The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-25

shrewder fortune tslIsrs or horse swap
pers. II they can hold THAR own In New
England at horse trading, no other tes-
timonial of their shrewdness Is needed.
Yet even in horse dealing they have
found that honesty, on tho reputation OF
it, pays. Many Of these horse traders
own real estate and arc prosperous. and
some Of them are even laying up treas
ure in heaven:
"A good many Of them are members OF the Bsp-
tist Church and speak at the prayer meetings with
all the fervor Of the other member. oftsntfmes
I have heard them exhort visItors to shsir camps
about the blessings ana necessity Of q Christian
life"
It il Mr.. SINcLAIR's experience and
belief that the gypsies ARE not given to
thieving more than other poor igno-
rant people and the community where
they are found" The Governor-G General
Of Russian Central Asia writes him that
though they have the reputation Of being
thieves and cheats, according to the
reports Of our administrative officials
they behave themselves we'll In Amer
lea and Europe -the gypsy women are
always chaste."
Do the gypsies steal children Popu-
lar superstition and melodrama say Yes.
Mr.. SINCLAIR says No:
A the gypsies In tho vicinity Of Boston know
me as Lawyer SrscLArR. and for many years I
have been consulted By them when In trouble.
There have been . good many csses when children
were lost and tho gypsies were suspected Of kid
mapping them. Often their camps have been
searched and they have been subjected 70 much
annoyance and trouble. In no case. however, has
it been found TO be true that they had taken any
children.
One case. I cmemSer excited rrea, interest In
the newspapers at the time II occurred. A WILLIE
McooRMIck disappeared In Boston. and hts loss
was heraldcd all over the country In largo head
lines by the newspapers. Finally two Russian
gypsy girls were arrested IN Washington. d. O.,
for stealing him. A piece Of paper was found Ia
the possession Of one with the name Of GsRrnUps,
his sister. written on ~. This wss photographed
and sent TO her. and she asserted most positively
10 was her handwriting which she had written the
evening he disappeared. A Boston detective was
sent to Washington. The two girls were kept
under arrest for many days and subjected 10 q
rigid cross-eXAmination ss was the whole gypsy
camp. Finally II was discovered thss these xyp-
sizes had never had or seen the boy. Tho popular
superstition that gypsies steal children had ex-
cited 30 much the imaginations OF the boys rela-
tives and the public that they all were deluded by
foolish suspicious.
The question has been one I have considered
carefully for over twenty ave years. and I have
made very many inquiries. but 7 have never even
heard Of q case where rypsies have ever sto.en q
single child. One good reason for discrediting
any such belief was once expressed TO me by a
shrewd old gypsy woman: We have children enough
Of our own. more than we can take care Off
Again. they know there is the popular belief.
and that they and their camps will be at once
searched II q child Is lost. They have often told
me so. and say they are not such fools as TO steal
anything when the stolen property could he found
on them"
Nor do they steal anything else. They
know their reputation. They know
that they would be suspected and
searched. 1t saves trouble and money
to be honest. Here in America the
gypsies boast that not n gypsy has
ever been sent to jail; and neither dis
trict attorneys nor policemen al con
tradict the boast.
The moral standard of the gypsies,"
writes Mr.. SINCLAIR, must have vastly
improved, il one-half that is written
about them in books is true" The
moral standard Of the community has
vastly improved, but were those tales
true? Must il be admitted that the
gypsies never were as bad as they were
painted; that they were only a little
browner and dirtier, but not a bit more
criminal or immoral than the rest of us?