Pat and Marion Russell McLeansboroTimesLeader.com I’d like to share more of my great-aunt Sylvia (Cottingham) Deem’s memories with you. On summer day mother was ironing under the shade of the backyard maple trees. A small horse-drawn wagon stopped in front of our house and the occupants, a lady and two small children, alighted from the wagon and walked to where mother was working. The lady proceeded to tell a sad story about her circumstances, saying her husband had abandoned her and their two small children and she had no financial means of support. She said a neighbor, Mr. Johnson, whom we knew, had offered to let her live in a house on his farm, rent free, and she was asking some of the good people in the neighborhood to give her some chickens or anything they could spare to help her establish a home. Mother’s heart was touched, and she caught four nice fat hens and gave them to her along with some of my outgrown clothes. After thanking mother profusely, the visitors left, going back in the direction from which they had come. About four o’clock that afternoon we were surprised to see that wagon with the same women and children as riders passing our house as the horse was being urged along at a fast a pace; and in the back of the wagon, in full view, was a large crate completely filled with chickens. We soon learned that she belonged to a band of gypsies camped at the fairgrounds near McLeansboro. Roving groups of gypsies, traveling in covered wagons were common at that time. They would make camp wherever they could, roam the countryside and with great stealth and cleverness beg or steal. I was deathly afraid of gypsies as I had head that they would steal small children and take them away with them. True or false? I never knew. One day the folks went to town, and they left me at home alone. I looked out the front door, and I was almost sure I saw a covered wagon coming from the west toward our house. I thought “Oh, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? I closed the door, and ran down through the field just as hard as I could go. We had some split rail fences then, and I got in the corner of one. It wasn’t too far from the road and I was where I could see the road. When the vehicle came along I could see it was just a buggy with dust all over the top of it. After that time with the chickens, my dad said, “Don’t you give anything. If the gypsies come here don’t give them on thing.” Later another bunch came along and stopped right in front of the house. They pulled right up in the yard. They had a baby and they wanted to know if they could get some milk for it. Mother said, “No, I’m sorry, we can’t give you anything.” From the McLeansboro Times-Leader Newspaper When dad came home she told him, and he said “Well, you could have given the baby some milk.” The gypsies were very clever, and one time they took some money from Clarence Henderson’s dad. He was sitting in the yard when they came by. While one was telling his fortune the other was stealing the money. Part of that money was a dollar bill that had been signed my Clarence’s brother Monroe. It was the first dollar issued by the bank where Monroe was president. Tip Henderson had that dollar in a long, snap-top purse that he had rolled up in his pocket, and this gal got it. I remember it well, because I was picking blackberries that day. We got word that they had stolen the money from Mr. Henderson, and I said “Let’s get out of here. We don’t want to run into them.” We went down to one of the neighbors and got the whole story. Of course, things traveled fast then. We didn’t have radios, or too many telephones, but somebody going down the road would tell the next neighbor, and they would go on to the next one. The whole countryside knew in a very short time that Tip Henderson had had some money stolen by gypsies. It was funny. The gypsies went by the constable’s house, and he had already gotten the word. They were going to beg from him, but he arrested them right there. Until another day, God Bless!Thanks to the 79 people who have commented on our articles. We have enjoyed hearing from everyone. Pat and Marion Russell, you may call us at:618-231-7110.