The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-21

law. should Itself right that wrong.
And II may be depended OH that, rs in
the case Of the brickyard and canal boat
children, his clarion cIamor will con.
tiauo until Britain has rid herself OF
the plague SPOT. All his lie he has
studied their wandcrings and ways, and
since 1887 he has been almost constantly
among them. like his rugged, vigor.
GUS description vi his rough oXpcr.
fences with these outcasts, and feel
sure that II few OF them, in his own Ian
guagc, will be interesting to American
readers:
LIFE IN CAMP.
~ have visited many fairs, icnsta,
races, forests, lanes and wigwams in df-
fercnt parts of England and Scotland,
and have eaten aud cllattcd with the
tent and van dwellcrs, with the same
sorrowful results confronting me. III
many cases where parents attend fairs,
icasts aud races with CoCoanut stalls
and other initiatory gambling amusc.
monts, the children arc sent early in
morning TO pick up 4 living in all sorts
OF questionable ways, and up to II or T.
O'Clock ut night some Of tho children OF
both sexes, together with their moth
ers, are often kept hard nj worl; brawl.
ing, bangin. and shouting with cocoa.
nuts aud balls in hand, while in many
instances their fathers are drinking in
the public houses, and rs 4 reward for
their hard days toiling and trudging,
Sunday and weekday, the poor children
are sent suppcrlcsS and unwashcl TO
their bed. This is usually OH some old
rags, under street stall, in hail. rain,
SHOW, frost and fogs, and in fine wealth
cr with the cleaning moon and twink.
ling stars pGcping through the torn
apcrturcs OF their street curtains and
gutter beds.
have seen these men, wUitcn .tn,l
children druHk. ii! 0! Heap Ike so
many dogs, while there were others, en-
gagged in the vagabond's calling,
ashamed OF their position, who hung
down their heads and hands and went
with the tide and pellmcll crowd down
to ruin. In many instances | come
upon parents with large families who
have taken the wrong turning through
their dislike OF work, or the hardness OF
town life, and are now tramping the
country lanes, towns and villages with
carts, vans and donkey barrows, hawk
Ing, begging, lying, and | am afraid
often stealing.
Some time ago visited with friend
Canning Town, and found scores OF fam
lilies OF gipsies and other vagabond
travellers living in q state that would
shock the most filthy and degraded hea-
then. More than thirty children OF
school age clustered around lis, not one
OF whom could tell Il letter. In two
small fonr-roomcd cottages, into which
the gipsics and travellers had crcpt for
i few months III the winter, there dwelt,
orpiggcd, seventeen families OF men.
women and children. Others were
squa:,ing abou. in filthy wigwams
among the slussl, filth, rags and straw.
SOME riTIFuI SCENES.
Among these folk, OIL the outskirts OF
London, in one wigwam have seen Il
poor woman dying; i'll another Il man
who had taken TO gipsying was gasping
for breath; in another tent woman
was at deaths door, and ut another
abode OF death, into which had 10
creep on all fours', there sat at the
entrance, upon brick in the mud, Il
poor lost, present day gypsy girl OF
sevon years OF age, but 10 heavier than
4 child OF one year. It's legs were no
thicker than drumsticks. it could
neither stand, sing, speak, cry, nor hear.
Alta Grow pic feast near Rugby
saw III live vans fifteen children, two OF
whom could only read or write Il little.
During the deep snow OF the winter OF
lSS1-S | met with in the old Waiting
street, but 4 mile or two from our home
here, nine men, women and children
crouchel together, whose only sleeping
apartment was under IN old donkey
cart. The man had worked honorably
and well in my ncighborliood for two
years. The work gave out and he for
sock his trade to follow hedge bottom
creeping.
at Davcntfy ! found travelling
Snowman and his wife and their seven
children. Their only home and stock
and trade consisted OF few sticks, old
rags, knives, whistles and u cracked
drum. At Northamptonshirc fair l
found Ten vans and carts and between
thirty and forty children, only one or
two OF whom hadovcr been inside either
Sunday or day schools. In three old
tumblcdown carts, tied together by can
vas, string, straps and pieces OF rusty
hoop IRON, there were nineteen children
and seven men and women.
Moses >liolland, one OF nv oldest
gypsy friends, knows about 59'familirs
in the midland counties, and thinks
there will be an average OF five children
to each tent or van. In some tents he
has seen rs many as ten, and in other
tents twelve, children. III hisown tent
his wife was i'll, and a dead child Law by
her side, which Holland laid ont him
sell Oh few rags and some litter.
AT Broomsgrovc fair counted over
iiity vans and covered cart homes, con.
nected with which there were nearly
$50 children. But six could read or
write. In one van. eight feet long, five
broad and five high, there slept eleven
men, women and children, whose night
dresses were saturated wet clothes.
Some time ago | visited a flower show
ut West lladdon and found in two vans
and tumbledown wagon eighteen
children and seven men and women.
Only two could read and write.
TERRIBLE 1--WE
"On recent Sunday in q Northhamp-
tonshirc lane, near Buckley wharf, dur
ing pouring rain CAME upon eleven
present day gipsies, six men and women
and five children, whose home was a