The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-05
A TINKERs DAMN.

Why the Curse of the Tinker Is of No Ac-
count and why the Trade Is Not Honored.
New York World.
Mr. James Simson, who, as all who are at
all conversant with the subject know, has
bestowed more time and attention upon
gypsies, and in fact knows more about the
gypsy race than any man now alive, was
Interviewed as to the peculiarties of this
curious people
"Mr. Simson, are the words gypsy and
tinker synonymous in Great Britain"
Undoubtedly. In Scotland the gypses
were prescribed when any OF the race came
there. They were called thinkers in recogni-
ton of their peculiar profession and TO avoid
the penalties of their prescription"
what was their peculiar profession, Mr..
Simson?"
"They were travelling smiths, mending pots
and kettles. They were called thinkers in
England and Ireland, but in those countries
the word gypsy was generally prefixed. and
they were styled gypsy thinkers or tinker
ing gypsies' In Scotland, however, although
the race stock was as distinctly marked as
possible, the appellation gypsy was not APP
piled TO them, and they were all called
thinkers"
You are, I suppose, well-informed as to
their manner of working?'
Certainly / think so; have made it al
most life-study; that is, all OF the time
which could spare from other pursuits has
been devoted to the study of the habits and
peculiarities of this very interesting people. !"
'Were any other people styled thinkers in
any part of Great BritainP'
mo; this wandering tribe seemed to have q
monopoly of the soldering iron. and there
was none that cared to DISPUTE the possession
of the profession with them; they were dis
tinct race, as much so as the Jews; and this
professionalism of travelling tinkers-be-
longed to them exclusively"
You have heard the expression a tinker S
damn what did that mean?
"As race they were utterly below all
other races; even their curses were of less
value than the curses of any other people,
but there was AN added reason. These peo-
pie when engaged in controversy one with
the other were shockingly profane. Lam
guage which between other people would
surely lead to personal violence was not con-
sidered OF any weight when used by them,
and two thinkers who had cursed one another
in the most bitter manner, would walk of
together in the most amicable way, so that
the phrase a tinker's damn came to be the
expressive OF a curse utterly void OF force or
significance-mere breath, as IL might be,
without the least malice"
ibid the thinkers in the practice CT their
profession use moulds of dough or plaster to
confine their SOLDER?
IF they made any castings, and it might
be that they did. they doubtless used some
tnlng OF Tie SOrt-eiLneT VI euTbn, Sdnu OF
plaster--but l don't think that any such
thing was common with them. They did
not construct, they repaired, and their solder
was used as it is to-day by our plumbers"
"Did you ever hear of such molds being
called 'damsP'
Never, and they never were called such.
As the World yesterday said, the phrase
'tinker's damn meant simply the profanity of
a tinker, and damn of less account than the
curse of any other man. The race became
very much mixed in England. Scotland and
even in Ireland, but there are certain marked
pecuiarties which adhere to it through all
changes of country or crossing of breed. We
have them here in America, and the gypsy
blood is, to all expert ethnologist as clear
and distinct as possible"
"And you feel quite sure that the phrase
a tinker's damn has no other significance
than that which you have described
| con, of that there is no possibility OF
doubt. AS people, as a race, the gypsies,
or tinkers-for the words are synonymous
were below all other peoples, and their damns
even had no force. But, as l have said, like
the fshwomen of Billingsgate market, they
were in the habit of induging in the most
! frishtful and meaningless profanity upon