Old Missoula

Missoula’s Gypsies – Not Regrettable

Around the turn of the last century Missoula was a very different town from what it would become. A small, but vital little hub of several busy industries, the town attracted a wide variety of western folks. Railroaders, loggers, miners, mill workers, farmers, ranchers, Indians, soldiers, Chinese, and many merchants kept the place hopping. It even had a tiny university enabling a few locals to lay claim to small morsels of culture and higher education. It also featured the tenuous ones that migrated in and out of the valley when the climate permitted, and who forever reminded citizens they weren’t far from the chaotic days of the previous century. Such were the gypsy fortune tellers, some of whom are described below. Smoky women, dark-eyed with milk white, gleaming teeth, and hair “blacker than four miles”; silver-clad men with dark whiskers who presided like major-domo bandits; no surprise these people sometimes attracted Missoula’s curious souls, all the while providing acrobatic Missoulian journalists a bountiful source of capricious fanciful tales as they endeavored to entertain readers without offending them.

 

Lore of Gypsy Fortune Teller

Missoula Young People Visit Camp And Get Glimpse Of The Future

A band of gypsies blew into town yesterday morning and camped just beyond the Bitter Root tracks near the river. They set up several smoky-looking tents and half a dozen or so smoky-looking women in the party went about the city telling fortunes for what they could get. The men stayed at the camp and distinguished themselves by doing nothing at all. The gypsies came from somewhere in the south of Europe originally, but, according to their own story, they have been a long time in America. They speak a language in use in one of the provinces of Hungary, but they also know enough English to tell fortunes.

As usual, there is a tribal chief, who acts as majordomo of the camp and wears a few more silver ornaments than the others. His daughter Nizee is the reputed queen of the gypsies and she is also the boss fortune teller of the lot. Her hair is blacker than four miles of Stygian darkness and the slumbering fire of her eyes glints and glows with passing emotions.

Lore of Persian Magi.

The gypsy queen is young, but she has a wise look that doubtless has been acquired from peering assiduously into the future. The mysteries of the Persian magi, the lore of the Chaldean sages, and the unexplainable feats of the Egyptian priests are to her an open book, so the gypsy says.

When Nizee essays to roll back the curtain of the future, the inscrutable ways of Providence are laid bare. She drags Mystery forth by the scruff of the neck and dangles it in the fierce white light of publicity. All this she does if the visitor but cross her hand with silver. The bigger the coin the clearer is her vision, so strangely do the principles of Nizee’s clairvoyance work.

Yesterday afternoon a party of young people from Missoula strolled out to the gypsy camp and persuaded Nizee to tell their fortunes. With such a thriving business in prospect the gypsy chief was even more affable than usual. He wore black whiskers with the negligee air of a skye terrier and his general makeup was that of a stage bandit.

“Hava da Fortune Tell?”

A flock of dirty children greeted the visitors and it was only after the young men in the party had distributed what small coins they had among the brood and had given them presents of pocket knives and lead pencils that they were persuaded to go back to the grimy tents.

“Hava de fortune tell?” smiled the bandit. “You see Nizee?”

“We seem easy?” asked one of the young men. “Who says we seem easy?”

“No, no, no!” expostulated the chief, rubbing his palms. “You see Nizee; Nizee, de queen of da fortune tell.”

“Oh, Nizee. Sure; we want our fortunes told. Trot her out.”

The bandit chief withdrew to a respectful distance and Nizee began plying her profession with the easy grace of one accustomed to the game.

She talked to the members of the party one at a time, so that any repetitions or mistakes could be better smoothed over.

“Geev me da han’,” said Nizee in a voice that purred like a kitten. “Place here da coin. So. For larger price I tell you more. Yes, yes, I am pleased at so much generosity. Ah, I see you hava da good luck. You are strong, generous and have much brightness before you. I see you climb long, long ladder. At de top eez a bright light. You reach for it and slip back. Bimeby you climb higher and reach de light.”

Good Luck Charm.

“You have disappoint in love.” She was talking to one of the young men. “De girl eez foolish, but soon she see her mistek and she turn to you. See, I geev you good luck charm. Eet make all girls turn to you.”

To the young ladies she gave talismans that are supposed to exert an influence on men. With one of Nizee’s talismans love-making is as easy as shooting fish in a barrel, at least so she says.

Nizee knew how to flatter and to do it adroitly. When she would look directly into some young man’s eyes and tell him that he exerted a strange fascination over the opposite sex, the young man would usually throw out his chest and drink it all in. Then, too, the girls were equally as gullible.

“You maka da good frien’, many, many frien’,” she said to one girl. “Da young man, he can not resist you. He come when you call heem; he ees meeserable when you do not smile. Ah, I see it in you han’ dat you are a coquette, but you can love, of, so strong, when you fin’ de right man! Ees eet not so?”

The Exceptional One.

“Yes,” murmured the young lady with rapt attention.

“But I see here, one young man who does not feel zee attract of your glance. He is so stupid zat he can not see you are more beautiful dan zee other girls. He is careless of your feelings; he pays not zee homage you would have him. Eet ees not your fault he is so dumb. Eet is zee influence of some wicket person who would take him away. I geev da good luck charm to you.”

The young lady nodded as if she recognized the stubborn young man and carefully tucked the charm away for future reference. Doubtless that young man will soon feel the influence of magic and begin to wonder at his change of heart.

