The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1888-02-15
RETURN OF THE eypsles.

Dfckering with Unfortunate FarmorA
Laying by Winters Stock of Hay.
Thus many return to the cities to Their
actual habitations, which may have stood
idle the summer through. Numbers traA
along the highways until their farm hem0
are reached, where, if they b rented, -
they usually are to some less thrifty far
nler, they have reserved . few months
housing. Thousands wander into tn
central south for all winter dickering and
trading there. Many return TO their VI
lage homes, over or alongside mammoth
barns. where a winters gypsy jockeyfng
is done. Great crowds of them, not VI
so well along as their brethren in gain
ings, straggle into the cities. In the cum-
moner quarters these turn their hands -
bird training, basket weaving, training
and trading in valuable cats and dogp,
while hundreds of gypsy youths secure
ready employment under gent,smsn's
grooms, and particularly at tbs care Of
horses being fitted for the next years
events of the turf. Still others, and these
comprise the larger number, come troop
ing into thousands of little villages and
countryside places throughout the south
ern portions of northern states and in tho
northern tier of southern states, arriving
as early as the last October days. The
movements of these provids q genuine
gypsy study.
Their arrival is hardly noticed, a. they
never come in large body, but IN two
and threes, and it is often weeks beforo
the little gypsy community is at IT. Boa
The vanguard has quietly rented some
deserted roadside inn at the outskirts &
the village, or some former spacious hone
long gone to decay. This Is always -
for song. However much house room
it may have, it must invariably possess the
requisite of great ramshackle barn and
outlying sheds. For little time the gyp-
sizes seem TO merely exist here. But every
day their women folk may be seen miles
away. spinning in light buggies over the
autumn roads in every direction. Noo
only are they found ON the well travelled
highways, but every grass grown Wagon
road leading to secluded and remctes1
farms has been hunted and haunted. Al
this home and that; there tarrying un-
der pretense of admiring some animal;
there making a trifiing purchase &
vegetables and poultry; over yonder bar
tering for, but never buying, grain and
hay; again telling a fortune or two 1
appealed to; but seldom urging such
profitable <ocation-in little time these
canniest and most indomitable Of all hu-
man detectives have at their tongues
end, for home reference, every possihls
item of information regarding the fnan-
cial standing and condition Of every
farmer for half a county round.
Then of sudden some luckless wight,
under terror of an overdue note O. ~
lentless mortgage, has sold his cognAelA
''in the shock to the gypsles. Anoth~'s
weather Drowned stacks Of hay have
come into their possession. Then begina,
and to continue the whole winter through,
ceaseless procession of young stock.
horses and mules, toward the gypsi0'
temporary domicile. Drunken farmer,
unfortunate farmer, thriftless farmer, d
| all directions, pays the penalties u d
| doing or i'll luck to these superb jockeys.
who, buying for pittances, and fR
months selling at excellent prices o. Aet
at all, at their improvised market. make
large profits; and the spring finds them
ready for greedy city buyers with CREST
numbers of stock transformed from
shaggy, ambling beasts to animals ol
such splendid form and spirit as do oven
| a city gypsy traders eyes good to look
upon. The amount of live stock thu
gathered up every winter throughout tin
country is tremendous; the profits A.
inconceivably great, and these wixardl
of the stable must eventually largely con-
troll the entire horse trade Of the country.
Edgar L. Wakeman's Letter.