Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-05-01
FOLD THEIR TENTS
The Russian Gypsies on Their Way
to Pittsburg.
LARGE REWARD FOR MCCORMICK BOY
Additional Amount Offered Yester-
day Increases Total to $4,000.
PU NISHED FOR GRIM

The band Of Russian gypsies lately in
| camp on the Virginia side of the Potomac
near this city started about noon yestsr-
day in the direction Of Pittshurg wher.
| they hope To fare better than they did IN
and about the national capital Fines
amounting t. So We're paid here for viola
tions of the vagrancy law. Following this
! trouble two of The girls were held ON sis-
! picion of being implicated i'm some NaS in
the case of the missing Willie Mccormick
and later seven members Of the tribe were
arrested in Virginia. charged with robhing
/ Blanche FERGUSON. the High School girl
while she was on her way to school Mon
! day morning, published I'm Mondays
| Star. Three of the seven persons arrested.
two women ana a man, were convicted be
fore the county magistrate at a hearing
! yesterday. and fines amounting to S{7si
Were imposed. When these fines had been
/ paid the Virginia authorities concluded
! they had enough II the sojoEruers, and
ordered them 1" leave.
Constable John McMarcey swors In n
| number of Deputies yesterday and with
! Miss FERGUSON ana John CAN'T her uncle.
the party proceeded to the camp. Resist
ance on the paUt Of the Russians WIS
! feared hut the badge OF authority worn
/ by the county officers caused them to sub
init To- arrest without trouble. Soon after
| the fines We're paid the gypses folded their
! tents, got their teams in readiness and
! shortly after noon they were crossing the
! bridge to get oGt II the old domiNion. IL
/ had been their intention to go IL Rich
mond. hut their expensive exp, ri.ncvs
caused them to change their minds. and
| they concluded they would start in the dl-
! rection of Canada. During their brief stay
! near the Chain bridge the gypsies were
complained against by a number If resi-
! dents.
Ever since They got here Sunday after
noon" said lady To a Star reporter. Il
| have had to keep my doors locked and
! watch my chickens. Every few inmates
some of them would knock at the door and
| ask me for something.
Woman Surrenders Three Rings.
Sunday afternoon" she added. the
gyPsies got three gold rings from
man who visited the camp to have her for
I tune told. ! saw her with four rings on
! her finger when she went to the camp. and
! she only had one when she returned. and
that was her euga cement ring. She said
the gypsies fright ned her, and she was
! glad to get away with her life
An old color"d woman questioned by a
Star reporter said she did not believe tn"
| people in the camp at Addison Heights
| were gYpsies.
| They look like them old Cubians Ia
, me she stated. They looked just like
! the Cubians at Fort Myer. only they didn't
seem to wash der faces. People said they
had smallpox in camp. but think dey only
| had what deY call the Cuban itch, and IL
| suttenly is an awful disease
After leaving the Chain bridge the gyp-
sizes moved over the New Cut road. stop
ping near the distributing reservoir for
dinner. Afterward they went as far as
Bethesda to camp for the night, intend
ing to resume their journey toward Pitts
I burg this morning.
Detective O'Conueu of New York who
has been here several days working
the alleged kidnapping case, arranged To
return home today. The local detectives
did no work on the case yesterday. as
every supposed clue that had been oh
| tanned had been investigated. Information
was received from New York that the
penholder that had been in the possession
/ OF one Of the gypsy girls could not be iden-
! titled as the property of the Mccormick
family. This is beyond doubt the pen
holder that was given to one of the girls
! in the business office of The Star.
| 1t is asserted that Willie Mccormick has
been away from home without the knowl-
edge of his family on two other occasions.
One time, it is stated. he was gone six
weeks, and already stated, the Rev.
| Father Mullin of Highbridge, who has
taken active an interest in the case. be
lieves the boy has merely run away this
| time.
Aggregate of Rewards $4,000.
! 1t is announced in a message from New
| York that another reward was offered yes
| terday for the return of William Meteor
mick to his family. This swells the total
amount offered SO far for the return OF
the lad to $4,000. Part of this amount.
however. was Withdrawn.
Joseph r. Hennessy. proprietor of res
taurant at I'd avenue and nth street, New
York, said yesterday that he prompt
ed to give the S2"tp because an attempt
had been made recently to kidnap his
nephew. He asserted that man tried to
chloroform the boy.
Oscar Wilgerodt was the first to offer
reward. He is grocer who lives near the
TOO ial-S an iph hrid DC
$1,000. The Rev. Father Mullin offered
$4,000. He annoyed by persons
with false information that he Withdrew
the offer for the time. One who posed as
"a sporting man said that he would hold
the sum of $1,000, with which to negotiate
with the kidnaperS. provided that no harm
came Ito anybody concerned The uncle
OF the missing boy. who lives in Washing
ton, offers 81 GOO.
No Smallpox I'm the Camp.
The removal Of the gypsies from Virginia
pleases the residents in the vicinity Of the
camp. who feared outbreak of smallpox
or some other contagious disease.
The health authorities of Alexandria
county have. however, made careful in
vestigation Of the report that several
deaths from smallpox had occurred recent
ly in the gypsy encampment near Airing
ton Junction. and il is believed that the
rumor is groundless. In conversation with
III. I.
health Star reporter was informed that
a committee had visited the gypsy camp
and made thorough inspection of every
tent as we'll of every person in the
tribe. DIR. Corbett stated that no sign Of
the dread disease had been discovered. The
investigation was made last Friday at the
time the detectives were at the camp
deavoring to secure a clue to the where
aboutS of little Willie Mccormick of New
York. stated I'm The Star at the time.
DIR. Corbett did not think IL at all prob
able that there could have been any deaths
from smallpox in crowded settlement
like that of the gypsies without other mem
bers of the party showing symptoms of
the disease. He remarked that the mem
bers of the tribe seemed to be affected
with almost every malady excepting small
poN. In reply to the question as to wheth-
er any burial permits had been issued to
the gypsiss DR.. Corbett said he had charge
of the issuance of such certificates and
that none had been applied for. He did
not. however. regard this fact as an indi-
cation that there had been no deaths In
the camp from causes other than smallpox,