Year: 1879

GAINESVILLE Courier.


A few days ago the publishers of the
Courier received letter postmarked Fort
Fairfield. AroostOok county, Maine, in
which the writer offers to surrender an
old gypsy woman who robbed a man
near Zeno in the Spring OF 1870, upon
certain conditions. The letter was pub
lshed in our daily edition OF Friday.
Since its publication We learn that other
parties have been written to on the
same subject, and as the signature of all
these apparently unselfsh epistles is de-
cidedly gypsyish, it is presumed that
somebody is fishing for stake" The
writer of these letters is correct as to the
crime, its author and the date. A well
known and wealthy farmer OF Meigs
township, this county, was robbed by
gypsy woman in the spring OF 1870, and
the story OF the cleverly conceived and
carefully executed plan will bear repeti-
ton. Indeed we believe it never ap-
peared in print before. From gentle
man who is perfectly familiar with the
entire transaction, We obtain the follow
ing facts:


In the spring of 1870 band OF gypses
camped near the village OF IenO, Melgs
township, and among others, an old hag
called on a wealthy farmer living near
their camp, and straightway proceeded
to ''tell his fortune" Closely scanning
the lines on the husbandman's hands,
she drew back apparently in great sur.
prise, and looking the honest tiller OF
the soilsquare in the eyes softly mutter-
ed few mysterious sentences, and then
broke out in an unmeaning glbberlsh,
winding up her performance with the
declaration that somewhere on the gen.
tleman's farm was buried pot of gold.
Strange to relate the farmer at once be-
came interested in her story, and forth
with negotiations were entered into for
the discovery of the buried treasure.
There is only one condition, said the
crafty woman. 81 must have $4,000 i'll
gold placed in my hand as a talisman so
that / can seek for the hidden COIN"
The farmer posted off to GAINESVILLE,
purchased the sum named, and the coins
were delivered to him wrapped in or
dinary bank wrapping paper. With
the then princely sum ofprecious metal,
the Meigs township man hurried home,
and the very next morning the woman
who could divine the secrets of mems
hearts and turn up all sorts Of wealth,
began her incantations. LAY the gold
in my hand" she said, and then while
she traced out the lines on the farmers
brawny hand, the mysterious search for
the pot of gold was supposed to be pro-
ceeding-a la spirit fashion. Don't
open this package or it will break the
charm" was the invariable charge upon
quitting the farmer. This sort of busi-
ness went on for week or two until IL
nally the day came for unmasking the
hidden yellow boys. The incantations
of thsLays before were repeated, the
old nag holding the gold in one OF her
hands as before. At the conclusion OF
the ceremony the gypsy handed back to
the farmer with the particularinj
not to open it until her return 'ln
three weeks ! will return with the gold"
she said, and then the gypsies broke
camp. The CredulOus farmer waited for
the coming of the old woman, but she
never returned. Opening the package
the truth dawned upon his mind like
flash. Instead of 81 900 in gold, about
ten cents worth of iron cuttings appear
ed. The gypsy had deity changed the
packages, and the three weeks given her
to produce the pot OF gold, afforded am
pie opportunity for escape. She was
never heard of aiterward.