Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-04-23
A VERY STRANGE PEOPLE.
A GYPSY HERE IS A GYPSY
EVERYWHERE.
An Outcast People with an Unknown oF''
gin az . People-They are Migrants
Everywhere and they Al
ways Have Been So.

Everywhere ana they Al
ways Have Been So'
We know the English and Scottlsh
gypsies better than any other country
for although the gypsies have no lltera-
ture of their own. more Afternoon mas
been given them in these two countries
than elsewhere. The persistence OF
this remarkable people in their haolts
of life for 400 years at least since they
appeared in Europe is one OF the
strangest incidents in history. Ihey
are now found everywhere; 1t is bellev-
cd that not less than 1000 Oo are In
Europe alone, to say nothing OF those
| in the United States, in Canada, South
America, Africa and Australia. Ihey
are abundant in all parts OF Asia are
found even in China and Siam, are
everywhere the same. Wherever the
climate permits they live in TENTS are
always wanderers, always outcasts'
form people separate from all Others
and the preservation of their language,
of their habits, of what we may call
certain national individuality. is moth
ing less than a sociological miracle.
On their first coming into Western
Europe the wandering folk were al
most generally well received. They
were clever people, generally more
skillful at any craft than the native
workmen at that time who practlced IT,
and what they did not know they soon
learned. Pleasant spoken, courteous
quick at acquiring the language OF the
, country they adopted for their own
j they easily insinuated themselves into
good company. Early in the fifteenth
, century they were allowed to dance be-
, fore the English king at Windsor be-
fore the Scottish king at Hollywood, ard
a acted plays at the French court Early
, in the sixteenth century they became
I famous as fiddlers in Italy. as guitar
players in Spain, as harpists in Wales
\ and Ireland. They became painters,
: wood and iron workers. etchers or en-
a cravers on copper. soon learned to
Z counterfeit, four of them being hanged
n for attempting to counterfeit the grea,
+ seal of England in 1919; they made
a bows and arrows, knives and swords
a Sometimes they were even held in dis
l. tinction, for more than one royal writ
# went out allowing their leaders to adj
!. minister justice in their bands 'ac
# cording to the laws of Egypt"
). In several countries of Europe thi
r. confidence was soon abused and thei
"a came swift retribution. Up to thu
"a time of the general persecution tn
gypsies had been at worst merely petit.
q thieves and swindlers, but finding them
Is selves the objects of general detesta
r ton, they rapidly developed wors
a. traits of character. These, in turn
excited more luminosity. They were &C
cused of many and heinous otfenses.
was charged that they were cannibals
lg that they robbed graves, that they stol
y children for the purpose OF eatin
ed them, that they murdered men for tn
G. purpose of drinking their blood. !
he Germany hundreds We're arrested an
at put them to the rack to make the
il. confess. They did confess. but whe
up asked where they had concealed tt
is corpses they had stolen they could n
on tell, and were again tortured.
,e. France they were put to death
lis wholesale simply on suspicion and b
res rious charge than any brought up
ter that time was made about the begi
let ming of the sixteenth century, char
le- which allied them to witches and ass
ciated them with witchcraft. This W
quickly followed by an accusation tn
they had no religion. They may ha
,ut had national religion at the beg
ming OF their wanderings. but seem
have lost it, for in whatever count
they were, they adopted or pretend
to adopt the religion of the Peep
er. Notwithstanding the fact that til
xed rendered an apparent conformity
to the religious rites of those by VIII
they were surrounded. they mingl
alb with the adopted religion many sec
ceremonies of their own, which in tir
being discovered, added to the b
nousnes of their offense.
n?" Thus, classed with Migrants, W
heretics. with witches, II genaral G.
ggs SADIE was begun against them. &
ere, whatever faults they had were far mi
any than punished by the cruelty W
ant which they were treated. During
and reign of Henry VIII they were orde
lble out of England, and vessels were p
vided for their transportation, but
few years later we read of fines be-
inflicted on ship owners who brouI
them back. Indeed, it was found
possible to get rid of them entirely,
the people stood in awe of them.
mystery of their origin, the tales a.
whence they came, their claims to 4
in the black art, their pretended
of prophecy, all made them dreaded
the country people, who were afrai
complain of them to the authorit
tn and thus enabled them in many
,ter. tricts to enjoy comparative immun
with
lers. All Instructed.
nd l. l..