Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-04-09
GIRL RESTORED
TO FATHER AFTER
LONG CAPTIVITY
Montana Maid Was Sold by Gyp.
sizes to Rich Romany
Leader. Az
FORCED TO JOIN s7RoLLERs
She Finally Succeeded in Escaping
\ and Was Taken Care Of by the
Police-Slave OF Wandering
Tribe for Nine Years.

S1ISS"StoVS W VvouOCTIu8
Tribe for Nine Years.
Helena, Mont.-When Evelyn Nit.
chell sixteen.year-old girl who for
nine years has been the slave of gypsy
bands in this country and the old
world, threw herself into the arms OF
her father, a ranchman residing near
Montana town, it was the first time
either had set eyes upon the other
since the day of the mothers funeral
in Helena nearly ten years ago.
NJ. L. Hickman, secretary of the
state bureau of child and animal pro
lection, escorted the girl to the ranch
from Glacier park, where he met her
In charge of Miss Georgiana Allen, q
Hayre schoolteacher, who agreed to
chaperon the girl to Montana from q
house of detention in Oakland, Cal.
II. A. Davee, state superintendent Of
public instruction, who was attending
the National Teachers association
was besought by the Oakland authori
ties to provide escort for the girl back
to Montana. The city paid her ex
penses. Superintendent Davee learned
that Miss Allen, a teacher, was shortly
to come home, and the latter went to
the house Of detention, where the girl
has been kept two months to guard
her against kidnapping by the gypsy
band from which she was taken
There arrangements were made fol
bringing her home, and the teacher
and the girl departed secretly from
San Francisco embarking on steam
er for Astoria, from which point they
went by train to Glacier park.
/. In Terror Of Band. 81
The necessity for keeping their
whereabouts secret was urged by the
girl, who was in terror of. being seized
by the band. She declared that she
was likely to be taken from a train
by members stationed along the road
and on watch, hence the trip by steam
or was devised.
The history Of the young woman
reads like romance. For several
years she has been trying to escape
from the gypsies, but, alone and
friendless, she was given no opportu
nifty until about three months ago,
when the Oakland officials secured
possession of her after a desperate
fight in the courts. The Marino band,
to which she was sold for $4,000 in
1912, is rich, and money was spent
lavishly to defeat justice.
About ten years ago, following the
funeral of the mother, the girl and
a sister were placed in the St. 10.
seph's orphans home. There they re.
NAMED for perhaps six months, when
Evelyn was taken to Butte, and in
Judge DOMAINS court, upon the repre-.
sensations Of an attorney adoption pa,
pers were made out for Mary" Nit.
chell, placing her in charge Of a
couple named Gichi. 1t developed
later that the Gichis were members OF
gypsy band.
Evelyn was an attractive little girl,
and she was soon dressed in rags and
started out as beggar. Her pretty
face and sad eyes affected the char.
itably disposed, and her collections
were not the least of the loot of the
band.
Longer for Own People.
As the girl grew older she longed
for return to American life," as
she called it. Living in wagons or
tents along the highways, half
starved, and beaten by the Gichi
couple whenever she did not bring
home as much money as they consid-
cred adequate, her existence was un.
happy. Through the eastern states
and down south the band wandered,
and in the winter of 1912 at Los An
geles Evelyn enlisted the sympathy of
an American woman and the authori.
ties were notified.
Fearing that they might get into
serious trouble If caught, the Gichis
sold the girl for $4,000 to a rich leader
of gypsies named Marine. In order
to hold her Marine had his son, a boy
Of ten, marry her under gypsy law.
This marriage, of course, was not bind.
ing, although Evelyn believed it to be.
Then the Marines embarked on q
long pilgrimage. They coached Eve
Ign as a fortune teller and went first
to New York city. From there they
went to France, then to the Isthmus
of Panama, then to Honolulu and the
Philippine islands, eventually coming,
back to the United States About
three months ago the girl escaped and
was picked up by the Oakland au-
thorities on complaint of the Marine
gypsies, and thus she was given an
opportunity to tell her story in court.
AS result she was consigned to the
care Of Matron Rich of the Oakland
detention home.
Gypsies Fight Case.
During her stay with the Marine |
band Evelyn was beaten severely, and
to her pleadings for freedom she was |
told that as soon as she earned the |
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