The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-08-13
VITALITY OF THE GYPSY
STRANGE PEOPLE WHO CAN SUR-
 WYE ALL vICIssITUDEs.
Ancient Laws of England Enforced the Penalty of Death-Romany Race
 Thxives in Spite of Bans To- ward Progress

Ancient Laws of Englaad Enforced the
 Penalty of Death.-Romany Race
 Thxives in Spite of Bans To-
 ward Progress
 
 The visit of Macedonian gypsies re- minds us of the remarkable fact that since the year 1880 we have frequently tried, by laws and bylaws, to rid the country of this strange people and without any appreciable success, says The London Standard. A few years ago Surrey was up in arms against first year of the reign of Queen Eliza beth we find that the justices of the peace of that country. on April 22, or dered the building of house, to be called a house of correction, where all idlers and vagabonds shall be relieved. punished and sett to worke." Then. as now, Surrey was the place most favor ed by the unwelcome wanderers. There were other idlers and vagabonds who plagued our forefathers and who are uuafntIy described in an old statute as such as wake on the night and sleep on the day and haunt customable taV- erns and alehouses and rout about: and no man wot from whence they come ne whither they go." Idle soldiers and wandering marines were then treated as felons, so that it is no matter of surprise that the early laws against the gypsies were severe in the extreme. It is supposed that gypsies first en- tered this country in the year 15l2 They seem to have had geen insight into human nature. for while in conri- mental countries they courted and re- ceived tolerance as pilgrims. they pre- tended here that they were people of high position in Egypt, persscuted and driven forth. Astrolcgy and magic were fashionable at the time and Egypt was the home of these arts. Hence the gypsies were at first welcomed and made much of. But very soon they proved to be pest and in 1880 an act t22 Henry VIII, c 10) ordered them to quit the country in sixteen days. talk ing all their goods, with the penalty of forfeiture and imprisonment. They were described as "outlandish people, calling themselves Egyptians, usmg no crafts nor feat of merchandise, who have come into this realm. and gone from shire to shire and place to place in great company and used great, sub- tile and crafty means to deceive the people, bearing them in hand that they, by palmistry. could tell mems and wo- mems fortunes; and so, many times, l by craft and subtility have deceived l the people of their money and have also committed many heinous fefontes and robberies."
 Stringent Laws Passed.
 But the act did not succeed. In 1854 | the first year of Philip and Mary, a far more stringent law was framed It says that, in spite of the previous ordinance. divers of the said company l not fearing the penalty of the said l statute, have enterprised to come over | and over again into this realm, using | their old accustomed devilish and | naughty practices and devices, to the | dangerous example of their matesty's subjects. and the utter undoing oi many of them" Therefore, any person bringing a gypsy into the country | would be fined LAO. while any gypsy re- maining in the country more than 8 month was to be deemed a felon, tc 1 suffer death and loss of goods and to lose the privilege of sanctuary and clergy. But the reasonable alternative was given them of leaving their idle naughty and ungodly life" and hon estly engaging in work. Consequent. under the act of Philip and Mary Thirteen are said to have been con- demned to death at single Surrey assizes. This did not prevent many recruits. natives of the country, from | Joining them, about whose execution l as fefons some doubts arose. These were settled by an act of the fifth veal | act, and making clear that native gyp- sies, or all of them above 14 years oi | age, were to be treated precisely like | the foreigners. -@@..
 But what numbers were excuted or | these statutes" says a writer of 1912 l you would wonder; yet. notwithstand- | ing, all would not prevail, but they | wandered as before uppe and downe l and meeting once yeare at place | appointed. sometimes at the Peake's Hole in Derbyshire, and otherwise bJ I -T~A v v.I | always more tolerant of foreigner: than England. seems to have extended hospitality to tho gypsies at first. Blu | here, also, they soon became an intol erable nuisance. A curiously wordet | act to apply to the idle people calling themselves Egyptians" as well as tt others, was passed in 157s "Forsa meikle as there Is sundrie loyable act, of parliament for the stanching O. maisterful and idle beggars." 1t wal ordered that "sik as make themselve' fules and are bairdes or other silk like | runners about, sell be put into thu kings waird or irons as long as theJ have ony gudes of their awin to live on And fra they have no quahairupor to live of their awin; their cares b. nailed to the trone or to any otheI three. and their cares cutted off, anc | 'banished the countrie,' and gif there after they be found againe. that the! be hanged" This did not do. appa rently. When the gypsies came in 151: they came to stay In 1909 a further Scottish act directs that "Sorners, com mon thieves called Egyptians" pas out of the country under pain of death Death Penalty Abolished.
 Both Tn Scotland and in England legislation proved quite ineffective. Tn, acts fell gradually into desuetude. Th' act of Elizabeth applying to Englisl vagabonds was repealed by one O. George III and the death penalty O.
 Philip and Mary was abolished in thu first year of George TVS reign. Foul years later all previous vagrancy act' were repealed and the mild law wa! Ipassed that any person telling fortunes shall be deemed a rogue and vagabond' and also "any person wandering abroad and lodging in the open air or undel tent or in any cart or wagon, no