The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-13

| thereafter open sesame to the lnnermost re-
cesses OF Leather lane.
IL was IN one Of these innermost recesses
that my gypsy friends had their habitation.
ana 1t IS certain that no more curious
u"elhng place and disposition OF home be-
!ohglngs were ever seen. About half way
from Furnivals inn to Theobold's row, a
narrow, dlngy court. above which a strip
OF sky could barely be seen wrigged an
hundred feet or more to the east. To the
right and left the ramshackle vet stout
Old housefronts seemed pitching at
each other threateningly. From the
nolSome pavement TO the strip of sky
IL seemed as though hundreds OF
humans were constantly in a state of exis-
tence on trembling balconies aud totteriug
window sills. The density of half fed life
oehlnd these raven-liks beings Cinging to
the outer walls must have been terrible.
4he dark COURT narrowed at the end. com
ing TO sudden stop against black, dead
wall, which rose thirty or forty feet above
the pavement as il TO shut out the desperate
poverty OF Leather lane from some better
enclosure. Here at the end Of this court
against the dead wall my gypsy
friends had practically encamped by
system Of more than partial suspension
Some twenty-five feet from the ground a
mass of patched bits of sail cloth and
blankets formed the only roof. lngeniouslv
braced bits of wood-hotsam and jetSam
from the markets and the Thames-made
three intervening stories, or floors, tetween
the mapping roof and the pavement Of the
court, all of which were open to the weather
and Leather lane way, save where rags and
other sleve-like blankets and sail cloth an
swered the place of curtaining.
lSIhese stories or floors were about six feet
square, except the lower or pavement story
which was as long as the proves of the
RYpsles seould make IL against the hordes of
the sitting court. An aperture had been
made In the dead wall which, with few
bricks and little mud mortar, provided
capital chimney piece. The draft was per
fect. There was a good deal If conf 1rt,
too, about this extraordinary fire.
side. The cart was "whortled.r that
Is, turned bottomside upward for a table.
A shelflike piece of timber had been las
tened against one side wall for a lounging
bunk and bench. A ladder ran from this
along the wall to the second story where
cooking utensils and food were kept.
But the most curious of all was the
nightly disposition of donkey, what was
left over from the days hawking AMI the
gypsy family itself. Immediately on ar.
rival, the donkey was hauled up by rope
and tackle into little cage which consti-
tuted the third story under the sail cloth
roof Such vegetables as we're left that the
family did not use were stored on a shelf
alongside the donkey; and on retiring for
| tuo LlkuS Lho ldiull1, comprising eleven
grown people and children, assembled into
the second story loft and. in a manner,
fished all movable belongings up after
them.
YES" admiringly said old man Lowell,
the head Of this gypsy house, after l had
just witnessed the sprawling donkey hoisted
into his cage for his rest and provender,
thus jess hall goes hup inter nov ole by
night an pulls the ole hup arter us
The East End districtkl ocally ca.ed THE
Mint, where LOndon's ancient mint was
located, is another favorite haunt OF gypsies
In winter. From Liant street in che Borough
to Blackfria 9 road are more than 100 almost
lmpenetrable lanes aud closes, This region
| was the former haunt and home Of Jack
| Sheppard and Jonathan Wild, snd from
the same locality have sprung many Of the
most Eoted prize fighters Of our time Bill
| ingsgate porters, the most jaunty and roll
| licking Of all l. ndon costermongers and a
class OF gypsies who are noted for their
| hstic pro "ess, are the sole inhabitantS
Into this savory region one must come we'll
| introduced; but when once known as a true
friend OF any inhabita t. progress through
the quarter is attended often with even en-
barrassing greetings and familiarities
found the gYpsies of this locality, who
number perhaps fifty families, which means
fully 800 souls, chiefly those who ply their
various vocations at country fairs and all
| huSO luRb, SUCH dS bQ6 I5TNy, ana
London Holiday "Outingsn at EppIng for
est and the like. They are a portion Of that
vast horde Of least winsdme but most pic
turesque English gypsies who, casually
seen, nearest represent the fakirs of
our American country fairs, our circus
followers and the brawling nickel-winuers
of such summer and seaside resorts as Co
ney Island and Nantasket. The punch
and judy shows are getting into their
hands. They are beginning TO exhibit
freaks and control the merrv-go-rounds
All the fruit and nut stands at fairs @
now in their hands, and the cocoanut (hsre
called "cokornutO ranges, where a nut can
occasionally be knocked from deceptiyeIy
built tier at a penny 20 shyn one of the
most D pular forms Of inItiatory gambling
sports at all fairs and Ouiug gathering IN
England, are all ow ed by these cunning
gypsies. Their fists are as ready as their
tongues, and their women folk are the most
brazenly insistive and picturesquely atsired
fortunetellers in all the world.
But the genuine drOm rdjdhS or gypsies
OF the road whose vacations of TO-DAY are
really honorable. thriftful and distinguished
oy down light nard work and fair dealing.
though still full of genuine gypsy trai and
bearing in a mild form the gypsy faint of
dlckerlng and dukkering (fortune-telling)
are he gypsies who, in their enforced win
ter London tarryinE, retain most the man
|
there could be found from 10000 to 20, 900
OF these in the suburbs of London from
November until Marco. These are
entirely exclusive OF several thousand
more who never leave London, but travel
in endless circles about the outer edges of
the great city, interminable Bedoins at
all outing gatherings; peas and straw berry
pickers and lavender gatherers in the
summer, hop pickers in the autumn, and
| scavengers in general the remainder of the
year. They camp where they work, and
though often reduced TO abject wretched-
ness3, are kindly and cheery set of men
and women.
The road gypsies generally retain and
occupy their vans, carts and tents. Out
| Southwark way, over In Surry, are large
com munities. Many may be found round
about Esher and Woking. The Chelsea
marshes are another winter haunt; while
| Epping forest, depths and edges are full of
them. bile these summer thrift is never
exchanged for winter idleness. Many of
the stout gypsy lads get employment in
gentlemen's and public stables. The men
| haunt the horse markets aud weekly
suburban markets and buy, sell and
trade horses aud don deys. Many OF
the women rove about the poorer districts
OF the city telling fortunes for whatever
they can get. Those too old for these iaunts
mind the pots, kettles and little ones