Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-08-14
A BRIEF suouRN.
The Gypsies Dc Augusta and Quickly
Move On.

! Tell you fortune| queried a gypsy
eirk Tuesday AFTERNOON, entering Ole
of the city's tonsorill parlors. That's
my business" said tie artist as he fin
fshed stroping a raDr, but there's joe
eyer there loafingf ask him." The
member of the firm under discussion
soon convinced the dusky maiden that
mis- financial success in lie lad be-:
short and she anbled out thoroughly
disgustel with thepl:tcc and ,hose WI,
had been inclined to throw her a little
Jolly
There were similar occurrences alo Is,
Water street as Re gypsies, who made
thorough canHss of the street, m :.
with varying success. according to the
disposition Of tieir subjects.
They were contingent of the ma n
camp that hadinstalled themselves in
the section of State street below tire
State House krpwn as Britt's Gulley, +
what was formerly Oakwood Park.
They arrived i Augusta. Monday. dur
ing the rain. having previously bean
heard of in Hddeford and other cities
where they Ave made things a little
disagreeable for the citizens. They
came to Augusta from Brunswick,
where, having made themselves too OBJ
noxious, the were finally driven out of
the CITY by he officials. They came tc
stay ''mebF two week. as one re-
marked. Hat their visit was destined
to be of PREFER period, for they We're
moi conferred to remain at their Camp
and swaphorses, which is their main
line of trae, bat expanded their bust
ness, andthe women ran a side issue
which alfrrated between telling fer
tunes AM begging. Petty thieving is
also nOtbeneath their notice.
A strit watch was kept by the Off
GERS on Their camp while they were
here AM lat the least appearance of any
disturbhce or disordeily conduct they
would ave been quickly persuaded to
quit IL. city
A VII to their camp in the gulley,
TnesdF night, was not only interesting
but orfhe other hand was heartily dis
gustiH. There was a main tent pitch
ed ndr the small brook which flows
throVh the valley, which was used in
com1bn for general living apartment.
TheI there were three or four small
onei and in front Of all the
fireswere made. They cooked their
fool together and ate in COM
moi In the evening their camp
prdented a unique appearance at
SUPER time. The men We're arranged
inh circle around a kettle full of u
sthming porridge or some other name
lef concoction, out of which they were
cling. The women were arranged in
fircle about another pot of O similar
G:racter. A number of children from
hlr to seven years old, some of whom
fere entirely nude. We're eating out of
Mother dish of steaming porridge.
There were about 20 or 25 in the en-
FIRE party and about rs horses of as
sorted sizes and prices to suit.
This is the same hand of gypsies that
re supposed to have kidnapped little
Wilbcr Clark from his home in Beverly
But this fact has not yet been proven
for he was not with the party when
the search was inaugurated. In sever
al of the cities correspondents of sever
Il Massachusetts papers have had opti-
cal illusions at one time or another Of
having seen n white boy with the gyp
sizes while they have been eEcamped in
some city or town, and at once associ
ated him with the missing boy. AS yet
ne mas not been apprehended.
The party claims to hail from Brazil
md say that they have travelled the en-
tire distance by team. The women are
bedecked with strings of Brazilian and
South American coins to prove their
ststements.
When asked where they were goins
next one of them said: go nowhere;
stay right here" A few of the grocefs
and other merchants along Water
street were troubled Tuesday by the
which happened to be on
display outside the store or made them
selves otherwise disagreeable. But
this intent to linger here was either
fictitious. or else they suddenly decided
that they had OutgroWn their welcome,
for. Wednesday morning, they silently
packed uD their tents, and not exactly
stole away, though stealing is credited
them as one of their DroDensities, for
their wagons rumbling over the pave :
ments of Water street made too much
noise for that. They crossed the bridge
and took the River road toward Water
vile at a rapid pace. and at 10 o'clock
were seen just this side of Riverside,
still going at a lively gait
Augusta people We're thoroughly glad
To know that They mad departed, and
not a few earnestly expressed the wish
that il will be long time before an
o:her such band of wanderers ,,itch
III TO