Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-11-30

Moelleusullaz, were thrust back by the
Swiss frontier guards. They asked to
try Germany. "We have papers from
the German authorities at Berne to en-
ter Germany" they said, because we
are Germans" And, in fact, they pro-
duced such papers. Twenty days they
remained on the frontier. Germany
refused to receive them; but (on ac-
count Of those papers) France gave
them permission to try again, via Bel
fort and certain roads of the Doubs.
"At Salins we photographed and
measured them," said NJ. Sebille, "and
we tried to learn something of their
families. They had as many names
and nationalities as you please, and pa
perS, too Cat need), more than you
would imagine. Their old gypsy queen,
eighty-five years old, called the Boule,
or Mother Kakarasca, seemed to pre-
side over ten families of other names,
the Reinhardts, Heints, German, Laga,
Schernots, Meyers, etc. Emile Scher-
nots had German workingman's book
in the name of Kralovitch, a Bohemian
At Petit-Croix on the Alsatian from
tier, eight German gendarmes with
pointed rifles said: You cannot en-
ter-go" For three weeks they camp
ed outside Belfort, supported by the
French government-'being under ar
rest" Later they sojourned at Suarce
(still at the expense of France), where
they claimed to know by-roads to en-
ter 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 organization, they all actually
got through into Germany!
| Before mobilization there was SO
much complaint against them that a
| special law had to be made to regulate
them. The law of 1912 had scarcely
got to working when the war broke out
and all complaints against the gyp'
sizes ceasedI
! How? Why?
'The complaints stopped. That i.
ALL"
The law of 1912 gave to the heat
of each gypsy family a formidable
booklet, full of blanks to be filed vi
by mayors of each town or commun,
where they stopped-and number
This family number (printed on eacl
blank) was repeated in white ename
On handsome black sheet-iron plates
as many as each band had wagons
| Hiff Of nh VI
must be attached to the tailboard O
each wagon, so that countryside gen
darmes might jot them down, running
though the band be in flight! 1t wa
a beautiful system. 1t will make
good foundation, again, after tn
war
Often lit is repeated) they wer
grand, in their way. They would SCI
fine horses to French peasants, cheaI
horses which gave complete satisfat
ton. The Coesre, or prince, would OF
der their copper utensils and kitche
wear to be repaired by his artisans fo
u trifling sum and the work would b
well done. They gave amusing show.
with trained bears and great apes an
dancing girls. Their women, tellin
fortunes, bamboozled country wive
Yet the same band, in another con
mune, would obtain all they needed b
, threats Of fires; and small municipal
| ties would buy them off, in conside
able sums, to take themselves els,
: where.
Then the war broke out-and 1t a
ceased.
7 ''None arrived at the Saintes- Marie
on May % last" volunteered a mine
police official. ga striking indication
1t is, perhaps, the strangest detail {
the story. Every five years (thoug
2 you did not know it) the chief gypsit
{ of America sailed back to Europe-b
fore the war. Together with the gyl
: sizes of Syria, the Danube, German
l Italy, Spain and all the world, they a
t sembled outside long fishing villas