The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-04
BRITISH Gypsy ROYALTY.
Wakeman Writes in an Interesting
Vein Of Its Olden Time
s 3
Pageantry.
Which, With the Advance Of the
Years, Has Now Wholly
Departed.
: Though Gipsy "Kings" and "Q~ussns" Of
To-Day Rule Their Petty Domains
With Absolute Power.

Bpeoial Correspondence Of The Independent.
LONDON. May 22.-Ihere Ia nowhere In
the entire range Of sociological study and
observation SO Rrotesque and yet so Renu-
Inc a thing a. Gipsy royalty. TO bo king
or "queen' of q characterization crew OF
wanderers ssems to a. who are utterly 70.
moved from Gipsy thought. feeling and
conditions. so triAinp and o%ntiandiah .
thing that We oan scarcely contemplate the
regal status and its odd dicnities without
feeling Of ridicuie and contsmpt.
The first Gypsy I ever saw was a princess.
afterwards 4 queen. That WAS just forty
years ago. She was a mite Of q thing. and
. great storm Of en'ly winter had separated
her from the rest Of her band a. IL was
Fastening to summer chimes, and driven
Her. desperately near death from the sever
ity of the elements, TO the door Of our an
rle and ancient fam house. IL was
Thanksgiving day. A crowd Of relatives
snd friends were being entertained after
the good old New England fashion. The
hundreds Of cattle. horses and sheep had
all been comfortably housed from the be.
wldering storm. Three or four tnblefuls OF
countryside guests had been served. every
thing Possessing a koener relish for the
shudde'ing night and its binding snow.
While the good old plaos Was ringing with
laughter and iollity and my mother. with
the manner of q severe commander, was
giving nh owe to Preparations for the
"hired men's' repAst. tho storm clutched
and shook the old farm house sayagsly. In
the rattle and clatter Of II all there was
swcpt into the wide. low-ceilinRed loom a
scared, trembling tawny girl Of perhaps IA
years OF age.
black hair which was matted wildly about
her shiverinQ fotm. My mother locked the
'hired men" out for a bit; brought the girl
to the capacious fireplace and dried and
warmed her; and then with a genuine
court. martial air, and still with a b.usuue
needs. which had real humanity in it, set
her at the table and fed her until she could
hold nc more.
Then taking both of us-myself "sising
Ave." ~ the farmers say. and this plump
glowing-eyed heathen-she marched US up
stairs. away into the ga,ret, md put rs,
still together, into tho snuggest of trundle-
beds beside the huge, roaring chimney,
where, cuddling me in her warm arms ns II
for human conpanionship, and rnutterinR
held the meditation and accent of prayer
this lost heather princess sobbed herself
asleep.
II woald be a long and even q romantic
story. how this Cir ~ girl was found at our
homo by a Gipsy lad tho next morning:
how lad and lass disappeared hand In hand
like ragged %silhouottes over the snow
capped hills about our valley farm; how
whom a boy soldier I oame upon the two.
then man and wife. ground between the
teeth Of war as Hood was making his brave
but fateful winter march upon Nashville,
just ten years after tho stormy Thanks
giving time. and at q then dreadful risk set
them on their way to Gypsy friends in the
north; how but a few years. later
still again found them. this time in a
day meetings and partiDgs we're going on.
and whore, for what little l and mine had
done, this same Gipsy girl. now queen of
her tribe, made my merits. through her
gratitude. 80 great to her people and race,
that in all lands and places since. three
magic words have unlocked house, tent dnd
heat of all Gipsydom; but it has brought
me to SOC and feel almost with Gipsy eyes
and mind, and to know that there is truly
IN impressive reality cven in Gypsy royalty
in rags.
The accepted notion about Gypsy kings"
and queens" is that of the stnge and story
book Gypsy. carrying q witoh-crook. strid-
ing great strides, dressed in gaudy fnsry.
wearing u tin crown and bedeekea with
]rummagen beads and rings, who endlessly
shsat "r IN . y9''' s"T Il saPp ' sHos.' S'': "as snS
and "Avaunts" trembling subjects until
their joints are loose in their sockets and
the camp fire pots rattle and .clink
in the crooks Of the iron kettle
sticks. PerhsIs something Of this sort
sgo. The history of Gypsy tribe in
Continental Europe shows that
Gypsy kings" 'princes.' - %''earls." 'dukes''
ard those Of lesser title roamed about,
under license OF p%otentates. with retinuss
and cavalcades that would have lone honor
totruly titled folk of the time. But all this
sort OF thing is now alone found in tho shil-
ling-shocker and penny-dieadful wilds of
literature. There was up to the last cen
fury some genuine royal Gipsy paReantry
This was characteristic OF Scottish moro
thnn of English GipsiSs. The record OF the
royal doinRs of the latter is indeed lumiu-
Gus and unique.
In the early part of the sixteenth century
Anthonius Gawino, earl of Little Egypt.
was so consummately shrewd in carrying out
his assumptions of pilgrimage and Of being
under commands OF the pope to wander
seven years without sleeping in a bed. that
he actually secured the countenance, IL not
the favor. of Jamcs ~. This Anthonius
Gawino seemed to be n diplomat by nature,
He inveieled King James into giving
him a very strong and sympathetic
letter to his uncle. the king of Denmark.
in which the Gipsy chief and his vana-
bond followers are spoken of ns "Anthonius
tinwiuo, earl of Little Egypt. .nd the ether
afflicted md lanentnule tribe of his ~rstipu,.
whilst, through a desire of travelling and
by command of the pope. pilRriminr over
the Christian world" etc.. which shews
that their imposition upon the melancholy
Scottish king was complete. whether or moi
his testimonial ever benefited them in
Denmark.
Until nearly a half century after this.
although the Gipsies had already become
troublesome. their true character had NOT
been discovered. James ". shortly before
his doath in 1910. entered into a leaoue
with John Faw. lord and earl Of Little
Egypt" directing all in. authority in his
realm 10 compel the retd n to Faw's sub.
mission OF all those Egg ptians who had ro-
belled against him. and that all officer,
should assist in OBTAINING and Furnishing
those people 'in conformity with Ms
laws" so that, as the edict read. 'the said
John have no cause for complaint there
upon In time coming" This sdiot further
charged all officers OF tho realm to com-
mand masters Of all ships at ports and
Ravens where tho said John and his COM
Iany might come TO receive them, and, on
expenses being paid, to convey them to
AA~V .N~R~