Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-03-03

| pea; the Cherokee, Marechal Neil and Cape
| roses and jacqueminot; the jonquil and lilies
| of the valley; and myriads upon myriads
| more of unfamiliar yet equally dazzling and
delightful hora-aI as common here as the
daisies and dandelions starring our own green
meadows in summer.
INsTRUCTING THE GIPsIEs.
My third day among the gipsies was one of
complete good fellowship and interchange of
gypsy gossip. As we'll versed as are these
| people in the concerns of their kind in all
lands, the Spanish gypsy, something as with
| the Spanish Christian, knows the least of all
human beings of universal human activities
This gave opportunity for conveying much
knowledge to them of their brethren in Great
Britain and America and the facts regarding
gipsy progress in America proved a marvel
to them indeed. Like some other people,
| they would hardly believe we have nearly
two million gipsies among as. And as
traced their gradual growth and increase
from their first appearance in America prior
| to the Revolution; pointed out how they had
secretly come among the immigrants in eve
ry foreign vessel since; aoW they had at first
been ashamed of their name and origin, but
at last were learning to be proud of it, how
thousands had become owners of great farms
and valuable city properties; how hundreds
were already reputably advanced in profess
slonal holdings, and were occupying positions
of trust as lawyers, physicians, clergymen
and even as legislators; and how, in count
less instances, the road gipsies of America
were veritable lords of the summer time,
riding about the country in wagons more
costly than an ancient kings chariot their
wonder and delight were positive pleasure
to know. 1t all brought every one of the
fifty or sixty motley community crowding
about me in group and attitude, which to
have faithfully caught and put on canvas
would have made any artist famous. And
then came in perfect torrent all manner of
questions about America. What would it
cost to get there! Was it as large as Cuba?
Was it as far away as Spaing How could
they live in our. awful winters2 Would the
hated officers Of the law permit dukkeTing
fortune telling)? Would they be gibbeted as
in Spain for the hukni trick "a sorry game
with pretended charms, where gipsies change
money packages into their own pockets in
stead of increasing them for their owners)2
Were the cities as large as Havanas Was the
king good to his people? Were there rich
fools among American men and witch tools
among American women? Were wine and
olives and tassajo in abundance? Was the
money hard and silver plenty among the
peasantsa Howe would they ever learn the
language? Was tinkering common and dick
ering easy? And innumerable more from
chief to muchacho and from hag to chauvie,
and the answers were caught eagerly as a
hungry beast snaps at food tossed tantaii-
men forgive me, but in these hours / fear I
sowed such seed as will ripen into wholesale
Spanish gipsy immigration into America; for
as confidence begets confidence, I was not
long in learning some surprising facts con-
cerning these people. Briefly they demon
strate that an extraordinary exodus of gita-
nos from Spain has been going on during the
/ past decade into the Spanish-speaking eoun-
tries comprising the West Indies, Mexico and
South America. In this perhaps forty thou-
sand gipsies have come to Cuba. No recog-
milton whatever of the fact seems to be pos-
sessed by Cuban people. But gipsies are now
everywhere throughout the island, especially
in cities like Havana, Cardenas, Matanzas,
Santiago de Cuba, Cienfuegos, etc. Few live
inland like my friends of the Luyano camp,
who are sitieros, in that they rent the lovely
canon where they abide from Havana land
lord; and through this ostensibly honest life
of the guajiro are enabled to dicker with the
| peasantry, as well as descend upon the gay
Cuban capital in all manner of guises for for
tune-telling among the rich and lowly, and
for general triekery and petty depreciation
within the narrow confines of Spanish law.
In Havana they masquerade in all manner of
occupations. They are among the aguadors
| who hawk water from door to door as in old
/ Madrid. They are of the calm, greasy, con-
| tented cocheros sleeping in the sun upon
| victoria boxes. They are in hundreds among
| the picturesque guadaneTos, or boatmen,
upon the fair bay. The dulceros, or hawk
ers of sweets, know them for most patient of
| street merchants. Among the carreteros
| with their red caps, rawhide slippers, wide
linen trousers and bare breasts, are very
many. Others have become servitors in the
quaint old posadas. Every latonero, or tink-
er, here as in our own country, can be set
down as a Gypsy. While over at the Plaza
de Toros in Regla, and about the grander one
beneath Castillo del Principe, three-fourths
of the matadors, picadors, banderilleros and
chulos, as we'll as the ambitious hangers-on
about those who butcher bulls for public de-
lectation, are pure Romany, or are tainted
with the strain of barbaric gypsy blood.
| AS the time neared for my departure from
the Luyano camp the attentions on the part
of my dark-faced friends increased. Per-
force must visit every tent or cabin-for a
few inhabited the deserted huts of the for
mer tenantry. 1t was a sad thing to them
that persistently refrained from the use of
wine. But they kindly drank the more. I
have never seen q drunken gypsy. But these
hugged the border-land closely, and the chat
ter and yelling from it all were deafening.
Though rushing from tent to tent and cabin
to cabin, there vas still time for observation.
With few exceptions every feature of the gip-
sy camp in Germany, in England or in Amer
lea was here. The tent-bow of old was here.
The hooded covers were the same. Tents
universally faced the south. That sacred
gypsy heirloom, the crooked kettle stick,
stood by each smouldering or blazing fire.
Pots, kettles and all utensils for cooking
were more ancient, but quite the same. The
voiceless dogs were here The same shrill
voices of women, melodic laughter of maid
ems, garrulous tones of century-old hags, and
hearty, husky, brazen voices of men, were
here the same as in Texas, Ohio or Maine.
And above all that utter abandon in spirits
and movement which render the happy, un-
guarded gypsy the most awkward, yet grace
full, of humans, was here as I had never seen
it before.
A Gypsy FRoLIC.
But when the night came again the whole
camp seemed determined on genuine gypsy
frolic. A bit of song started in one group
would be snatched away as it were in another
quarter and borne toward barbaric climaxes.
The good humor in it all was irresistible.
That night [ must have shaken hands with
or hugged every gitano in the band dozen
times over. Then came feats of dancing,
singing and leaping, bacchanalian enough for
act-closings in the most picturesque of dra-
mas. Through it all there was never malev-
client or lascivious spirit. It was the ire
pressible, uncomfortable bubbling over of
happy-heartedness, and there was tender
ness and affection for the aged, the young
and the weak never elsewhere seen. A doz-
en- gipsy louts, dashing their som breros aside,
We'd with each other in dancing the Cuban
now and then enter the cloud of dust and
perform feats that would dislocate every
joint of the average American youth. Nor
were the maidens silent. Here and there by
flaming fires dances that were shadow-dances
indeed began. No pen can convey the
matchless grace of these. Conjure all forms
and expressions of physical grace you have
ever beheld or imagined, and the artless
movements of the Spanish gipsy maiden will
convey them all. In curtesy, gliding, trip
ping, vaulting, genufection and dizzy whirl
she is cat, bird, Venus-as she is in her ma
ture-in one bewildering, eloquent human.
But GEL Americana Gorgio" must be one
with them all; and he was. He gave in his
best baritone, and with gypsy vim and
spirit which won him fame here if never
else, the best he had ever gained among
American gipsies, and made the echoes ring
from the canon walls with, "The night ha'
come, the stars are OUT Sleep, sweet, my
Chauvie, sleep!" It's Chee!-Chee when
the Boobies Comer' that widest and most
hilarious of all gypsy melodies; and never
gained operatic star such fervent applause.
But all things have an end. Zapateo, fan
dango, wild and barbaric melodies, all stilled