Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1890-09-26

Famous King Carew,a Clergyman's SON
His Adventures and Code of Morals

London S )ectator: The origin of the
| gypsies Is one of the unsolved problems of
ethnology, and appears likely to remain so,
but there Is no difficulty about the name.
1t is obviously corruption of Egypt
ian, name by which the rowing race Is
known all over Europe.
There is tradition among the gypsies
that there is cross between Arabs and
Jews, and left Egypt in the train of the
Egyptians. In Hungary they are numer-
Gus and powerful, and the we'll known
statesman Andrassy is said to nave been a
gypsy. When they first appear on the
page of European history we lind them
under the leadership OF Dukes, Counts.
and Knights OF Little Egypt, who rode on
good horses gayly caparisoned. In more
recent times the gypsies of Europe have
been under the rule of Kings and Queens,
for they have no Salic law.
One of the most famous Kings of the
British gypsies was Bamfylde Moore
Carew, the son of Devonshire clergyman
of good family. He joined d band of
gypSles In consequence of an escapade at
school and became so enamOred Of the
life that he was formally initiated into
the Romani Commonwealth, and was
elected King OF the first vacancy. His
principal recommendation was his sin
gular dexerlty in mendicancy By the
clever assumption of various characters.
Sometimes he appeared As Shipwrpcked
mariner, sometimes as a paraytic old
man, sometimes rs gypsy crOne, some
times as smuggler who had escaped from
his band and revealed to the customs Of
ficials the hiding place of valuable booty
In the course of few days on one Occa-
ha oil +l,n
a large part of Devon and DOrsetshlre on
wild-gCose chase after smuggled goods,
receiving handsome rewards for the in
formation, and then escaping.
But he pursued his calling with con-
siderable risk. At that time-that is,
during the first half of the eighteenth
century, mendicant gypsy was, by law,
an outlaw. He was liable to be transport
ed to the American colonies and sold as
slave. And RamfyGe- Moore Carew was,
IN fact, twice transported, and on each
occasion managed to escaped and return to
England. Those were also the days of the
press gang, and the gypsy king was press
ed into the British navy, to which he
likewise managed to give the slip in the
Baltic, and found his way back to Eng
land after a series of amusing adventures.
But his presence o. mind and ready wit
and resources never failed him. The most
amusing part of his life is undoubtedly
his adventures in England, exhibiting a
prOtean power of disguise.
But he once met his match. One day
as he was begging in the town of Marden
Bradby from door to door as Shipwreck-
ed seaman he saw on the other side of the
road a mendlcant brother seaman in a hab-
it as forlorn as his own, begging for Gods
sake Just like himself The stranger cross
ed the street and acCOsted Carew in the
thieves slang. They compared notes and
agreed to beg together, which they did
through various towns and villages for
some days, arriving at last at Lord Wey-
mouths mansion. 1t was agreed that
Carew was to be spokesman. The ser
want however, bade them begone unless
they could give an accurate account of the
countries they had travelled through, for
should Lord Weymouth come and detect
them in any falshood he would hOrsewhip
them, according to his custom. They got
some money and soon pursued their
vocation toward FlOme, where they sep
arated.
Carew' mendicant companion turned
out to be no other than Lord Weymouth
himself, who occasionally adopted this
method Of discovering the character of his
neighbors of all classes. Lord Weymouth
got back to LongIeat and dofiug his dis
guise (which was known to his confidential
valet he had Carew fetched back and
brought before him. Carew was sternly
ordered by his Lordship TO bring back his
feilow-beggar on pain of Imprisonment.
Having given this order Lord Weymouth
left the room, donned his b.ggar's dress,
and was led into the presence of Carew,
with whom he hurriedly agreed on the
story they were to tell Lord Weymou b.
They were then separated and Carew was
again led into his LordsEips presence and
was severely cross-examIned. After
thoroughly bewildering and fri.l:ea;n.,
the gypsy King Lord Weymouth revealed
his identity with the other be@gar and
dismissed Carew with liberal present