The Arizona sentinel., 1886-10-23
AN ANCIENT RACE.
How the Gipsy in Times Past Has Raised Himself Above the Vagabond Standard,

How the Gipsy in Times Past Has
 Raised Himself Above the Vagabond
 Standard
 But the Gipsy became tinker for all
 time, not only from the very force ot
 circumstances, but also from choice, as
 it was the only vocation, save horse
 jockeying, suited to his shIftless habits,
 and certainly the only one through
 which he could secure an honest lireli-
 hood when unfavorable regulations forced him from the tent and bright fields to the alleys and attics of the town. There, as the tinker, the grinder or the brazicr. he defed adversity until the storm of persecution had passed
 But outside of mere tinkering the Gipsy seems to have put his knowledge of iron-working cOnspicuously to good ac- count. In 1496 the King of Hungary issued an order to the effect ''that every osicer and subject of whatever rank or condition do allow Thomas Polger, leader of twenty-five tents of wandering Gipsios, full residence everywhere, and on no account to molest either him or his people," because they prepared muSket-balls and other military stores for the Bishop Sigismund, at Funfkirch- en; while in 1565, when the Turk lsh regent of Bosnia besieged Crupa, the Turks having expended their can non-balls, the Gips;es came to the res cue and made the latter out of stone, cased with, iron, and the whole sheathed with lead. SimSon, who cites many in- stances of their manufacture of, and woIk ngin iron, gives the following as their method of smelling: The tribe erect on the open field small circle builtof stone, turf and clay, for fur mace, of about three feet in height and eghteen inches in diameter, plastered closely around on the outside, up to the top, with mortar made of clay The materials in the furnace are powerfully heated by the blasts of a large hand bellows (generally wrought by women), admitted at small hole near the ground. When the metal comes to state of fusion it finds it way down to the cinders and is poured into the different sandmolds ready to receive it." so that it Is evident they were not only efficient iron-wOrkerS, but were able. in rude way, to manufacture the metal.
 Nor is this the only manner in which the Gipsy in times past has raised him. self above the vagabond standard. They served the Turks against the Rus sians on many occasions, both as sol dierS and spies, provIng themselves possessed of a fa share of bravery and wonderful amount of shrewdneSs and cunning. They were formerly exclu- sively employed in the capacity of hang men in Hungary and Pennsylvania, and h story accredits them With having possessed considerable talent in this direction. In Spain many Gipsies at tair ed respect and notoriety from their wealth and business standing. Borrow tells of one he met at Spanish fair who had upward of S20, GOO credit at an es- tablishment where he had some deal ings. Nor is this an isolated case. There have been instances in other parts of Europe where Gipsies, forsaking their vagabond ways, though never re- nounc ng their blood and lineage, have devoted themselves to business pursuits with very great success. This was par ticularly true in England and Scotland at a later day, where many GypsieS be- came wealthy, and in some instances are known 10 have gained political infln- cnce resulting in their securing certain of the less important political positions,