Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 162, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1913 — GYPSY PATRIARCH DIED MONDAY NIGHT [ARTICLE]

GYPSY PATRIARCH DIED MONDAY NIGHT

Nomads Encamped Neat Monticello When Messenger Came—-Body Taken to Danville, 111. Monticello Journal. For about a week past a tribe of nomads have been in White county and have been camped for the most of the time on the land of The Hydraulic Company across the river from Norway. There are twenty wagons with men, women and children galore, but principally children. One of old men, Thomas Nicholas, has been seriously ill for some time and died last night at about 11 o’clock at the age of 77 years. The services of Biederwolf & Meredith, undertakers, were called in and arrangements are being made today to take the body to Danville, 111. Clarence Watkins took two men of the tribe over there is his auto today to arrange for the burial and the body will be taken there tomorrow on Bryan’s auto truck. A party will accompany it in other autos. The' deceased owned a. large farm in North Dakota (md was reputed to be a man of much wealth. He leaves three sons. Nearly all of those in the company seem- to be related to him in some degree and he was the king or patriarch of the tribe. There are several men in the company who arC members in good standing of the prominent secret orders of the country. Green Emile, one of them, is a member of Laurens Lodge, No. 75, F. & A. M., Dublin, Georgia, and of Monroe Encampment, I. O. O. F., Monroe, Georgia. J. C. Nicholas is of Dante K. of P. lodge, 683, Chicago. Eli Miller, a coppersmith, is a member of East Peoria, No. 668, I. O. O. F. and of Dante lodge, 683, K. -Of P. All carry their cards showing them to be in good standing and talk lodge work intelligently. All of them seem to have plenty of money and have been buying freely here in the stores. It is evident they belong to the “Back to Nature” Club, as the attire of the children is simplicity itself and in some instances of the style extant before Mother Eve and Father Adam ate of the apple. Last night while the patriarch was dying in his abode, someone, presumably of the neighborhood of Norway, set off a charge of dynamite among or near the horses, causing them to break loose and scatter all over the neighborhood. Under the circumstances it was a dastardly and cowardly act. The people had delayed their journey on account of tjie illness of this man .and they were deserving of a ittle forbearance and courtesy at the least.