davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

rats, who put an end to the counter
But no: this is about the gypsies. Up
four flights. from a side street. in the
vast building of the interior department
opposite the Elysee (French white
house,, dozen large rooms shelter
endless strange reports and a secret
army campaigning over all the land
against organized illdoing. kilograms
arrive continually. Specialists twho can
disguise themselves) await to take the
train In the vast private office is a
complicated telephone switchboard.
How could the gypsies get away when
the war broke OUT / insisted, when
ali frontier authorities were on the
lookout for enemy subjects and spies?"
Instead of making discourse, the
controller general explained striking
case of some time before the mobiliza-
ton.
a strong band of gypsies (kakarasca-
Kralovitch famiiies) had penetrated
Moellesullaz. We're thrust back by the
Swiss frontier guards. They asked 10
try Germany. We have papers from
the German authorities at Bern to enter
Germany" they said, because we are
Germans" And, in fact, they produced
such papers. Twenty days they re-
manned the frontier. Germany re-
fused to receive them. but, on account
of those papers, France gave them per-
mission to try again, via Belfort and
certain roads of the Doubs.
'At Salins. we photographed and meas
ured them.' said NJ. Sebille and we
tried to learn something of their fami-
lies. They had many names and ma
tionalities as you please, and papers,
too cat need. more than you would
imagine. Their old gypsy queen. eighty
five years old, called the boule,
Mother Kakarasca. seemed to preside
over ten families of other names-the
Reinhardts. Heintz, German. Laga.
Schernots, Meyers, etc. Emile Scher-
nots had German workingman'S book
in the name OF Kralovitch, Bohemian.
Most were proved by the French an
thropometric service to have been con-
Victed in France under various names
for horse-trickery. fraud, fortune tell
ing, poaching, smuggling and obtaining
money and supplies by threats. etc.
At Petit-Croix, on the Alsatian from
tier, eight German gendarmes with
pointed rifles said: You cannot enter
CO." For three weeks they camped
outside Belfort. supported by the French
government, being under arrest" Later,
they sojourned at Suarce (still at the
expense of France), where they claimed
to know by-roads to enter Germany,
and asked to be allowed to break up
and get through, wagon by wagon.
The French let them go. And now, look
in spite of German frontier organiza-
ton they all go through into Ger
many.
"A week later" concluded the infor-
nation. "a battue made all over the
countryside (French territory Of Bel
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

than five barrels for every family in
the United States, and its value was in
the neighborhood of SO per barrel.
Something like 1000 new wells were
a half million barrels of new production
were added TO the state supply About a
half million dollars worth of oil is now
being taken out every day. and the
prices are steadily increasing.
These figures seem enormous, but the
demand for oil and its products is 50
increasing that new fields will have TO
be found or substitutes created to take
the place of petroleum. The total out
put of all the fields OF the United States
last year was little under 10000. 000
barrels. II was more than II 900. 0e0 barrels
in excess of the production of 1915, and
the increase came chiefly from this ter
ritory. They are now discovering new
wells in Louisiana and Texas, and the
present output will certainly hold its
own.
Nevertheless. there is danger of Il
famine in gasoline | can give YOU
this on the authority of Mr.. Yam Fl.
Manning. the director of the United
States bureau of mines. He has figured
cut the industrial demands of petroleum.
and he shows that our enormous pro-
duction is not large enough to satisfy
the wants OF the time. He says that
the various pipe line and transportation
companies, which usually keep a GER
tain amount of oil in storage. have had
to draw upon this supply, and that the
decline last year was something like
1000. 900 barrels. In 1915 the normal
consumption of crude oil was IL per
cent more than 1t was the year previous
and last year we used Is per cent more
oil than we did in 1915. Even on a
normal increased consumption basis
there would have been this year an in
crease of something like 10 per cent
and this would mean an extra con-
sumption of about 10000, 600 barrels.
Mr.. Manning says that there will be
a greatly increased demand for petro-
leum and its products on account of the
war. He believes that this. added to
the normal increase. will create de-
mand for 100000 barrels more thar
We used last year. which will have te
be drawn from the storage supply
This. as I have said. is already great
ly reduced.
Few people realize how great the de
mands Of the war will be on our petro.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

