The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1883-02-14
A GYPSY'S HORRIBLE DEED.
The Body of a Dead Child Cut Up and
the Pieces Thrown to
Bears.
Frauds ON Diamond Dealers-Discovery of a
Process of ColOring Inferior.
Gems

NEW YORK, February 1.-TWO weeks ago
a band of Hungarian Gypsies, consisting Of
four men and two women, passed through New
Brunswick, N. J., on their way west. They
had with thin horses laden with camp kettles,
and one of the women carried puny infant,
only lew days old, in bag slung over her
shoulder. The men exhibited three trained
bears, while the women begged from door to
door. On being threatened with arrest they
continued their journey. For several days
they camped in road in the vicinity of Kings
ton, few miles from the city.
There they nearly starved, but they were
assisted by some persons who went to have
their fortunes told. One of these visitors, on
his second trip to the camp, noticed that the
infant was missing, and, on inquiry, he was
told it had died of pneumonia. An investi-
cation showed that Salna Margaleus, the
mother of the dead child, after its death, asked
King Max, the Chief of the, camp, for bright
colored shawl in his possession. He agreed
to give it to her, it is alleged, on condition
that she would allow her dead child to be fed
to the bears, which were becoming desperately
hungry, having had little or nothing to eat for
several days.
The mother consented, it is said, and the
remains of the child were cut in small pieces
and thrown TO the ravennus brutes, which
quickly devoured them The Chief, it is
alleged, fearing lest the affair should be dis
covered through the presence of the bones,
took them into the woods, where they were
buried. The Gypsies are still in the vicinity
of Kingston, and will probably be appre-
hended.
Another account is as follows: The re-
ports are confirmed concerning the Hungarian
Gypsies feeding their trained bears with the
body of babe. The mother of the babe is
Salina Margaleus. King Max, the leader of
the band, owned the bears, and the woman
gave her child up to him after its death for a
red shawl. The bones have been found
The Gypsies have struck camp and officers
are in pursuit of them.
DIAMOND DEALERS DECEIVED.
For some months past great excitement has
prevailed in the diamond trade in this CITY,
owing to the discovery of wholesale frauds on
diamond dealers, who have been victimized to
the extent of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Detectives have been long engaged in endeav-
oring to ferret it out, and it is confidently as
serted that within the next 4S hours
important arrests will be made Experts, who
have SO successfully imposed on the trade,
used for the deception simple but clever
process of coloring inferior diamonds so that
they looked like hrst-class water gems. When
pressed by the reporter for particulars the
brokers suddenly became uncommunicative,
and referred their interlocutor to Detective !.
A. Britton, who is deputy of Mr.. Anthony
ComStock.
Mr.. Britton, who was applied to, was re-
luctant to give information, but the reporter
told him what he had ascertained from other
sources, and he made the following state
ment:
About five months ago gentlemanly, we'll
dressed man, with a singularly agreeable
manner, entered the Office OF a prominent firm
of diamond brokers and represented himself
as the agent Of large house in Paris. He
had some fine gems. Would the firm do him
the complaisance to examine them? The firm
did so, and bought $4,000 worth of stones.
Upon another occasion they purchased yet
larger amount, and six weeks ago purchased
OF the pleasant gentleman a third lot, for
which they paid 5ooo-$25,oco. The last
package they did not examine with the care
bestowed upon the others, for they had per-
feet confidence in the judgment and integrity
OF the man from France. In a short time
however, the customers who had bought dia-
monds of the third purchase returned them to
the firm, declaring that instead of blue white
gems they were of the green yellow variety.
The wholesale merchants were astonished
beyond measure, but upon applying simple
test they found that the diamonds they had
paid t 5000 for were worth perhaps one-fifth
that amount
GLOW was the cheat discovered ?"
Easily. Before setting, the stones were
washed and the paint came off, staining the
water deep red. A further investigation
showed that the gentleman from Paris had no
connection with the firm he represented, and
that his credentials were forged. suppose
that the fellow has cleared half million
within six months"
care there any other people engaged in it
throughout the country?"
'About 100 all told, believe. There are
five men in New York pursuing the industry"
BRNRDICTus.