The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-10-21
LIFE AMONG THE GYPSlES,
RAB1rs OF THESE PECULIAR TRI'
BAL WANDERERS.
Egypt the Land of the Gypsy's PeO-
pie--'Ehe ROmanY Tcnttng Sea-
SON AbOur ChfCnuo.

hO AihtilOah ~ glsg - Nuh9iN. @i
primarily, horse-thief and the robber
of chicken roosts. He is considered,
too, as always covetous of white persons
Times without number is his camp
searched in efforts to discover some lost
little one, missed by its parents. Ills
wagons and tents may be crowded with
children, some of whom are much fairer
than their progenitOrs, but never IN the
camp of true gypsy is found the offspring
of those not of their blood. The gypsy
bears no love for any not of the Romany
blood. Often when young the gypsy
children are quite fair and frequently
have light hair, which grows black with
wears. 'Many persous insult me about
my little girl" said handsome Nancy
Sparrow to me, with scorn. "lhey say to
me, is she your childp and then look
from one to the other" she continued.
"Iknow right well what they mean. One
day woman asked me where l got the
child. l replied, 'Ah, madam, she is my
very own but she believes me not, and
said / stole the little girl, because her
hair is light. Surely it will be the true
Romany black when she is large. 1t
angers me that her hair should be like
the whites. But many Of our children
here have hair that is fair. 1t is the
climate
Nancy Sparrow spoke the truth. The
gypsy is bound by a mighty tribal oath
to know naught but evil intent toward
any not of his blood. Time and change
have contributed to wear away the force
of this vow, which his ancestors took
centuries ago, but it is sufficiently strong
to do away with the possibility of his
caring to make his own any children not
born of his people. He himself cannot
tell why he is bound by this oath. He
knows nothing but that it is the law of
his race, and that whosoever the Rom
may be who departs from it he is
despised by his kind. Ask the gypsy
what was the land of his people and he
will reply Egypt, for he knows no better.
Probably not one gypsy out of 10, 600
has any other idea of his origin at the
present day. He does not know that in
stead of being an Egyptian he is the
descendant Of the disinherited outcasts
of India.
Every year as soon as the winter
SHOWS begin to melt on nearly every
road within a radius of 500 miles of
Chicago gypsy trains can be seen wend-
ing their way to the metropolis. The
suburbs of Chicago are the yearly meeting
places of all the gypsy families of the
West and South. Often these families
numbers hundreds of persons. The
camp conveniently near the city. Few
of the Romany folk can write, and there
is little exchanging of letters among kin.
The time passed near the city is the visit
ing period, when relations learn of each
other, and when matches are made be-
tween gypsy youths. The Romany tent
ing season about Chicago usually begins
in March. Camp is broken about this
time. The tribes scatter, some individ-
ual families going in one direction, some
in another, to meet again when year
has passed.
All the winter before coming to the
citys boundaries the men have beer
engaged in various country places, buy
ing up horses and fitting them for tho
market. These horses are brought into
the city by the gypsy vender. They are
disposed of at handsome profit.
The gypsy is, therefore, never poor.
Invariably he has plenty OF ready money.
He invests his wealth in no permanent
way. Seldom does he intrust it to the
keeper of bank. If he buys land with
it and settles down upon farm, ever
for portion of his days he is no Longer
a true Rom, albeit, some of the younger
gvpsies in America have shown q dis.
position within the past few years to ig
nore the custom of their fathers anC
settle themselves to the steady calling ol
farmers. A few are located in the cite:
as horse dealers.
The gypsy is prodigal in his expendi
lures. He does not save Everything
the market affords in the way of eata
tbles h0bnys He is especially fastidiou
in re'|fd to the selection of the meat
that Ie eats, and particular about hi
butter. Nothing is saved from one day
provisions for the next days meals
Whatever remains is thrown to the dog
or to waste. Gypsy cooking is rude anC
often unclean, but the eatables are tn
best that money can buy The gypsy i
not thief. He is no purloiner of chick
ems. He has no need to steal for he ha
suficiency without
lie will tell you with justifable prid
that in all the breadth Of the land no
one prison shelters gypsy. 'We breal
no law" he will tell you. So he has, i
the western world, ceased to be begga
and thief. He has, however, persiste
in being an outcast. Yet as such he ha
prospered.
Many a gypsy woman, like her hu'
band, is a falsifer, for she has no fait
whatever in her own powers of divinI
ton. They ridicule among themselvC
all who listen to their fortune telling
The word in the Romany tongue for tn.
avocation is d-u-k-k-e-r-i,n. They pre-
scribe for the sick and sell herb COZ
coctions, which they call medicin,
Many an ailing lady who has found n
relief from the advice OF learned ply
sican seeks these smooth-speakin
quacks, who are scarcely acquainte
with the least hygienic law and entirel
ignorant of anatomy, and buys the
mixtures, swallowing them with tn
faith that pins itself to the mysteriou