Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-01-06
CLEVERLY DUPED.
THE sfoaY OF A GIGANTIC swINDLE
REVIVED.
How Gypsy Queen Got Ten Thousand Dol
lars from Citizen Of Roanoke
County.

whose name, Il seems. was malllut ~ VlDo"'
Bva curious concurrence OF circumstances
this singular womsn's death Is associated
with the death ION Yesterday, the ID OF Jan.
uaty,A Of a weil.kDown aud prominent citi-
zen Of Roanoke county. Mr. David Il. Trout,
brother Of the late John Trout, who repre-
sented this county In the House OF Delegates
a few years ego. and uncle OF Hon. Henry
5. Trout, who represented che Roanoke
senatorial district IN the senate oil VT.
pinia from 1882 10 1856. David r.
front owned one OF the best farms IN the
county, Wing about midway between salem
and the CITY OF RoanOke, immediately on tne
Norfolk and Western railroad, ana he mas
Tor many wears past been regarded az one OF
our best aud most prosperous farmers
| Though somewhat reserved and quiet IN MS
manners he was popular man ana one IN
whom every one had confidence, the pest eFl-
dence OF which Is that be had been electeu
one Of the supervisors OF the county dutlng
several successive terms, and was chairman
of the board st the time OF his death. lie was
regular and temperate IN bis habits, stllet
church member, aud was looked upon as
prident. industrious, aud thrifty man. sup
| posed not only to be out OF debt but 70 have
money laid up. Such was his manner OF NE up
| 10 the year 1877, when q gang OF strollng
| QyDsics came into his neighbOrhoOd and maze
! A encampment about mile from bis house.
where they remained for several weeks, or
possibly longer. According to the habit OF
| these strange people, male eypsies spent
/ their time going around swapping horses,
| while the females occupied themselves
| in fortune. telling, not only in tner
encatDpment, but in the neighbor-
| iug houses. The sequel shows that Ma
| tilda 4. W orton, the Gypsy queen, was one
OF them, though II was moi known at lhe
! time. nor was 1t known until three years d.
| ferwards-iO wit. on the 9th day OF APRIL
| lSS)-when y. +. Treut according 10
a report Of the case made IN lne
! New York sun Of that date, which IT.
/ mort is now before me- appeared before one
| OF the courts in BROOKLYN. accompanied by
| Detective John Wren, OF Richmond, aud me
! Mayor Of Newark, \. j., 10 identity Matilda
| r. Werton, (who was then confined IN the
! BrOoklyn jil on 4 charge on SWind-
ing one William Jessup. OF Prince
| ton, Indiana. out Of S2.25O], and WHO
was now charged by David +. Trout with
swindliug him out Of $4,000 IN ereenbacks
| in tho year 1877. Mr.. Trout swore posi-
/ lively o. "a Der identity, and proceeded 10
! -tate the circumstances under when she had
praciiced this sharp swIndle on him, clean
| ing hlm out Of $4,000 In gretnDachs. IN
out giving all the minute particulars OF MI
! Troufs statement. II viii be sufficient 10 say
that in the wear 1877, while The gypsies were
! encsmped penr his residence, be received
tbrougb the post-0fiice al salem note or let
ter signed II. 4. Worton, informing him
th,t -he had discovered on bis farm very near
his house q silver NINE, worth at least a
| million Of dollars, and appointing TINE ana
Mace where she would mot hlm ana give
| him further particulars. The meeting was
| held according to appointment. ana she pro-
| ceeded TO give him q further account OF tuiS
SILVER mine. which at some former ana per-
hans remote date had bccn worked ny two
| Iudian chiefs, named Curry and Fash, VINO
died. leaving with her tie secret OF the eXt l.
ence and value OF the mine, and when sue
was willing TO communicate TO Dim. ne
| promsed 10 give her One.half II she Wou'd
take him TO the place aud satisfy him OF us
value. TO this she replied that all Sue Woulu
expect in the way OF compensation Wat %
have Sl2, Doom bank notes that she could see
and handle. When ne told ncr that he ana
not have that mucn money by him, DuI
Thought he could raise as much as $4,000 IN
few DAYS. she said that would be sufficient
and he Immediately made note which, be-
ING well endorsed, was discounted by one o.
the banks IN Lynchburg; and few days
afterwards he and The gypsey woman met al
his own house, where be exhibited the PACK
age OF banksnotes, which she took into hel
hands, examined and counted carefully anl
returned to him after making various IN
carnations and prayers over It. ms wa
repeated on several different OCCASIONS on
the last OF which she said to him that every
thing was working right; that the charm
was almost ready TO be broken, and that by
the next time they met the spell or char
would be broken and she would be prepared
TO conduct him 10 the silver nine, but sue
must have the package Of bink'notes III he
hand again. At the time appointed thel
met at his house IN room Wnere thefe wa
large family Bible on table and the pack
age Of bank notes was presented and place.
IN the gypsy's hands, when after prayins
over il and getting Mr.. Trout to pray owe
II She said that everything was right, but h
mll.t make A solemn oath on the Bible tha
be would not open the package for tire
DAYS after She left the house, when he cOull
open it and 30 would find paper IN
dieting the precise spot where th
silver mine was. Leaving the package
IN her hands he turned round for single
moment 10 make oath on the Bible, and I'm
medistely turned 10 her again, when sh
handed bin package Of exactly the sam'
size and appearance OF the one he had mo
meut before placed in her hands. She lhel
lett the house, charging him not to open TIE
package until the expiration Of three days
which ne, not suspecting any trick, promised
her 10 do, and kept bis promise. But at IN
end az the three Gays be opened the package
in which be found nothing bun slips O
brown Daper resembling bdnk-notes In size
but tIat WAS all. and the whole Of his SlOOOl
gone. 80.
Such is Mr. Trouts own account OF thi
strange affair, which has 10 II much tina
Is at the same time trsgical and iarcical
lie does not tell us anything OF his subse
ouent efforts TO discover where the gypsl
woman had gone with his money, but It 4
well known here that II WAS only alter three
years OF dillgent inquiry and search, VIII
the aid OF a detective and a shrewd lawyer
that no traced her 10 the Brooklyn jail
where he fully identified her, but did no
recover q dollar OF his money.
Neither does he tell Us anything OF hi
feelings when the discovery broke upon hin
that bis money was gone, with all his daz
cling hopes OF becoming millionaire VIII
his silver mine: but we may well imagine
that they were far from beng happy. NJ
doubt there was mixture oil deep mortihca
ton Of finding himself the victim OF a cleye
swinde, with the expectation OF beinl
| laughed al as a uupe ana ihpictous anu " ii'
the dread OF being unable to take up bis not
, for $4,000 which was fast running TO ma
r mrity. At all events, be began to go dow
hill from that day; his energies seemed Il
have become par2lyZed, pecuniary trouble
came upon HIM, ending IN his mortg1sini
his fine farm, and finally being sold out
! house and home.
Then his health began to fail; be becam
detected, care-worp, and evidently very IN
happy, and he died on yesterday poorer
sadder il not wiser man than he was lei
years sgo. Now that the grave has close
over him, nobody is inclined TO speak other
: Wise than kindly about one who but iitll
I while ago occupied the position IN the con
muuitv that he did. We cannot, however
avoid smiling at the creduiiy OF the man, o
a, his strange Inlatuation in listening to To
tale OF this strolling gypsy, or covetoiS ID
] sire TO become suddenly rich, Whichever
was, that got him into this ugly scrape.
F.