cost of the machines amount to more
than u billion dollars additional.
The consumption of gasoline in motor
cars began along about twelve years
ago. when We had $4,000 automobiles.
That was in 1905. Five years later the
number had increased to five times as
many. and by 1915 il had grown to
million and three-quarters Mr. Ritz
man estimates the number of ears in
use this wear to be little more than
three million and that the number in
1918 will rise TO four and three-quar
ter millions. He figures that the
year will be something like seven
ty million barrels. which is more
than fifteen million barrels in excess
OF the product of 1916 and more than
thirty million barrels over THAI of 1915.
He says also that the automobiles will
steadily increase until we may have in
the neighborhood Of ten million. and
every man with an income of one thou
sand dollars may he able to own a car.
l would say. however. that Mr.. Ritz
mans paper was written before tho
United States entered the war. and this
might affect his calculations.
Mr.. Rittman saws that the cracking
process should be able to produce six
hundred million gallons of gasoline this
year ana that the production of next
year will probably be one billion gal
Ions. while in 1920 more gasoline will
be produced by that method than by all
others. He thinks that the cracking
process has largely prevented a great
increase in the price of gas oline, and
SAYS that were it not for it we mig hit
be paying 10 cents more per gallon
than we now are for our motor-car fuel
He doubts whether kerosene can be
made to take the place of gasoline and
evidently believes that the cracking
process will to Il large extent solve the
gasoline problem.
Mr. Manning agrees with Mr. Rittman
in the possibilities of the cracking sys-
tenn. which. he says. furnished more
than seven per cent of the gasoline
used last year. He figures that the
gasoline saved from natural gas
amounted to sixty million gallons. and
says that it was of such a nature that
it could be mixed with equal parts of
naphtha SO as to form one hundred and
twenty million gallons of good motor
fuel.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

SewarI Daingerheld who became q
wife of John $. Barbour. The first IT,
John s. Barbour appears in the W111
ington directory is in 1872. as "Jo1n U/
Barbour. president of thef Orange 1n&.
Alexandria railroad. 144 b street noft14I
east" In the 1876 directory he 49,
pears as president. Washington CITY
Virginia Midland and Great SoutheE1@
railroad. 144 b street northeast -
1879 he appears as Receiver. Washtnu>|
ton City, Virginia Mf6and and 0r11II
Southern Railroad. 144 b street nor4<
east" 1850
The will of Robert Sewall. the GEu&
of that name in Washington. was made
in December. 1920. and recorded Febru>I
airy 6, 1921. The will recites:
I, Robert sewaii OF Poplar I'm. Prince oesfsa'
county, Nd, being greatly afflicted In my bsdny'
health but of sound and disposng mind. do make
this my last will and testament in manner sn1'
form following. and / do hereby revoke azG
nrnui any former one which may hsvs'
made. and declare this to he my last. Vii
and bequea;h that my wife should have the
full and eI.tre OF one-tbird of my real estate
during her HE. except hereinafter exceptr1>
with the condition. nevertheless. that reasea-'
able allowance is TO be made in the apporfien-|
and assignment Of IL, II the assignments
should include Poplar Hll. for the superior va1ne|
said wife my stock Of household furniture hst1
here and Poplar Hin and the implements q
husbandry belonging to those parts ofsniy estate
which may be assigned TO her. with the horse1.
black cattle. sheep md hogs thereunto belonging,
TO h- replaced Ivy an equal value in said artic3ee
after her death in money In kind for the
benefit OF those entitled 10 the reversion Of TIE
land place which belonging, hut IL 10 ny
desire that she shall have the one-third part %
my slaves absolutely TO her and her designs TO-
ever and my carriages and horses.
Mr. Sewan made provision for the dis
position of the historic house on the
corner, desiring IL to be kept az q
home for his daughters, or any one
of them. He bequeathed to his daugh-
tiers all bonds, notes. debts due or
becoming due to him, all his bank
bridge. water and insurance stock il
the District of Columbia or elsewhero.
and to each of the daughters an eighth
part of the slaves mot already dispoB-
ed of" He made rich requests in lands
and chattels to his sons Robert ID.
Sewall. William H. b. Sewall, Henry ID.
Sewall and Richard Il. Sewall. and q
trust fund of $4,000 for his grandchil-
dren. Francis J. Mitchell and Henry g.
Mitchell.
The will is a long one and makes
mention of various plantations in
Prince Georges. St Marys and Anne
Arundel counties that ought to be OF
interest to members of old District and
Maryland families. He was the owner
of a number of lots in Carrolisburg.
which he bequeathed to Richard b.
Sewau and his heirs. The witnesses to
the viii We're Daniel Brent, T.. Cutbush
and John c. Brent There is before the
Rambler a copy of the will of Robert
Sewalrs daughter. Elizabeth Carroll
Sewall, recorded November g. 1924. In
which she makes mention of her sisters
Ann Susan and Mary. II will be neces-
sary TO continue the story of this old
home and family in another ramble.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12


