The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1915-06-07

Sioux Falls Men Have Experience
With the Wanderers.

Sioux Falls, June Tt was about
1880 i'm the evening when two Sioux
Falls men were walking on the track
just north of the Milwaukee depot,
thinking of nothing in particular as
pedestrians often do after working
hours. AS they were nearing the
spur that leads to the brewery on
Third street they saw standing a few
feet from there some fifteen or TWEEN
ty Gypsy and girls, of all
ages, sizes and all degrees of I'M
%couthness. AS soon as the band saw
the two men, they stopped the kind
of dancing they were indulging i'm
and ran toward the two defenseless
citizens, greeting them with words
spoken in English, and in a great
many more varieties of tongues and
dialects, as Gypsies are great lin
gusts: Your fortune told. Give
me match. Say, kid, give a match"
This latter appeal was directed to the
younger of the two men. Then they
came closer and took hold of the
mems sleeves and tried to stop them.
BY that time. the men had reached
the spur and made a bee line for
Third street where the women did
not dare follow them.
1T is said that whenever any one
refuses anything to a Gypsy, the Ro-
many curse will be pronounced upon
him or her. But in this case, when
the Ome saw there was nothing do
ing i'm the line of fortune telling, they
said: II wish you good luck"
The older nan had but one cen in
his pocket, and he wonders how peo-
pie who claim TO read into the future
and even into eternity could not
guess such a simple thing as that he
had nothing but a penny TO give them
if he had been inclined to give them
anything.
The match trick, of course, the two
men knew perfectly we'll. If a Gypsy
asks you for a match, and you grant
the request you are a gone case. They
have a way of taking hold of your
fingers in such d manner that they
just hang to you till you have heard
your fortune told" or have parted
with a sufficient amount of shekels to
let them release you. The bunch Of
Gypsies mentioned above belong to
the Gypsy camp just north of the Mil
waukee bridge.
They are in the habit of congre-
eating near Third street every even
ing in order TO find some victims who
are willing to be told their future for
spot cash. A look at those poor
creatures is enough to convince one
that they do not know the least
about anybody's future, not eve
their own.
1t is interesting to notice here who
the Gypsies or Gipsies really are.
The name itself is a corruption of the
name Egyptians" which was first
given them in an old English statute.
The French call them "Bohemians."
while in Switzerland and Holland
they are called "Heiden" or "Pagans"
and in other parts of Europe they are
called "Tartars" Cater.
The Gypsies call themselves
Rom" the name of their language,
hence the name "Romany" given
them.
They seem to have come from India
hisl, thelI DelhB ciosely re-
lated to Sanskrit though it contains
words and phrases from almost my
other tongue.
The Gypsies first appeared in
Europe in the fifteenth century,
claiming to have been driven from
Egypt by the Saracens. Every coun-
try in Europe passed laws against
them, and they became Migrants.
There are about 10000 Gypsies in
Europe, who at present are settled
in communities and are not allowed