The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-11-24
SOME INCIDENTS IN Gypsy
HISTORY.

A dreadful fight occurred al Hawick.
at the Winter Fair. in 1880. The dis
pute arose out Of quarrel between two
gypsies as to the right 10 frail sister
who had been conferring her favors on
both. Two gypsiss were killed, while
the whole Of the two tribes--one being
from Yetholm and the other from
Loehmabsn-joinsd in the fight.
A somewhat similar occurrence hap
pened in 1772. near Falnssh. The real
cause Of these furious encounters seems
10 h.ve been the invading propensitiss
of the West County gypsies. The
last three Of Jean Gordon's sons and
two of their wives were found guilty
Of sheep-stesling ia May. 1880. when
o jury man who bad been asleep during
the trial. awakening Suddenly. found
his brethren equally divided on the
case, upon which he cried oat empbat-
really. Hang 'em ar 30 they were
hanged on the 5th of June.
In 1746 poor Jean Gordos wss duck.
ed to death in the Eden st Carlisle for
having expressed her partiality TO the
Stusrts. As often as she got her head
above water she cried out. Charlie yet r
and died like q true Fna.
II was not until 1888 that the severe
statute Of Eliz. 90. which had not
been put In force, sosordingto Black
stone, since the time when, as Hale
says, at one Suffolk assize no less than
thirteen gypsies were executed up@
these statutes Q few years before the
Restor .tion. was repealed by 23 Goe
Ill. c. 81 Up to the passage OF the
V.grant act, 5 Geo. Nv. Q. 50. for the
punishment Of idle and disorderly per.
sons, roguss and vagabonds,' gypsies
could only be proceeded against under
II Geo. ii. O s. Old 'Wull Fsa, of
Kirk Yetholn. King of the Gypsies,
died In 1884. at green age, 1t Cold.
ingham. when his corpss WAS escorted
to Yetholm by train in which were
three hundred asses. He was succeeded
by his son. Wull Fss.' who died in
iS47. after reign of 63 years. In his
youth he was great foot. ball player.
Kirk Yetholm bali on II ,,,er Zen
is one of the keensst that can be play ed.
1t is psrhsps the only place where
females engage in the game Of football 4.
and they still play ~ eagerly as any
man. For Q short time during the
latter years Of old Wull Fsa, who seems
TO have maintained the respect accord.
ed TO his ancestors. the gypsy chiefs
held the positions of constables, peace
officers. or country keepers. But events
were passing into distsn; part of the
globe that old more than all the phil
anthrOpic efforts of the Austrian Gov
ernment. and more than all the cruel
and savage domestic legislation of
Scotland and Englsn to thin the ranks
and break up the power Of the gypsies.
In l775 the American war of indepen-
dencs broke out. The Government
was in need of soldiers, and the tinkers
were apprehended all over the country
and forced into the American service.
This kidnapping systsm was. according
to the testimony of persons Of inteili-
gence living at the time. Quoted by
Mr. Simson.) the meaus OF greatly
breaking up aud dispsrsing the kypsy
bands in scotland. From this blow
they never recovered. The war in
America bad bean concluded only few
years when that with Frame broke out.
The gypsies were sgpin pressed into
the service, being every where sppre-
hended as idle and disordsrly perso ns
aud vagsbonds. But large numbers
mutilated themselves to escape service,
and some adopted 6xed habit Of life.
80 that il is notoricrs that in Scotland
gypsies now al many honorable posts
an the legal and medical professions.
as well as creditsble positions in low.
~ sfa ttnU faA@