PARIS, August ., 1917.
,,00 0HERE are the gypsies?"
"W ed ;7 s's:: s ss: vs disappear
How could they dis
appear from France, all frontiers being
guarded? %
They did, replied the French official,
smiling.
Such was the result of my first in
quiry. and such is the final word of a
curious story. Editors in America ask
ed me to discover what has become of
the gypsies." The French foreign Of
fee sent me to the prefecture of police,
where / met NJ. Alfred Harduin, chief
of the second bureau of the first divi-
sion.
Are the gypsies in concentration
camps" I asked.
Those belonging to enemy countries.
yes" he answered, but almost none of
them have any nationality. that is to
say, their nationality could never be
established. Such was the cause of
the law of 1912"
But NJ. Harduin knows, officially, only
Paris and environs. SO he sent me to
the ministry of the interior department
of the surete general. where L met the
great Sebille, controleur general of the
judicial Investigations services, whose
eyes see over all France.
The facts are the more curious, he
admitted because France was literally
overrun with gypsies Immediately be-
fore the war. OF 10000 'nomads' on the
lists of the interior, $4,000 We're Ro-
manichels (romanys or gypsles), and
things had reached a point in 1872 that
France was Obliged to make a special
law to regulate them"
Two rich and populous tribes. in par
ticular. the Gorgans and the Yankos,
seem to have made IA considerable stir
in the countryside, with their fine
horses, gorgeous house wagons, WON
children, dressing loud and living like
princes.
AT Roisel. in the Somme," ran re-
port, "a tribe of so-called Russian
gypsies (south Russia and Behemia)
molested the population.
They We're rich and naughty. They
were dressed in brilliant clothing (the
men wore embr odered coats and vests,
if soiled), their loud but real jewelry
(the women had pearls, emeralds and
rubies regularly of old-style cutting,
and necklaces of great gold coins.
some dating back 400 years, for which
collectors would have paid dear), the
gold spurs which the men wore. the
gold goblets from which they drank,
and their beautiful horses. Yet when a
French peasant would buy one of those
horses, his tail would come out, his
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

details of this episode in the capture OF
Washington were never written. II they
were ever known, and certainly out or
the great mass of matter that has come
down to US concerning the battle Of
Bladensburg and its consequences
there is TO be CLEANED very little exact
information relating to the shot that
was fired at Ross and which killed his
horse.
The house on the corner and the wide
gardens around it were owned by
Robert Sewall. who came to the newly
created federal territory of Columbia
from Prince Georges county, Md. The
property. from 1899. until the recent
period where the Rambler left off the
search, was a possession of the Sewali
family. John S Barbour having been
the husband of Susan Sewall Danger
field, who was daughter of Henry
Daingerfield of Alexandria, whose wife
was a daughter of the Robert Sewan
who owned this house from 1893 until
his death in 1921. A number of the
wills of members of the Sewall family
have passed under the Ramhler's
notice.
The following is extracted from the
National Intelligencer of August 81,
1914:
When we remarked in our paper or~yesterday
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

BIG house, with heavy walls
M and an entrance that can fairly
IN be described as having an aris-
. tocratic look, stands at the
northwest corner of Band I'd streets
northeast Maryland avenue. pursuing
its slanting course from the Capitol
grounds toward the northeast. cuts
across I'd street at B. SO that the big
brown house not only faces on the let
tered street. but also on the broad and
handsome avenue. Generally. today.
this house is mentioned as being the
Barbour house." from the fact that 1t
was the Washington home of John s.
Barbour. railroad builder and manager.
representative and senator from Vir-
ginia. The house was his home from
1872 until his death. May IA. 1892.
Men whose memories go back to much
earlier time than the seventies remem-
Der this as the Sewall home The old
house and the site IT stands on have
several claims to place in local his
tory. and perhaps the chief among these
is that from within. OF from behind. and
from the garden of the first house to
stand on that site, a shot or a fusillade
was fired which killed the horse on
which Gen. Ross commander of the
British land forces. was riding while he
the eastern part of the city late IN Inc
afternoon of August IS. 1914. after the
battle of Bladensburg. The shot which
killed the horse was aimed at the chief
officer of the British invaders.
y
In some of the British accounts it is
alleged that this attempt to kill the
British commander caused the issuance
of the order for tho b<,ruinC If The puh
lie buildings and property and the de-
struction of considerable private prop
erty in Washington. Perhaps the
words 'sniper, or -franctireur. were
not then in use. but the attempted
sassination of Gen Ross was held to
be a fragrant violation of the rules of
war and the sack of Washington" was
in reprisal for that offense. The big
brick house from, or from near. which
the shot was fired was promptly burned
by the British. The belief of the Ram
bier is that little warrant exists for
the statement that the burning of
Washington was a reprisal for that
shot. and he believes that the troops
Of Gen. Ross and Admiral Cockburn
would have conducted themselves in
Washington in the manner they did if
the shot bad not been fred. There had
been much wanton destruction of pub
lie and private property by British
landing parties in Maryland and Vir
ginia before the capture of Washing
ton, but that was a long time ago.
No charge has ever been made that
the owners of the house at the north
west corner of I'd and b streets had
any guilty knowledge of the firing of
the shot 1t is probable that they were
not in the house at the time, having fed
from the city on the approach of the
British. as so many of their fellow
townsmen had done If they had been
at home it would have Jared Ill with
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

