The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-10-11

A gypsy sorcerer of the feminine
persuasion, with the inevitable pack
OF fortune-telling cards. accompanied
by a man whose tribe or nationality
cannot be discovered, have for the past
week lived I'm a small patch of forest
land known as the Taylor woods. situ-
ated on the north side OF the village of
Feltz patch. along Keyser creek and
to the right of the main road west OF
the river. The people of that same
Feltz patch are bewildered, mystified
and awe-struck by the unnatural hab-
its of the pair and during all the week,
particularly yesterday. crowds of peo-
pie visited the woods to stand at
distance and watch them.
The gypsy is of the conventional
type of gypsies-tall, dark-skinned. and
dark hair, flowing as wild as herself.
Blue eyes that are cold and naughty
bearing are characteristic of this no
mad of Taylor woods. She seems to care
for no person but the man whom she
calls her husband. During the day
she makes regular trips to the settle
ments on the south and goes from
house to house, telling fortunes for ten
cents per.
SLEEP ON THE GROUND.
The man never leaves the woods,
unless it is for provisions at some store
in Taylor They cook their meals over
a fire of logs gathered from the woods
and at night sleep on the ground, with
no covering above them save the sky.
At this time of the year. as is fully
appreciated, the air is chilly and morn
ing frosts have been frequent. Last
Thursday morning the man, after
awakening. was so stiffened from the
cold that in walking along cliff he
tumbled distance of fifteen feet and
rolled down the side of u hill. He was
picked up half unconscious by work
man on his way to the Holden colliery,
nearby. The poor fellow was cut about
the head and face. He was assisted
to the top of the hill. where he dis
missed the workman with the words:
Don't go further with me; she would
not like it,"
A Tribune reporter yesterday visited
| the unconventional couple and found
that all that had been reported
about them in Taylor was true.
Immediately upon reaching Taylor
| woods the presence of the man and
woman We're seen in a score of ash
heaps where the pair in their restless
rambling had prepared their food.
The woods is peculiarly harmonious
| to gypsy life with its mystery and
| romance. Stretching along from the
old Bumgardner farmhouse to the
apple orchard along the main road.
and then taking a graceful curve to the
west along the abandoned Delaware.
| Lackawanna and Western railroad
| branch to the Archibald and Sloan col
| leres is continuous cliff, varying in
height from twenty-five to fifty feet.
| Growing I'D in the massive rocks and
covering many small caves that have
! a local history are trees and shrubbery
of many years growth and crowning
this is the woods.
THE COUPLE FOUND.
The reporter strolled about for half
| hour before a thin column of blue
| smoke was noticed at the extreme
| westerly side of the woods. The man
| and woman We're found eating their
| supper They looked upon the visit as
| an intrusion at first and the woman
| with a peculiar accent, said: What
do you want here?" The reporter ex.
| planned to their satisfaction, and the
woman, who had arisen TO her feet
resumed lazy position on the ground
| by the side of the man.
The couple were eating potatoes from
a black pail. They had no spoons
knives or forks, using their hands
only, to pass the food from the pail tc
their mouths. A huge loaf of bread
was laying on the grass and from thi.
the man with his pocket-knife cut bis
slices. The fire, which had cooked tn,
potatoes to some degree of perfection
was smouldering, and observing thi.
the woman brusquely ordered the mar
to get more wood Left alone tn,
gypsy talked in a reserved way. Sh,
said:
THAT man will never be no coof
after that beatin' he got last Thurs
day."
What was that?" ventured the re
porter.
'Oh, he went to get some beer ant
was attacked by four men. They bea
him bad they did. His pail wa,
smashed and he came back to m,
cryin'"
AS may be guessed, her husband ha
deceived his gypsy queen and made ;
play for sympathy after falling owe
the eff.
MUST MOVE SOON.
The woman went on to say that tn
place was getting too public and tha
they must move out soon. She didn'
know where to go next. ITS gettin,
pretty cold ,now," she said, "and
guess wen have to go back to tn
house" saying the word as if the idei
was very distasteful. For two year
she lived in a house, but last sprin,
she could stand that sort of a fettered
pent-up existence no longer and tool
to the woods. Then she muttered some
thing in an unknown tongue, as thougl
musing.
When asked how they managed I
get provisions. she said very proudly
I'VE buy Them" and as proof of thei
ability to do so exhibited a large roI
of money
In business-like way she the
brought forth pack of greasy card
and offered to tell the reporters fol-
tune. A decision not to tempt fat
was made on the spot
Presently her husband returned wit,
the wood and then the woman becam
as uncommunicative as her silent hus
band Both showed by their manne
that the reporters absence would b
more welcome than his presence an
efforts to learn anything further abou
the history of the strange pair prove
unavailing.
There is story current at Taylor [
the effect that the man a few year
ago was an engineer on the Delaware
Lackawanna and Western road; tina
he became infatuated with the dark
| eyed gyDsy and when he linked his for