The morning call., 1894-03-07
WASTED KISSES.
A Gypsy Hugs the Thief
Who Robbed Her.
BUT HE KEPT HER MONEY.
She Had Five Hundred English
SoYereigns.
HER COIN WAS IN A SANDBANK.
The Crime Witnessed by Two Chill
dren-The Robber Remained
to Drink Beer.
TER COIN WAS IN A sANDBANK.

Rosa Lucia, gypsy, lost $1,000 and wasted
four kisses last Friday afternoon. She
does not mind the kisses, and the man
who received Them Is not pining for con-
graIulations. but she Is sorely grieved on
account of the absence of her cash. She
declares the money was stolen by George
Marco, member of another tribe of gyp-
sizes, and she has had him arrested.
The accused nomad was arraigned before
Judge Campbell yesterday and pleaded not
guilty to the charge. The courtroom and
the corridors were thronged with dusky
and odoriferous wanderers, who listened
with expres sionless faces to the testimonr
against Marco.
The story told by the witnesses was
substantially as follows:
Mrs. Lucia, ner husband and three bud
ding represent atives to p0sterity came to
this city one month ago from far Brazil
and pitched their tent on the sand near the
corner of Slanyan and Sheridan streets.
They had 500 English sovereigns. $50 in
United States coin and the same amount
in Mexican money.
Having no faith in the integrity Of San
FraDcisco's bankers they sagely decided
TO bury the money in the sand, and they
accordingly dug for it a shallow grave In a
corner Of the tent.
Misfortune fell upon the Lucas two
weeks ago. The head OF the house fell
and broke bis leg, and was sent to the City
and County Hospital. Rose wss then
obliged to grind the organ alone and
chaperone the monkey, leaving the tent to
the care of her offs pring. Jose Maria and
Juan. She has a baby, but she took it
with her. because it, like the monkey, at
tracted the sympathetic aud caused them
TO forgive her for the organ.
George Marco, a gypsy horse-trainer
from Los Angeles, pitched his tent near
the portable habitatiOn OF the Lucias just
about the time that the head of the family
was injured. Georges face shows how
ugly man can be and live. He soon be-
came acquainted with the afflicted Lucias
and learned Of the money hidden in the
sand.
While Mrs. Lucia was visiting her hus-
band at the hospital Friday afternoon
Marco went to her tent and sent little Jose
Maria to q saloon several blocks distant
for a can of beer. Juan remained and
Marco dispatched him to look for horse
that had been tethered some distance from
the tent. The two boys returned at about
the same time, and looking under the
curtain of the tent saw Marco with the
bag of money that had been buried. He
slashed the sack with dagger and hastily
tran sferred the contents to a belt which
he buckled around his body. The boys
entered and Marco coolly sat down and
began to drink his beer. Mrs. Lucia re-
turned from the hospital and he generously
shared the exhiarating beverage with hel
and offered to send for more, but just then
she saw that the sand in a particular cor
per Of the tent had been disturbed.
She appointed herself an investigating
committee of one and quickly discovered g
vacancy where the sack had been. The
children told her what Marco had done,
and with streaming eyes she begged hin
to give back the money. He said that be
did not have it.
Il will kiss you If you will give il tc
me- said the woman. whose face is like
unto an ancient parchment, and throwing
her arms about his neck she pressed hel
lips four times upon his face.
But her kisses were all in vain. Marco
ran out of the tent and she followed him.
shriekng, into the park, where she lost
his trail. Marco was arrested two days
later. He denies the theft. repudiates the
kisses and will tell his story to-day.