Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-05-23
Gypsies in New York
Observation-Disclosures OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES.

You might think the Immediate vi.
ctnity Of the u4ggest city in the land
An odd region for gypsies to select
for rendezvous but the truth is that
more gypsies are to be found in and
about New York, most summers. than
anywhere else in this country. "And
why not. I should like to know
queried a flashing eyed, highly-colored
well-rounded Romany woman-too old
TO be called young. and too young to
be called old-sitting in the doorway
OF the gorgeous wagon she calls her
home, temporarily halted in the boz
ough Of the Bronx, and within the city
limits, few days ago. We're civil
lied, If we are gypsies We're fond
OF the good things of the big cities. if
we do like better to travel about a
bit and sleep where the air is good.
than to be tied down in one place and
to coop ourselves up in the prison cells
you folks who live in flats called Jed
rooms, when we want to take our rest
at night
You folks that live in houses don't
understand us at ALL she went on.
"You think We are ignorant and low
down; that We never read; that we pay
no attention to the ways of the world
and its doings. But you're wrong
We don't pay enough attention to
books to make us forget some other
things that we think more important,
but we all-that is, all in our party
see that our children learn to read AMI
write, and some Of us send them to
school regularly, several weeks every
year, moving our camps but little
through the whole long fall, some
times, for that very purpose. we al,
ways have the morning papers every
day when we're camping close by
New York, or any other city, and we
like the theater as we'll as most folk.
Does that surprise you? 1t needn {.
Is there any reason why we shouldn't
like to see a good play, just because
we tell fortunes and swap horses for
a living, and manage to get along with
out paying rent? We dress up like
other folk when we 60 to the show,
of course. You wouldn't pick out our
aassies fer college girls if you were to
see them in the theater, nor yet for
swell society women, but you'd never
take them for gypsies, and you'll never
see them sitting in poor seats Why
should they? They have the money
to buy good ones, the same as the rest
Of you, and they come by it as honest
ly; more honestly, if your newspa-
pers tell the truth about the way some
Of your multfmillionaires have made
their wealth.
Yes, we get most of our money
dealing in horses and telling fortunes.
Need we be ashamed of that? Why
should we be? Do you expect your
e. H. Hartman. or your DR.. Seward
Webb. or your Mckay Twombly, to be
ashamed because they buy and sell
horses? OF course not. We buy our
horses or trade for them SO as to
make money if we can, of course;
but your business men do all their
buying and selling on the same plan.
II they didn't they'd all fail soon
enough.
Our men often buy their horses
down town in the big city horse mar
kets, the same as any other dealers
who furnish the farmers with horses.
AS we live good deal cheaper than
some other horse dealers, we know
that our profits can be less; so we
can undersell such dealers. If we
couldn't we couldn't live. OF course.
We're good deal like other folks,
after all, and we know the world
better than some. We have seen most
of this country as it really is, and not
in glimpses, as you see it when you
travel on fast railroad trains. We
have travelled pretty well over Eng
land, too, and not one in 10 of you
Americans who travel knows it as
well as we. Do we call ourselves Eng
lish? No, nor Americans, either; just
gypsies. Some of US were born en-
that side of the water and some on
this. and we think we are good citi.
zens on either side.
BILE with the law if we weren't fairly
decent. do, and you know II. We
have to be more careful of the 'ap-
pearance of evil than most people;
folks are SO prejudiced against the
gypsies. We In this camp all believe
in the established church you call
it the Episcopal church. We often at
tend services and we always drop our
good money into the contribution
box. too: and if you inquire about MS
you'll find our standing with the
church isn't so bad"
At this the comely. middleaged
gypsy became suddenly silent when
the question of her possible Romany
origin came up. No doubt this gypsy
woman put her side of the question
AS favorably as It would bear. but de-
spite the bad reputation often de-
servedly borne by these wagon-wan-
dering cinildren of rest. the gypsies8