Williams news., 1917-12-27

Moelleusullaz, were thrust back by the Swiss frontier guards. They asked to try Germany. eve 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 Con 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 M 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-f1ve 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, Bohemian
 At Petit-Croix, on the Alsatian from tier, eight German gendarmes with pointed rifles said: You cannot en- ter-goI" 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. Av,1 0oIy S&o Of 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- sies ceased
 How? Why?
 ''The complaints stopped. That is all."
 The law of 1912 gave to the head of each gypsy family a formidable booklet, full of blanks to be filled up by mayors of each town or commune where they stopped-and a number. This family number (printed on each blank) was repeated in white enamel on handsome black sheet-iron plates, as many as each band had wagons. Gift of the French government. They must be attached to the tailboard of each wagon, so that countryside gen. darmes might jot them down, running, though the band be in flight It was 8 beautiful system. It will make a good foundation, again, after the
 Often Git is repeated) they were grand, in their way. They would sell fine horses to French peasants, cheap, horses which gave complete satisfac- tion. The Coesre, or prince, would or der their copper utensils and kitchen wear to be repaired by his artisans for well done. They gave amusing shows, with trained bears and great apes and dancing girls. Their women, telling fortunes, bamboozled country wives. | Yet the same band, in another com mune, would obtain all they needed by | threats of fires; and small municipali- | ties would buy them off, in consider able sums, to take themselves else- where.
 Then the war broke out-and 1t all | ceased.
 "None arrived at the -Maries, on May 25 last" volunteered a minor police official. "A striking indication"
 It is, perhaps, the strangest detail of the story. Every five years (though you did not know it) the chief gypsies of America sailed back to Europe-be- fore the war. Together with the gyp- sies of Syria, the Danube, Germany, Italy, Spain and all the world they as- sembled outside long fishing village