The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-09-04

faction, The Romanys are as strong
aud as numerous to-day, as they have
ever been"
Thus spoke Paul Kester, playwright,
ethnoIoglst, and student OF the lives,
habits, and language of gypsIes, Mr.
Kester is one OF the greatest living uu-
horities upon the American Romany,
In his play, lamar" one Of the late
Alexander salvlnls successes, he dealt
broadly with his favorIte subject; and
volume from his pen soon to be publish
ed, will shed still further light upon
the much misunderstood wanderers,
THE gypsles," he says, came orlgi-
rally from Hindoos,an. The migration
OF the race occurred during the th!r-
teen,h and fourteenth centuries, The
sobriquet Egyptian, which they as
Fumch, was, Il IS supposed, owing to
their temporary sojourn In Egypt The
name Romany ethnologists derive from
the Hindu rom, n man. Armed with pro-
teCting letters from one or more OF the
popes, they appeared In Germany; and
thereafter swarmed over Europe. l can
not say when they FIRST came TO AmeT!-
On: but certain 1t Is that they were not
long after the first white colonists,
Spain sent he- Zincali to Mexlco;whlle
nom France and England gypsy fam
lies crossed the Atlantic, In pursuance.
OF their hereditary roaming instincts.
AIomAny Minister.
'SThere are many thousands OF them
IN the United States and they permeate
all branches of society. know OF an
eminent and respected Episcopal cler-
gyman in Boston, who had Romany
blood in his veins. Once year the old
wandering fever comes over this good
man: and then, hey presto! the pulpit
is temporarily abandoned, and he fol-
lows the pattrln-trail, or lounges con-
tentedly among his kindred In the shade
az the caravan tent In many OF our
cities there are wealthy men and wo-
men. mIllionalres and so-called society
people, who are Romany-chals (gypsy
menl. or Romany-chls Gypsy girls),
and who cannot resist following the
Tattrin when summer time comes
round, But, OF course, the great ma
iorIty OF the race live In their caravans
all the year round, telling fortunes and
south with the approach OF winter, and
returning northward when summer Is at
hand. A generation or two ago poly
uamy was practlced among them In iso-
lated cases, but to-day 1t exists no lon
ger An American gypsy has only one
wife, and very good husband he gen
orally makes her. They are excellent
fathers, too. In my long experience l
have never seen a Romany father beat
his offspring.
since the death of Matilda Stanley
H.. OF Dayton. Ohio, few years ago.
the American gypsies have had no gem
orally recognized queen. This Matilda
succeeded her aunt of the same name
Cdatilda Stanley -, OF whose great fu-
neral and the vast horde Of gypsles that
attended II will still be remembered,
The frlsh-Amerlcan and German
American gypsies have rulers OF their
own. There are 760 families OF German
American ROmanys, and their queen Is
Sophia Frever, Romany OF nearly
eighty years. For many years old John
German wns king OF the irish-Ameriean
Romany. He was succeeded by his
wife, Queen Bridget, who in turn gave
place to her son. BARLEY German, the
present king. King John German and
Queen Bridget came to New York from
ireland in the 40s, bringing with them
their wagons. Since then they have
roamed the country over and multiplied
greatly. Their chief avocation Is horse
trading. Henry Palmer. n millionaire
gypsy OF San Francisco. who claimed to
have succeeded Matilda Stanley II. as
sovereign of all the Romanys In Amer
lea, died In 1894. His giant form and
great wealth made him familiar per-
sonage in California.
Two sets OF Names
IAN the gypsy families have two
names-that is their Romany patro-
nymic and It's equivalent in the Ian
guage OF their adopted country, Here,
as in England, the principal families
are the Lees Stanleys. Hernes. Lovels,
Grays, Coopers Smiths, Whartons,
Caulfelds. Bucklands and Costellos. In
Romany the first seven Of these families
are known. respectively. az Parrums, or
T,eeks; Bar-mescro. or stone people,
Rossar-mescro. or duck people: Caum-
loes, or lOve-makers; Grnys, or horse
people: Vardn-mesCro, or wheelwrights.
and PetulengrOes or horse-shOers II
viii be seen that In translating their
Domany names. they generally at
tempted n play upon words. when they
could not find the exact equivalents.
In the same way the gypsies have ROM
any names for most Of the big cities In
England and this country. They are
quite Apostle, too, MS may be Judged By
the following short list. picked up
around campnres and caravans: Kang-
io-gav. or Biacktown tPittsburEhD;
Bpr6-Elv. or Bigtown New York;;
Levlnor-Eav. or Bcertown milwaukee
and St Louis; PaunOmcngo, or White
city Phladelphla), 80 called l suppose.
from It's famous white doorstcps. Pure
no-gay. or OldtOwn BostOn); Sig
mcnEe, or quick City {Chieage},
Pulgc-Rav. or Brdgetown Brooklyn):
3elunl-gav or Queen City Washing-
toni and Mathematician CAV, or Fish.
town applied TO Gloucester. Mass, AMI
other seacoast towns.
THE nbmnllc gypsy bands are not 20
large as In less settled times. when tha
Rnmany was forced 10 travel In large
numbers for self-protc1tOn. From
Twelve to twenty persons make IN The
average caravan to-day. although IN
some cascs the bands number fifty or
r.Nty A very large band Is tho famous
one n which old Chlvodno Loycl Is the
HHInf Every year LovelA band comes
north and camps between Newark and
Ll2Ilih, ~ H.. IN the woods by the
boulevard These Lovclb are over slNty
in number AZ ono time they were rus.
rnutcd N having abducted Charley ToE.
bat the fair haired boy found IN lhsIf
camp and supposed 10 be little Ross Wa
proven nephew Of old Chyo1nr and q
now hHr.apparcnt 20 the chIofhIncy
Chief Stnnley'H blg family yearly On,
camps an Grow NM Kings county, n.
Y IN the suburbs " Denver Colo, tht
rypllrH ruled by Mrs Caroline Smith