Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-05-29
Gypsies in New York



You might think the Immediate vi
cinity of the ~4ggest city in the land
an odd region for gypsies to select
for a 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. "An1
why not, 1 should like to know
queried fashing-eyed. highly-eolored.
well-rounded Romany woman-too old
to be called young, and too young 70
be called old-sitting in the doorway
of the gorgeous wagon she calls her
home, temporarily halted in the Dor
ougn of the Bronx, and within the city
limits, few days ago. We're civil
lied, if We are gypsies. We're :ond
of the good things of the big cities, II
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. wien 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 iSe 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 WY we shouldn't
ike to see a good play, just because
we teH fortunes and swap horses for
"a living, and manage to get along with
out paying rent? We dress up like
other folk when we go to the show,
of course You wouldn't pick out our
lassies icr college girls if you were to
see them III the Uheater, nor yet for
swell society," women. but you'd never
take them To- 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 multi-millionaires have made
their wealth.
Yes, we get most of our money
dealing in horses and telling fortunes.
Need VIC 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.
! If 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 q good deal cheaper than
some other horse dealers. we know
! = nnf &c NO 1ncc. CO
can undersell such dealers. If we
couldn't we couldn't live, of course.
! We're a good deal like other folks.
after all, and we know the wor d
better than some. We have seen NEST
of this country as it really is, and not
/ in glimpses, as you see it when yod
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 Ems
,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 Cit.
zens on either side.
Don't you suppose we'd be in trou-
BILE with the law If we weren't fairly
decent. | do, and you know it. We
! have to be more careful of the 'ap-
pearance If evil than most people;
folks are so prejudiced against the
gypsies. We in this camp all believe
| in the established church you cali
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 us
you'll find our standing with the
church isn't so bad"
At this the comely, middle-aged
gypsy became suddenly silent when
! the question of her possible Ttomany
origin came up. No doubt this gypsy
woman put her side of the question
as favorably as it would boar, but de-
spite the bad reputation often de-
servedly borne by these wagon-wan-
dering children of res, the gypsies
who hover about the outskirts of the
metropolis are entitled to a degree OF
consideration at least.
These gypsies are by no me ms the
only church-going members of their
race Thomas Williams, famous in
Connecticut for many years as
prince Of the gypsies," was a MethO-