift to break. The hiding place
was sealed by u secret, and she alone could
charm 1t away and open the mine for my
benefit toiL her that If sho could show
me where the mine was would give her
onc-haf Of the proceeds, but she said that
she needed package of $l2, 600 to handle,
always in 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 to sec nc a number
of times, and at length she said she could
extract the secret OF the hiding place of the
mine if she could handle $4,000, but sho
promised that the money should never go
out OF my sight. AT length got tho $40:
OOO together in bank notes and the gypsy
began her incantations. She counted the
money, sprinkIcd it with earth, muttercd
over it and said prayers without number.
When she had finished she went away.
leaving the money In my hands, tied up in
brown paper, and rs she cautioned mo not
to touch it for fear would undo her work
l put it up and kept 1t intact until she re-
turned again. She paid me several visits,
and each time took out the money, eX-
amincd 1t carefully and prayed over it. /
hold it for time while she prayed and
then she held 1t and prayed. This was
done several times. Al length, on May T,
1877, she said that all Of her plans were
working SO well thnt 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 tolt. She again
took the money, prayed over it and asked
me to count it, SO that could sec it was
all there. q don't want you to Think, she
said TO me, that l would steal anv of it,
said: IF you took that money, or fooled
me, l would kill YOU saw that all of
my money was in tho package, Just as l
had given 1t to her. and then she carefully
tied 1t up and put a string about it, 'Now,'
she said, tho spoil is broken, and in one
more visit 1t will be cast aside. But, she
added, no one must touch this package
promised to lock 1t up, but she said she
wanted me to swear to 1t upon the Bible
l turned to got the Bible, and the money
was hardly out of my sight moment |
turned again, and she had the package ex-
tended toward me. 1sworc upon the Bible
that would not open it or allow any one
else to do 50. and took the package. i
wrote ID. s. Trout upon the back and
made marks upon it wherever there was a
fold OF the paper, SO that could tell if any
one disturbed it, Then put 1t 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. MIR. Trout will begin suit IN
Hudson county, New, Jersey, where the
gypsies have property, to recover his
money.