THE GIPSIES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 1970, 4 January 1907, Page 3

THE GIPSIES.

The community, upon the outer fringe of Sydenham. Christchurch, towards the loot of Colombo street, is perturbed in spirit at the appearance in its midst of a band of Mexican Gipsies. The swarthy strangers, comprising three husbands, three wives, and an aggregate family of 13, making 19 all told, arrived from the North Island, and pitched camp in a large open paddock close to the tram terminus.' Synchronising with their. advent the neighbors are reported to have felt that unconsidered trifles in the way of poultry, pigeons, eggs, fruit, vegetables, etc., were

eggs, fruit, vegetables, etc., were vanishing into tluu air so far as their former proprietors were concerned. Several housewives were also more than a little alarmed by the appearance at their doors of truculentlooking aliens. A landowner in the locality complains that a portion of his potato patch lias been dug, and a considerable area of his peas devastated. Ho makes no insinuation, hut entertains a somewhat definite opinion on the subject. A Truth reporter visited the camp on Saturday, but, as a policeman had paid his respects only a few moments previously, his reception during its earlier stages could not honestly bo characterised as either open-hearted or cordial. When the reporter revealed his identity, however, the leader of the band described himself as a cowboy, and stated they had come to Cliristcliurcn for the purpose of affording him an opportunity of riding” horses at the Exhibition. “Mexico no good,” he said; “Australia very hot; New Zealand? Oil, Now Zealand very good. -Very health people, very kind. Wo six months away from Mexico. Get back in six months. Going to Australia again, and after to no mb ay.