The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-24
A GYPSY CLAN GATHERING.
HARRISoNS COMING FROM FAR AND
NEAR TO MOTHERHOOD, ". ~

Forty Families to Assemble Around Their
Aged Queen, Whom the World Knows
as "snnke Mnry''-Romnny Tribe who
Are Clean and Not Unwelcome Visitors.
PLAINF1ELD. N. j.. July 23.-The Queen OF
the Harrison Rypsles. with her family. awaits
the gathering OF her people on the Motherhood
road, not three miles from Plainfeld Tho
Harrisons have not assembled for twenty
years. and in that time they have scattered all
over the continent. They travel only In the
gypsy way. in their own wagons. carrying all
their worldly goods with them. Some OF them
started from the Pacific slope months ago for
this meeting. Others. in Delaware Pennsyl-
vania and New York, have but Just turned
their horses heads toward Motherhood. 1t Is
expected that the gathering will be complete
In two weeks.
The meeting place is the regular summer
camp OF tho Queen. Snake Mary" and her
own immediate family. l. is beside the main
road In q clump OF trees on the edge OF a field.
painfully prosaic roadhouse is only few
rods away. The Harrisons made no effort to
secure complete privacy. They like to have Wis
itors come. When all the families are assem-
bled 1t 10 their purpose to rope in the encamp-
ment and charge an admission fee Of % cents
to defray tho expense which many of them
have incurred in making their long journeys"
The place Is only ] 3 minutes walk from Meth
erwood station. and they hope to make money
out OF folks who come from nearby towns.
The family now here mum bers ten or eleven
persons. Snake Mary" us the outside world
calls her. or Grandma" as the family itself
calls her. Is known to the Harrison tribe as the
Queen" She is "a years old. She was born In
Egypt and has the brown skin and the dead
black hair that characterize the people OF the
Pyramids. There was a newspaper photogra-
pher In the party that visited the encampment
yesterday afternoon. and she wouldn't come
out OF the tent in which she was working II
she could help it. One Of her grandsons. who
did not share her prejudices against the
camera. pulled aside q flap Of the tent. and she
came out to pull it back. complaining bitterly
against all photogra piers and their ways. The
photograph was taken in the midst OF her
plant. Great was the JOY OF the younger gen
Grafton. who exchanged noisy congratulations
that they had at last got ahead Of Grandma"
The members OF the tribe talk with free
dom from bad grammar that Is rather surpris-
ing to one who has preconceived notions that
the gypsies are shiftless and unpleasant race.
Both men and women are neatly dressed and
folks on an outing. Part OF the Queens life
time was spent In Visiting the regions in which
was crowned anew by each family she visited
In that way her household has acquired an easy
ana intimate knowledge OF every part OF the
country.
The male head Of the family I; James Harri-
daughter. who is about 80 years old. King
James, as the gypsies call Harrison. has the
LOOK Of keen, clean cut American OF Scotch
or Irish descent. He has a son whose name is
the same as his own. There are a NUM- Der OF
children / asmuch as they spend much OF
their time playing under the wagons. they were
not exactly IN state to appear on any formal
occasion. such. for instance. as a Sunday school
festival yesterday. but their clothes were
whole There was not patch or tear any
The elder James Harrison talked freely
about the family. In this part OF New Jersey.
ne said. and; u fact. In any part Of the coun.
the Harrison tribe had spent any time. he had
never observed an unfriepdly spirit.
Wherever we CO." he added. I'VE arc
Harrisons have, made good. clean name for
themselves: There are people going around
who are dishonest. malicious and a bad lot
generally. They take the name OF gypsies.
do with them to think that, gypsies are very
bad people TO have around. We never harmed
anybody. and as people learn to, understand
al! the other forty families OF our tribe"
The members Of the family speak to one an
other sonstimes in English sometimes in
strongly built and bright with fresh paint
The tarpaulins are new looking. Inside the
living wagons the berths are laid with clean
There is every evidence OF family prosperity.
One OF the younger women. the wife Of the
Junior James, cheerfully undertook to tell the
fortune OF visitor She warned him In the
about to be presented to him. and that within
lev mohths ne was TO GO away on long Journey.
When she toe took his dollar and tied # Up in the
other dollars which had preceded it.