Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-02
IN WINTER QUARTERS
Cold Weather Drives the Gypsles
From Their Camping Grounds.
LOArH TO LEAVE TEE PArrRIN TRAIL
They Either Head for the South or
Some Big City.
AND SIGH FOR GREEN FIELDS

AND Sigh FOR GREEN FIELDS
1.-The gypsys winte- is at hand. All the
country over the scattered bands Of the
vagram Romany are turning their horses
heads toward that particular spot which
is to be their place Of Information. He
loves warmth and sunshine and bird :ong,
does the Romany; but the frosts Of winter
time alright him. So he HES him to the
far south; or. putting his van away, takes
shelter beneath unconsenial roof in
some kaulo-gav gloomy city,
In this wise spoke Paul Kester, the best
II terpreter whom the gypsy race has found
in our own times. Mr.. Kester has devoted
many long years to the study of these
nomads from the east, and he may be said
to know them as well as any Gorgio If
gentle can ever know. He has just re-
turned from a visit to the famous summer
camp of the patriarch. Chenodine Lovel,
near Newark, che of the largest of its
kind in America, and has made a careful
study of the preparations now in progress
for the annual southern migration of old
Lowell and his tribe.
The Pattrin Trail.
Some of the families" said Mr.. Kester,
will remain a little longer following the
pattrin trail. These are the ones in whose
natures deeper love of nature and open
air life happens to be planted. The gypsy
hates cold, heartily, but l have known him
to brave the twinges of premature frost in
order to snatch few more days in the
country, among the changing leaves How
ever, the great majority are already set
ting ready to move.
Where does the Romany spend his Win
int ri
tiers. Nearly every gypsy has some avoca-
ton which he can ply in town. Many in
deed have prosperous businesses of their
own, which are left 20 take care of them
selves. or to be taken cate of by Gcrgios
during the summer months. Livery stable
keeping is favorite branch of trade with
them, and scores of gypsy stable proprie-
tors, some of them quite rich NAV be met
with throughout the cities and especially
in New England. The women. of course
practice fortune telling wherever the police
VIII let them, and peddling where fortune
telling Is taboOed. In numerous cases cozy
little shops are waiting for them to start
the winter occupations again.
ChcnOdine LOvel,
"Old Chenodine Lowell and his tribe are
going south, and will probably continue
their open-air life all through the winter
while camping through Florida and Louis
lana. Don't you talk to me of the gay
said old Lovel, a few weeks ago. The gay
stiles me, tells you. The gays just like
churchyard, rye: and when / goes into
big city and sees the Gorgios a-living in
their white houses, all alike and all side by
side, l thinks to myself that I'll be laid
away in the ground soon enough under
little house just like one Of them. My peo-
pie were made for the fresh air, rye, and
the fresh air, and the roads, and the trees
and fields are our only real home Old
Lowell meant every word he said. / don't
believe you could get him to live in a city
ncf
several vans, and sometimes many as
thirty, or even thirty-fve, people travel
with the tribe. 1t is quite a formidable
caravan and in the days when Grabbing
the baulo' STEALING the pig) and similar de-
vices for ilicitly swelling the Romany
larder were in vogue, the southern farmers
used to go around with guns while Lovers
tribe was passing. Now the old man and
his family are better known in the south,
and they are seldom never molested.
For weeks before the actual striking of
the tents, there is packing going on in the
camp Everything not In actual use Is
slowed away. Moreover, the trade in horses
(every travelling Romany is a horse dealer
to a greater or lesser extenO becomes more
brisk. Animals are bought, sold, or swap
ped until a goodly string Of likely cattle
is hobbled at the back of the encampment.
You can pretty nearly always tell by the
look of those horses how their gypsy own
ers are going to spend the winter. If the
horses are heavy, stoutly built beasts they
are intended for farm use, and you can
feel certain that the caravan is about to
drift southwark. If, on the other hand,
they consist of hacks and the like, suit
able for the city, it is reasonable to sup
pose that their possessors propose to make
for some large town.
Folding Their Tents.
1.-The true gypsy has the oriental knack
of folding his tent like the Arab and silent
ly stealing away. Once the loose impede
menta Of the camp has been slowed away,
the heavy packing is begun with will.
and frequently finished between Two suns.
l remember one evening visiting a gypsy
camp-an unusually large camp, too-and
noticing no sign of an approaching depar-
ture. The tents were all up, the fires were
lit. and cots were swung above the blazing
logs. Children and dogs played among the
vans, and horses graZed as they had done
throughout the summer. Men lay smoking
under the trees and women moved hither
and thither, or gathered in little groups
for chat. In this state l left the en-
campment, promising myself to return next
day, when 1 might be able to increase my
friendship with the Romany. Next day
accordingly. returned to the spot but
saw sign Of vans, tents or gypsies. At
first fancied that had made 4 mistake
i'll the locality, but an investigation showed
me that l was quite right There were the
charred remains of the campfires, and
there. too. ran the wheel marks left by the
vans as they were being driven toward the
nearby road. Truly the gypsies had started
for winter quarters. between sunset and
sunrise. In such a way the old patrarchs
of the Bible must have moved from pasture
land to pasture land, bringing with them
their tribes and driving before them their
fiocks and herds. While l was still in the
land of droWsihead' my Romany friends
had, without doubt, put many miles be-
tween their summer resting place and the
winter home for which they were bound
Private Telegraph System.
"Such caravans cover great distances
Rarely does a gypsy go into winter quar-
tiers at place near which he spent the
summer. When he changes, he desires a
complete change, and hence he generally
goes as far away as he possibly can. 1
have known gypsies who summered near
st. Paul to winter in Denver or further