The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1898-05-21
AMERICAN GYPSIES.

AMERICAN GYPSIES.
From the Washington Post.
Coin 81 deva? Coin Sc dado?
Pukker mande drey Romanes.
Ia mande Pukker ava tute.
WHO was your mother? who Your
father?
Answer me in the Romany tongue.
And | will answer thee
Oldest known Gypsy folk song.
1.-The gypsy race shows no sign Of eX-
tinction. The Romanys are as strong and
as numerous today as they have ever
been.
Thus spoke Paul Kester, playwright,
ethnolosist and student of the lives, habits
and language of gypsies Mr.. hester is
one Of the greatest living authorities upon
the American Romany. In his play,
'.Hamar, one Of the late Alexander Sal
vini' 5 successes, he dealt broadly with his
fayorite subject; and volume from his
pen soon to be published, will shed still
further light upon the much misunderstood
wanderers
The gypsies' he says, came origi-
naly from Hindoostan. 1.-The migration
Of the race occurred during the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries. The Sobriquet
Egyptian which they assumed was, it is
supposed, owing to their temporary sojourn
in Egypt. The name Romany ethnolo-
gists derive from the Hindu rom, man
Armed with protecting letters from one
or more of the popes, they appeared in
Germany; and thereafter swarmed over
Europe. | cannot say when they first
came to America: but certain it is that
they were not long after the first white
colonists Spain sent her Zincall to Mex
leo; while from France and England gypsy
families crossed the Atlantic, in pursuance
of their hereditary roaming instincts.
There are many thousands of them in
the United States, and they permeate all
| branches Of society. I know Of an emf
nent and respected Episcopal clergyman in
Boston who has Romany blood in his
veins. Once a year the old wandering
fever comes over this good man; and then,
hey presto the pulpit is temporarily
abandoned, and he follows the pattrintrail,
or lounges contentedly among his kindred
in the shade of the caravan tent. In
many Of our cities there are wealthy men
and women, millionaires and so-called SO
ciety people who are Romany-
(gypsy men), or Romany-chis GYPSY
girls), and who cannot resist following the
,Io,,
But of course the great majority of the
race live in their caravans all the year
round telling fortunes and trading in horses
for living-going south with the ap-
proach of winter, and returning northward
when summer is at hand A generation
or two ago polygamy was practiced among
them in isolated cases, but today it exists
no longer. An American gypsy has only
one wife, and very good husband he
generally makes her. They are excellent
fathers too. In my long experience |
have never seen Romany father beat his
offspring,
Since the death of Matilda Stanley II,
OF Dayton, Ohio, a few years ago, the
American gypsies have had no generally
recognized Queen. This Matilda succeed
ed her aunt of the same name Matilda
Stanley y, whose great funeral and the
vast horde Of gysies that attended it will
still be remembered The Irish American
and German American gypsies have rulers
Of their own There are 760 families Of
German American Romanys, and their
Queen is Sophia Freyer, Romany- chi of
nearly eighty years. For many years old
John German was king Of the Irish Ameri-
can Romany. He was succeeded by his
wife, Queen Bridget, who in turn gave
place to her son, BARLEY German, the
present king. King John and Queen
Bridget came to New York from Ireland
in the '4Os, bringing with them their
wagons. Since then they have roamed
the country over and multiplied greatly.
Their chief vocation is horse trading.
Henry Palmer, a millionaire gypsy Of San
| Francisco, who claimed to have succeeded
Matilda Stanley IL as sovereign Of all the
Romanys in America, died in 1894. His
giant form and great wealth made him a
familiar parsonage in California.
GAN the gypsy families have two names
that is, their Romany patronymic and
its equivalent in the language of their
adopted country Here, as in England,
the principal families are the Lees, Stan
leys, Hernes, Lovels, Grays, Coopers,
Smiths, Whartons, Caulfelds, Bucklands,
and Costellos, in Romany the seven first
of these families are known, respectively,
as Purrums, or Leeks; Bar -mescro, or
stone people; Rossar- -mescro, or duck peo-
pie; Caumloes, or love-makers; Grays, or
horse people; Vardo- o-mescro, or wheel
wrights, and Petulengroes, or horseshoers
1t will be seen that in translating their
Romany names, they generally attempted
a play upon words, when they could not
find the exact equivalents In the same
way the gypsies have Romany names for
most of the big cities in England and this
country. They are quite apposite, too, as
may be judged by the following short list,
picked up around campfres and caravans;
Kangio-Gav, or BlacktOwn, (Pittsburg; J
Boro Cav, or Gigtown New York; y Le-
vinor-Gay, or Beertown milwaukee and
st. Louis;) Punnomengo, or White City,
(Philadelphia, so called, suppose, from
its famous white doorsteps; Pureno- Cav,
or Oldtown (Boston;) Ssig-mengo, or
Quick City (Chicago;) Pudga-Gav, or
Bridgetown (Breoklyn;) Beluni- Cav, OF
Queen City (Washingtown;) and Mate
| cheneskoe-Gav, or Fishtovvn (appIied to