chael Duty John Wagner John O'Meara,
William. McGoliick. Henry Nash. Ed
ward German. Richard Doyle and Will
liam Y. Fendall. In 1863 the new names
in the square were Nancy Schott. Walter
II. NARROW. Mary A. Spencer, Hezekiah
Hensley. John Pendergrass. Timothy Nc
Carthy. William C. Dodge, Ebenezer Nor
rison. Mary Nash. Ann Smoot. Daniel
tiani. Frank Twiss, John Brestenham.
Mary Ready and Elizabeth d. Award
In 1923 the Sewall property was still
in the name of Robert Sewall. and the
new owners in the square were Charles
II. w. Junken. Walter II. Harlow. Mar
garet Fallon. Henry ID. Mum. George w
Linville, Charles G.. Bornman. William
H. Sloan. Clark II. Griggs. George K.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12
Mystery of Gypsy Tribes That Once Infested France

by rail. Such are the Ciorums, the
Natti and the kurick tribes. On arriv.
ing at the chosen city they would rent
vacant lot or piece of ihclosed
ground, set up their tents. build shacks
and make strong campaign of work.
ing in copper and tin ware. selling new
kitchen gear very cheap and repairing
pots. saucepans. etc. They would even
ray taxes Gncluded in the remit. Az
though dressing extremely picturesque-
ly fthe men wore immense shaped
silver buttons. buttoned up all over.
the size indicating tribal dignity, they
enjoyed good reputation for morals and
honesty. But the true gypsies were
deemed different by the law in this
they Travelled in large bands. often
with considerable property. paying no
taxes, having no papers or nationality
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

southwest and new establishments are
being erected. The process not only IN
creases the yield of gasoline, but 1t
utilities for that purpose crude oil,
kerosene or any other low-grade dis
tilling.
Mr. Rittman is one of the great au-
thorities on gasoline. He has been
making a study of the present situa-
ton. and last April delivered paper at
the meeting of the American Chemical
Society in Kansas City, in which he
discussed the alarming increase in the
number of automobiles and the ques-
ton of their gasoline supply. In that
paper he shows that we are now using
something like five hundred million
dollars worth per year to move our mo-
tor cars. and that the repairs. tires and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

by the United States government, and
the money is duly collected.
There are number of oil companies
here, and some of them are independent
of the large trusts. The town has eight
oil refineries one of which has a capacity
of forty thousand barrels of crude oil
per day 1t was started a few years ago
with a capacity of only fifteen barrels.
II was burned out, re-estabished and
then destroyed by cyclone. 1t was
again built and has grown to such an
extent that its capital is in the neighbor-
hood of nine million dollars. 1t now pro-
duces eighteen thousand barrels of Pc
trCleum & day.
1t is no wonder these people are grow
ing rich. Last year Oklahoma produced
almost $4,000, 0t1 worth of crude oil
The total production was equal to more
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

leum supply. If We are to start out in
our aviation campaign with 100000 air
planes. these alone will demand an
enormous quantity of gasoline and
lubricating oils. Our merchant fleet. al
though the motive power will prob
ably be coal will take a vast deal of
oil. and the battleshps of the navy
will burn oil as fuel. We shall have to
supply the greater part of the petro-
1eum products needed by France. Eng
land and others of our allies, for the
Russian oil fields are practically shut
off by the war, and about the only
large available >resources the
United States and Mexico.
AT the same time we shall need in
creased supplies of oil for our indus
trial plants and for the mighty in
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-12

ly destroyed. and some of those persons who re-
manned in the city scandalously matreated.
Among the private dwellings destroyed was
the dwelling house owned and occupied by Mr..
robert Sewall formerly rented by Mr.. Gallatn,,
from behind which a gun was fired at Gen.
Ross which killed the horse he rode. The houses
built for Gen. Washington the brow of
Capitol Hill. the large hotel belonging to Daniel
Carroll of Duddington and others and recently oc-
cupied by Mr.. Tomlinson. the ropewalks Of
Tench Ringgold Heath x Co. and John Chal-
mers. were destroyed by fire, without any pre-
tense being assigned therefor that we know Of.
In that History of Maryland" given
to the press by James McSherry the
Rambler found this very curious mat
ter:
With the victory of Bladensburg. every OBJ
stacle in the way OF the British was removed.
and their approach TO Washington wss tri-
umphal progress. Arriving at the outskirts of
the city Gen Ross sent in flag OF truce with
terms of capituation. Claiming that the Ameri-
had fired upon the flag of truce and tina t
his horse had been shot from under him.
Gen Ross laid aside all thoughts of accomnoda-
ton and hurried his troops into the town. where.
having first put to the sword all persons found
in the house from which il was alleged that the
shots were fired, they proceeded to burn and de-