The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-05
GYPsIEs IN FRANCE.
Defy Deportation Across FrOntiers--An
 Ingenious Romnny.

Ingenious ROmany.
 Paris, May 4.-The French gendar- merle has been much troubled during the last few weeks with gypsies who come and go, or. rather, who are made to come and go, to and fro across the eastern frontier. Belgium and Ger many are quite as resolute as France In forbldding the use of their roads and lanes to the Romany chals; all three countries sweep their border lands clear of them periodically The gypsy who comes in for the sweeping process is not so ill-used as might be thought. If a gendarme makes pre- tense of watching him to prevent him from stealing, the same gendarme Is by orders bound to watch him also-there is no pretense hereto prevent others stealing from him. And what can be more pleasant for a lover of romance than to be one day in Germany, es- corted by a score of mounted men travelling with solemnity and ease and to be next in France or. Belgium for some time at least as free as air it. self. with no taxes or hotel bills to pay.
 With little tact and ingenuity the gypsy and his family can visit all the beautiful country on the borders of France and Germany between Aix-la- Chapelle and Belfort before being seized and sent by goods train to be "repatriated" in Servia or some other Balkan state. But those who are averse from travel. and enjoy pomp no more than poverty, have another way of living in peace and comfort, more certain of receiving the necessaries of life than playing the shuttlecock in Franco German game of battledore- A Nancy newspaper which have just re- ceIved explains the methods. The gypsy in search of peace and quiet re- moves to some place on the frontier where he Is able to occupy the atten- ton of two gendarmes. on both isdes of the border.
 moneyed and gentlemanly gypsy would no doubt send a message 70 u.e gendarmerie on one side, saying that he means to leave the country. anu would like some notice to be taken or the fact. He would then have an es- cort as far as the border. AnotneI message to gendarmerie on tne othet aide of the border would oa enough to bring two more gendarmeries' 10 make sure that he did not journey too far into the country they watch over, and thus he would remain asulde or an .imaginery border line in two coun- tries. owing allegiance to neither, ana guarded by both.
 A Romany chal, who would have been worthy of Borrow's attention had ne lived earlier, mas Just SSSA HA 'I'S how excellent this plan is- Last Oc- tober he drove his horse and van out of the village of Aubange. in Belgium on the road toward Mont St. Martin. in France. Two Belgian gendarmes ac- companied him to the frontier, where two Frence gendarmes were stationed already prepared to stop any reckless advance. The gypsy saIuted both par ties pleasantly; drove slowly on to the point where the imaginary frontier line divided the orse midway beween head and tail He unharnessed, and placed the van in, lane parallel with the horse, whilst his wife unpacked and rigged up a tripod and kettle over a fire, also equipped on the frontier The horse ate his oats and the gypsies their soup and the gendarmes with drawn swords looked on. And 1t has been thus for months. A wooden cab in has been built for the Belgian gem darmes and another for the French. The gypcy family has grown and pros- pered. Both Belgium and France have done all they could to keep them well fed-France alone has. indeed, spent ewice as much on them as on the two gendarmes.