The evening times., 1900-05-14
HISTORY OF GYPSY KING
Plato Buckland Leads His Band
From England 70 New York.
His Family Numbers Twenty-Five
Members-His Youngest Daughter
Seer by BIrth-A Member of the
Tribe Worked for the NanderbiI;s
and Fought Under Chinese Gordon.

NEW YORK. May 14.-In a three-cor-
nered lot alongside the East Chester Tav-
ern. on the old Boston Post Road, Plato
Buckland. the English gypsy, who traces
his ancestry so far back that Europeans.
proud of their pedigree. are parvenus in
comparison, has pitched his tents and will
trade horses FOR a fortnight.
With Buckland are his wife. two sons,
seven daughters, and enough sons-in-law
and grandchildren to make the family
number seventy-fve. They have five good
sized tents, three handsomely decorated
travelling wagons besides luggage wagons,
buggies, and phaetons. The live stock con-
sists of horses. which constitute a good
part OF the stock in trade. a variety Of
dogs, and goat.
Buckland is now nearly seventy years
old, but is strong. active, and much young
er looking His wife. Elizabeth. who is
seventh daughter. is tall. erect, and has
long black hair. They came to America
from England ten years ago and travel
summer and winter
Their youngest daughter, being the
seventh daughter of a seventh daughter,
possesses the occult gifts Of the gypsies 10
a high degree. She has romantic name,
spelled. "Trifing'' but pronounced Try
phenia." She is now a young woman, and
can not only pen dukkerin Tread fortunes),
but can cure bodily ailments by saying Sc
cret formula, provided the sufferer will tell
her his or her name
Still greater things are expected Of this
young gypsy girl as she grows older, and
some day she may rule the band now led
by her father and mother or may found
one OF her own.
These wanderers are good linQuists. hav-
Ing a natural aptitude for mastering Ian
guarges. They speak English fiuently.
One woman in the camp. Nine. Lafonso
Gray. can speak Italian and high and low
German. Nine. Gray and her husband,
Alfred Gray, have both read fortunes in
museums in tits city and elsewhere. and
he has Travelled with circus.
The story Of his life, as told by himself.
surprises one by the number of things he
has done and the places he has visited
~ am" he says. probably the only
gypsy living who can say he has worked
for the VanderbiIts. but l did, on Staten
Island, years ago | was employed as a
driver, and would have remained, but one
o. my hands became MANNED by paralysis
! also was in the British army and fought
under Chinese Gordon in Egypt Did
you read the death of old Sadie Evans,
pear Guttenburg, about six weeks ago?
She was my aunt and was 10S years old.
There are folks who can remember seeing
her seyenty-five years ago.
Buekland is himself a very interesting
old gentleman. with his courtly ways and
evident honesty and truthfulness. His
two brothers preceded him to this Country
and 1t was their reports of the advan-
tages TO be enjoyed here that led him to
come, be finds, he says, that he is al
lowed to rest his tents closer TO the main
roads here than in England. Buckland
was born in a tent, and he has never
during his long life slept three nights
running IN house.
He has built up quite list of custom
ers who deal, with him year after year
Mast of these regular customers know
about what time of the year to expect
him in their neighborhood or else he ad-
vises them by mail of his coming
Besides horse trading the Bucklands
buy and sell wagons. and the women of
the family sell basket work and lace,
besides reading fortunes when opportunity
offers
The camp makes lively spectacle, with
the fancy wagons, gay dresses Of the