Odd, Old News: ‘The Gypsies Are Coming!’
Gypsy Girl [Image by Theodore Aman courtesy of Wikipedia]
The Gypsies are Coming!
“Look out for Them”, ”Coming this Way”, “Frightened to Death”, “Keep the Gypsies on the Move”, … so read some North Coast news article titles in the decades around the turn of the 20th century. Xenophobic fear was no stranger to the North Coast, and there was a noteworthy amount reserved for the Romani, the ethnic group, “widely known in English by the exonymic slur Gypsies”.
Regarded by the public as bands of petty thieves, gypsies in wagon caravans traversed northern California, provoking alarm and over-reaction wherever they went. Newspapers recorded their movements and encampments, some regions “armed up” and prevented their stay. The press reported stories of gypsy horse traders swindling their trade partners, stores that were victims of larcenous groups of shop lifters, and fortune tellers who fleeced their customers. Known as skilled fortune tellers, other Romani performed with trained animals such as dancing bears.
Before delving more deeply into the topic in future weeks, Odd Old News will share a short article about an attempt to move along one Gypsy entertainer for performing without a license in Round Valley in 1901. It is story that was undoubtedly repeated by cowboys in Covelo’s numerous saloons for some time.
“Gorilla Glowers, Driven out of Covelo”
or….
Attempt to Arrest a Romany Wanderer Causes Trouble.
SF Call, June 17, 1901
COVELO, June 16.— The police and town marshal and their deputies in this community are proverbially brave, but the mettle of three of them was sorely tried to-day by a struggle with a ferocious baboon. It was while attempting to arrest an itinerant gypsy queen at the parade grounds that Marshal Keating was attacked, by a muscular simian, belonging to the Romany potentate. The animal loyally came to the aid of his mistress and gave valiant battle to the officers in the presence of a large crowd of cowboys, who loosened its hold on Keating only when the tightening grasp of four lassoes shut off its wind. The creature was, however, subdued but momentarily, and after being thrust into a wagon he renewed hostilities and proceeded to clean out the whole squad of officers that followed him during the melee. The huge gorilla was laid low with a club and bound with straps. The queen and her daughter were then taken aboard and the journey to the calaboose began. On the way the gorilla freed his arms and made a vicious lunge at the driver. Walter Osborne. The gypsy woman, with her little daughter and her gorilla, has for several days been traveling through this section and many complaints had reached the officers concerning them. The woman rattled a tambourine, while the gorilla danced. The child begged and the trio found it very profitable. Keating asked the woman to show her county license. She was unable to comply and the officer attempted to arrest her. Her resistance caused the gorilla to show fight. Keating was badly bitten and blood-poisoning is feared.
Earlier Odd and Old News:
There are many, but here are the most recent:
- A Parent’s Worst Fear Stories of a Century Ago
- The Wreck of the Steamer ‘Active’ North of Shelter Cove
- Early Adventures in Automotive Travel
- A Trip Up the Coast to Crescent City
- ‘Dope Evil Plainly Growing,’ Warns Early Eureka Newspaper
- A Real Fight With a Bear Up Mad River
- A Carriage Ride Down the Coast in 1892
- Lively Times At Klondike
- Drinking And Gambling Didn’t Mix
- The Round Valley Coal Fields
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was this at sidelines?
In the collection of stories from the Times Standard 1880-1900 and 1900-1920 there are many stories of the gypsies coming, you would think it was murderers, drug dealers and rapists in caravans coming for us from Mexico in todays words. Turns out they were harmless families fleeing Honduras and El Salvador. How history repeats itself and fear drives men to anger. Trump at least learned this from history.
Except of course for the gangs and drug transporters…
12 is scarier. How about the irish travellers are taking over the area. The drug lord prison gangleader became president of Rhodesia. Then the collapse followed quickly. The travellers are good tin smith and some, not all are dangerous fighters. They can not however run a country, city or State with out the entire thing failing. Go back to tin smithing or growing flowers, preferably tulips, preferably on the coast. If not give the land back. Plant redwoods.
I once heard that a certain group given this label (though perhaps from a later era) used to harvest willow from the sides of Maple Creek Road. They would then fashion it into outdoor furniture and sell it to summer campers along the Avenue. At the end of the season, the stools and tables could be burned in campfires or left to decompose. Skillful use of a free, renewable resource for the makers, zero-waste local product for the consumer, and free road maintenance for the town!
I had a friend in Berkeley who told me that her family spent the summers in the Steven’s Grove campground that was lost in ’64.. Her father would come on weekends.. The gypsies wold come with camp furniture and sell it very inexpensively.. The campers would stack and burn the furniiture at the end of the season in a farewell party..
Ever been in a place where tourists are mobbed by a woman carrying a baby accompanied other assorted children begging for money then as they reach for their wallet, they find they have already helped themselves to it? As they look up, they find everyone has disappeared without a trace. Not that if they found there’s any chance of getting the wallet (or anything else) back. Best to just have a sense of humor about it and don’t be such an easy mark in the future. It’s just business after all.
Gorilla or baboon–not very similar really. Which was it?
The newspaper writer who wrote the story failed to make that distinction, didn’t they! From the description of tossing the men around and needing lassoing, I sort of assumed it was a gorilla, but that’s just an opinion. Large baboons are crazy strong too. I did go looking for another article about ‘gypsies’ and trained monkeys but found nothing.
Actually, there are some articles about trained circus baboons in the circus in this era…. and I have found none about gorillas, my assumption was probably wrong!
Painted buses and vans wearing brightly colored garb…offering mystical gifts while simultaneously begging and hustling and yes even stealing if they can (they call it “borrowing”)- hmmm- this sounds like hippies to me! Deadheads and hippies- and if you don’t keep them moving along they will just stay and set up shop until they overrun and take over your town. Oops- Too late now, Humboldt!!
We care everywhere…
And the previous newcomers were called “Okies”..
Might have been a oversized chimpanzee army ?
I recall when I was younger, Grandmother would lock the back door when answering the front door. She swore the Gypsies would come through the back if it was not locked.
I never saw these mysterious Gypsies that Grandma spoke of.
In Italy, back in the Old Country…
My father in law’s family kept talking about the Gypsies, the Gypsies that were living down the road. And he never saw any tents or vagabonds or these so called Gypsies. So he eventually says okay, where are all these Gypsies living that you guys keep talking about ⁉️
Turned out that if your house is built out of wood and not made of stone, they called you a gypsy back then because your house wasn’t permanent! I’m not sure if that’s still the case or not but it was (My father in law is in his 80s ;)…