Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-26
AFTER GYPSY KING
Judge Blair in New Jersey Is
sues Warrant for Him.
CHARGED WITH ExTORTION
Wanted From $500 to $4,000 From
All the Romney Camps.
DEFENDED BY ALL HIS FRIENDS
They Say He Got Money to Put in
Bank for His Tribesmen
to Colonize.
CHARGED WITH ExTORTION
BY ALL HIS FRIENDS

NEW YORK, January 26.-Judge Blair.
In New Jersey, issued a warrant on Thurs
day for the arrest of Zlacho Dimitro. chief
of the gypsies of the United States. charg
ing extortion of from $500 to $1,000 each
from the gypsy camps of this country.
Alexander Adams, unsuccessful candidate
against Zlacho for the chieftainship in an
election last November instigated the &C
ton which was taken by a lawyer named
Ambrose of Washington
Zlacho was not found in the gypsy camp
on the site of the old Gutenberg race
track, which he recently visited. His lieu
tenant in New Jersey. suggests that the
new American civilization has found
champion In the gypsies' leader and made
for him enemies who find zest for their Op-
position in the bitterness of political de-
feat.
Adams and other gypsies of hic faction
went to Washington a week dSo and told
Representative Scott of the Blue Island
Qli:l district that Zlacho was levying black
mail upon ignorant gypsies by wearing an
imposing uniform and big gold star and
exhibiting a paper covered with red seals
and blue ribbons and bearing the sigma
lures of members of the Presidents cabi-
net and even of Mr.. Roosevelt.
Paper With Many Seals.
After Mr. Scott had CLEANED through the
pidgin English of his visitors that Adams
wanted a paper with just as many seals
and signatures of the same high function
aries declaring that Zlacho was not chief
he told them to go to the Illinois courts.
Zlacho was in Washington about that
time and had notary attest his sigma
ture to his commission of Frank Mitchell
of Union Hill, N. j., as an assistant chief,
in charge of the New Jersey sypsies, then
had attached thereto certifcate of the
Attorney General, signed by Secretary
Charles J. BonapaIte, and bearing the seal
of that Office, that the notary was duly
authorized to exercise such offices in the
District of Columbia. To this he further
had attached certificate as to the genu-
ineness of the other documents, attested
by the Department of State with it's seal,
and bearing the signature of Secretary
Root. With this very impressive docu-
ment as his credentials, Frank Mitchell
came as Zlachos representative. He lives
in the North Bergen Hotel.
Mitchell said that the chief of the gypsies
of the United States, of whom there are
about six thousand, is elected every five
years, and that since the death of Chief
John Stanley, fifteen years ago, Zlacho has
held that position. Zlacho is forty-four
years old, native of Serva, twenty-one
years in the United States and the
wealthiest gypsy in this country, he said
When an election was pending last autumn
Mitchell said Zlacho induced the mayor
city clerk and chief of police of Blue Island.
Wnere tnere IS q large gypsy camp ana
where Zacao makes his headquarters, to
act as receivers and canvassers of the
vote The gypsies vote by families, and.
according to Mitchell. Zlacho received 641
votes out of about LOCO and was declared
elected.
He explains the charges against Zlacho
by stating that the sums which the chief is
alleged to have extorted from the gypsy
camps were not taken for himself, but
were, under his advice, sent to the First
National Bank of Chicago for deposit to
the credit of the owners. who had been
in the habit for centuries of keeping all
their money and precious possessions in
their tents or wagons. This made it easier
for the better educated members of their
own race to impose upon them and get
their money, Mitchell says, and when they
put their cash in banks the trade of the
gentle gypsy CRATER fell into evil days
Zlacho, he says, wants the gypsies to
stop roaming, all go to South Dakota and
form one colony and Zlacho offers to build
at his own expense, for such colony, a
public school.
AS to Zlacho's absence from the Gutten-
burg camp, Mitchell said that his chief
had gone to Blue Island to attend meet
ing of the big secret society of the wander
ers, whose insignia is a horse shoe of steel
about bronze representation of the frog
of a horses foot. '--