The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-18
THE LAST OF THE GYPSIES
CIVILIZATION SLOWLY DESTROYING
THE STRANGE RACE.
Supposed to Have Originated in Hin
dustan-Their Customs and Habits
in the United States.
Washington Times.

AT this season of the year the home-lov-
ing farmers and villagers of PENNSYLVANIA
and its adjoining States are frequently sur
prised by the sudden springing up in their
midst of tents, surrounded by wagons
horses and motley throng of human be-
ings. These pilgrims, though peaceful and
measurably honest, have always been noted
for their propensity to reap where they
have not sown, and invariably leave each
hating place little Weather than they
came Who ever got the better of a gypsy
in 81 bargain?
Whence came these wanderers who
driven from country to country can claim
no kingdom but the grave-to which all
save few have already gone? From their
language it would seem that they came
originally from Hindustan where they are
supposed to have been members of the
lowest or pariah, class of natives They
were probably driven thence about the year
1909, when Timur ravaged India in the
course Of his violent efforts to propagate
the religion of Mohammed Many thou
sands of the termed inhabitants doomed
to either slavery or death, took refuge in
flight. The country to the north and east
being beset by the invaders, it is most
probable that the territory near the mouth
of the Indus was the first asylum of the
fugitives. This is called the country of the
Zinganen, and the original name of the
gypsies was Zinganee. 1t is thought that
they soon fled the country altogether, and
though their route is unknown, it is GER
tam that portion of them settled in
Egypt, while others pushed northward and
westward.
In Grellman's dissertation on the gypsies
OF which an English translation appeared
IN 1857, there is an extensive catalogue OF
gypsy and Hindoostanee words From this
n
words of the gypsy tongue are Hindoo-
stance A few generations ago the Uranium
or a gypsy who had died in prison in
Switzerland was scientifically compared
with the Uranium of an Egyptian mummy
There was striking resemblance, a cir
cumstance tending to confirm the opinion
of some ethnologists that the Hindoos them
selves originally came from Egypt.
concerning the Egyptian origin Of the
gypSeS, Blackstone says:
When Sultan Selim conquered Egypt in
1517 several of the natives refused to sub
NIT to the Turkish yoke and revolted I'M
der one Zinganeus; whence the Turks call
them Zinganees; but, being at length sur
rounded and banished they agreed to dis
perse IN small parties all over the world,
where their supposed skill in the black art
gave them universal reception in that age
of superstition and creduity in the com
pass of a very few years they gained such a
number of idle proselytes (Who initiated
their language and complexion, and betook
themselves to the same arts of chiromancy,
begging and pilfertng) that they became
troublesome and even formidable to most
or the states OF Europe.
AN INVASION OF EUROPE.
According to Gfrellman they first arrived
in Switzerland, at Zurich, and other places,
in 14lS, TO the number of 1900 souls
Blackstone dates their first appearance in
Germany at the beginning of the sixteenth
century. They invaded France in 1427 and
were expelled in 1861; and, while treated
with more lenence in Spain, they were
neither permitted to serve as soldiers nor
to possess any lands in that country. A
number of them became innkeepers in the
small towns of Spain, but fortune telling
and tinkering We're their principal occupa-
tions.
Sir Thomas Browne designates them as
"a kind of counterfeit Moors." The French
called them Bohemians the Italians Tin
gari, the Germans Ziegenners, the Dutch
Heydenens, or pagans, and the Portuguese
Sganos. Their Latin name was Cingari.
One theory with regard TO them is that
having lapsed from Christianity into pagan
rites, a few from every family were doomed
to the penance of wandering about the
world. Another historian tells us that they
pretend, as an apology for their Vagabond
course, q judgment OF God upon their fore
fathers for having refused to entertain the
Virgin Mary and the child Jesus when they
fed into Egypt.
However Bellonius, who, in the sixteenth
century, met great numbers of them in viii
that the Egyptians like ourselves, regard
them strangers ana wanderers. The fact
that they have, to no small degree, the
Arab type of countenance, leads many to
regard them as Midianites, or descendants
of Ishmael. One painstaking historian
claims to have traced their origin to Per-
sia another is equally assured that they
originally came from Waliachiao Bulgaria
and Hungary. and it is certain that they
were known in Austria three centuries be-
fore their invasion of Europe at the be-
ginning OF the fifteenth century. Aveyti-
nus, writing in the sixteenth century said:
They have been banished by most Chris
tian princes. The great Turk at least toll
crates them near the imperiality. He is
said to employ them spies; they were
banished as such by the Emperor
Charles v"
AS early as 1880 the English government
took alarm at their robberies felonies and
other crimes. and they were ordered to
leave the realm and not return to it, under
pain of imprisonment and forfeiture OF their
goods. Still severer punishment was occa-
sionally melted out 20 them, for thirteen of
them ware executed al one of the Si1fEnIlr