The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-11-18
FLIES FROM SOCIETY.
WEEDS A R0MANY RYE
STRANGE STORY iOF MEMBER OF
BALTIMoRE 400"
Career of Miss Jessie Habersham,
Daughter of Broker, Who Quit a
Mansion to Become Queen of a
Gypsy Tribe; She Led Life of a
Nomad; Wife Of ]. H. Michele,
King of Wandering Bunch.

Cincinnati, Ohio, November ia
remarkable dcathbed statement was
made by Miss Jessie IIabersham. daugh-
ter OF II. c. Habersham. a well known
broker of Baltimore. Md, who died late
yesterday at Seton hospital, in Cincin-
natl, Il few hours after giving birth to
a daughter. According to her state
ment she was stolen from her home in
Baltimore five years ago by band of
gypsies, sold to one OF the tribe for
5000 and then, under hypnotic influence,
compelled to he the slave and wife of
the king of the gypsies.
The long search for her. i'm which a
fortune was spent, is said to have
ruined her fathers health The sister
superior, who notified him by telegram
of his daughters death, received a re-
ply stating he was too sick to come to
Cincinnati to prosecute the abductors.
The shock of the girls abduction. it
was further said, was too great for her
ward
Sold Into Slavery, She Says.
Miss Habersham was twenty five
years old She said she had been aen-
ticed away from home by an aged gyp-
sy woman, who belonged to tribe
camping near the Habersham home
She was then sold by this woman to
her nephew and compelled by him to
work.
According to the story told by the
young woman. some strange influence
held her with the gypsies, and, although
she made several attempts to escape,
all were fruitless. Ii was two years
before she had Il chance to write TO her
father, and then the tribe heard of her
doing so and moved away before the
police authorities could reach her.
About five weeks ago the young wom-
an was carried TO a rooming house on
Fourth street by gypsy, who said his
name was j. II. Michele, and that the
woman was his wife.esIe asked if the
woman might be allowed to stay I'M
til her illness was over. No objection
was made to this. and Dir. Meade was
summoned. He, with the help OF
district nurse. cared for the woman
until she became so low they were COM
PEELED To remove her to the Seton hos
pital where the husband visited her.
Fled Life of Society Bud.
Baltimore, Md, November l6.-Ncws
was received here of the death at the
Seton hospital in Cincinnati of Mrs.
Jessie Habersham Michele. daughter of
a wel-known broker of Baltimore, who
six years ago ran away from a social
career here for the free life of a gypsy.
Miss Habersham became the wife of
John Michele, a gypsy king, and her
self became the queen OF the band. She
had made her debut, but after one year
in the social life, she felt the call of
Romany freedom and quietly disap-
peared.
1t was not until five years later that
her family learned she had joined the
gypsy band and become its queen. She
wrote a number of romantic letters to
her father. but for several months no
information was received from her.
Miss Ilabersham explained it all in
few words: Il am tired of leading the
corseted life-that OF a member of So
ciety-which. in the end, means but so
little. | have made my choice and am
satisfied with my life. >
Member of Famous Family.
Jessie was the great. great-gfand-
daughter of Francis Scott Key, who
wrote the ''Star- Spangled Banner" She
was granddaughter of Mrs. Marie
Lloyd Key, one OF the most famous
beauties OF the South, grandniece OF
Roger Il. fancy, justice of the supreme
court: cousin of Lloyd Lowndes, a
former governor of Maryland; great
great -grandniecc OF the first postmaster
general of the United states navy.
Plan Baby Saving Crusade.
Nnrnp,har AZ