Whenever Nizee discovered something wrong she would bestow a talisman that would sweep away difficulties like chaff before the wind.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on March 21, 1906.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/349401573/

 

Gypsy Maiden’s Deft Fingers

Adam Reinhardt Is Neatly Separated From His Money.

Adam Reinhardt, a well known resident of the Camas Prairie district, blew in yesterday to participate in the Labor day festivities, if there was anything doing, but the celebration was not of the kind that he was accustomed to in the good old days, so he sought other diversions.

There are a number of gypsy camps located in the north end of town, and for several days past pretty dark-eyed maidens have been drifting about promiscuously endeavoring to cheer up the careworn by leading them beyond the present and into the bright future.

Reinhardt thought he would take a flyer at the game, and while sauntering down North Second street, in close proximity to the depot, he ran across one of the gypsy girls, who proved quite an attraction to him. It was not necessary for him to be the least forward in seeking an introduction. Things came his way. The dark little maiden brushed up to him and acquainted him of her occupation. She took his big, calloused hand in hers and soon he was in ecstasies.

She told him of the bright future that was in store for him, and of the golden shekels that he might expect to reap from the crops of his little 10-acre patch. Everything was to be rosy. She told him to beware of a dark lady, who would endeavor to defraud him of his wealth, and admonished him to be careful. To all this he assented most knowingly.

But little did he dream that the climax was so close at hand.

He departed in the best of spirits, but it was not many minutes afterwards that he realized how true were the last words of the little gypsy girl. He had met the dark lady sooner than he had expected. The $35 which he had rolled up securely in his vest pocket had disappeared, and so had the little gypsy girl.

Reinhardt at once reported his experience to the police department, and Officer John Huckaba was assigned to look into the matter. A careful search of an hour developed no results, and then the sheriff’s office was acquainted with the incident. Sheriff Davis Graham started out last evening and succeeded in locating the camp where it is supposed the gypsy girl lives, and it is quite probable that she will be brought into the justice court this morning to explain what has become of Reinhardt’s bills.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on September 5, 1905.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/348677658/?terms=gypsy

 

Gypsy Girl Is Held In Bonds

Must Answer Grand Larceny Charge In The District Court.

Elene Adam, the gypsy girl who is alleged to have taken $30 from Adam Reinhardt’s watch pocket while engaged in telling his fortune, must answer to the charge of grand larceny in the district court. She was given a preliminary hearing yesterday afternoon in Judge Hayes’ court and she was held in $250 bonds.

Elene, the fortune teller is a picturesque person with her snapping black eyes, dusky complexion and her silver ornaments. When she smiles she displays a row of milk white teeth that gleam and glisten like a front view of a china closet. She speaks English poorly but upon being addressed in Spanish, she turns loose a torrent of explosive words by way of expressing her pent-up feelings.

The band of gypsies with whom Elene lives came from Butte a few days since. Formerly they lived in South America where they learned Spanish in addition to their strange Gypsy tongue. Half a dozen men and two women of the tribe were in the court room yesterday where the hearing was going on. Occasionally they would break in on the proceedings with a burst of eloquence that sounded like escaping steam. Then the court would admonish them to be quiet and to refrain from interrupting the witness.

Adam Reinhardt’s story was briefly told. He lives at 245 East Railroad avenue and he was at home yesterday when the two gypsy women came.

“How much you geeve me for good luck?” asked the dark-eyed Elene with an engaging smile. She took Mr. Reinhardt’s hand and peered into it thoughtfully. He replied that a dollar ought to be enough if the luck was good. The deal was made.

While Elene was endeavoring to roll back the curtain of the future, Mr. Reinhardt said she touched his watch pocket where he kept his money. Five minutes later when she had gone he discovered that the money was missing. He started on a hunt for the gypsies but without success. Then he informed the officers of his loss and early this morning Elene and her companion were brought to town.

George Schmidt who was at the Reinhardt house at the time of the gypsies’ visit testified to practically the same thing. He saw her touch the pocket where Reinhardt’s money was kept, but the little hand fluttered away again as quick as thought, and he did not see her take the money.

The gypsy woman was placed on the stand in her own behalf where she vehemently denied stealing the money.

“I tella de fortune” she said with a toothsome smile, “I no taka de money.” She shook her black hair emphatically as she closed her statement.

Judge Hayes said that he believed that the evidence was strong enough to warrant him binding her over to the district court and he placed her bond at $250. In a moment the gypsies called a council of war and soon they came back from the hallway where they held their consultations with the necessary amount to get Elene her liberty. The $250 was all in $5 gold pieces. They said they had more where that came from if it became necessary to dig it up.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on September 6, 1905

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Charge Of Robbery Is Dropped

Gypsy Fortune Teller Is Allowed To Go And Her Bond Released

Elene Adam, the gypsy fortune teller, will not be tried on the charge of grand larceny in the district court. County Attorney W. L. Murphy directed that the charge against her be dropped and her bond released. It was decided that the evidence against her was insufficient to secure a conviction, so she was allowed to go.

Elene was accused of stealing $30 from Adam Reinhardt’s pocket a few days since, while she was telling his fortune. She was held to the district court after a preliminary hearing in Judge Hayes’ court.

The band of gypsies with whom Elene Adam lived has been camped a short distance from the city ever since she was arrested. They furnished her a cash bond in the sum of $250 in order to secure her liberty until the trial came off in district court. They made preparations to stay in Missoula indefinitely or until she should ultimately be released.

The gypsies are not desirable as residents and no one regrets that they are leaving.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on September 9, 1905.

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