The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1916-01-20
GIRL RESTORED
TO FATHER AFTER
LONG CAPTIVITY
Montana Maid Was Sold by Gyp.
sizes to Rich Romany
!;.. Leader
FORCED TO JOIN sTRoLLERs
She Finally Succeeded In Escaping
and Was Taken Care Of by the
Pollce-Slave Of Wandering
Tribe for Nine Years.

Helena, Mont.-When Evelyn Nit.
chell, q 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, q 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.
M. l.. Rickman, secretary Of the
state bureau of child and animal pro,
lection, escorted the girl to the ranch
from Glacier park, where he met he1
In charge Of Miss Georgiana Allen. a
Havre schoolteacher, who agreed ia
chaperon the girl to Montana from a
house Of detention In Oakland, Cal.
H. A. Davee, state superintendent 81
public instruction, who was attending
the National Teachers association.
was besought by the Oakland authors
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 a steam,
or for Astoria, from which point they
went by train to Glacier park,
In Terror Of Band.
The necessity for keeping theil
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 q train
by. members stationed along the road
md on watch, hence the trip by steam
er was devised.
The history Of the young woman
reads like a romance. For several
years she has been trying to escape
from the gypsies, but, alone and
friendless, she vas given no opportu
nifty until about three months age.
when the Oakland officials secured
possession of her after a desperate
fight In the courts. The Marine 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
. sister were placed in the St. 10
eeph.s orphans home. There they re.
manned for perhaps six months, when
Evelyn vas taken to Butte, and in
Judge DOMAINS court, upon the repre-
%sentations of an attorney adoption pa.
psrs were made out for Mary Nit.
chell, placing her In charge Of a
couple named Gichi. It developed
laterSthatF the Gichis were members oi
a:gypsy band.
Evelyn was an attractive little girl,
and she was soon dressed in rags and
started out as a beggar. Her pretty
fgce and sad eyes affected the char,
itably disposed. and her collections
were not the least of the loot Of the
bind.
Longer for Own People.
As the girl grew older she longed
for a return to. American life," az
she called it. Living In wagons OF
tents along the highways, hall
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 II caught. the Gichis
sold the girl for $4,000 to a rich leader
Of gypsies named Marine. In order
TO hold her Marino had his son, a boy