Newspaper Reports 7

1887 A REAL GYPSY QUEEN USA

She tells fortunes in a secluded spot on Coney Island

Few of the thousands who journey to Coney island are aware of the fact that the popular seaside resort contains within its limits a real live Queen,yet such is fact, Cynthia Gray whose tent stands in a secluded corner of the west end,just opposite Clarendon hotel is a Queen of a part of the human race whose origin has puzzled the learned of all nations.

Queen of a people who are spread over every land and of subjects who know no allegiance,yet cruel fate has ordained that Cynthia was to make a living by revealing the future and as there are plenty in this world who believe in palmistry her income is greater than many of her sister Queens in exile.

The travels of a Queen are usually accompanied by the firing of cannons and the beating of drums and people turn out by thousands to stare at and welcome the August Potentate. Poor Cynthia however was welcomed to Coney island

By the hoarse cries of the tin type capper and the jeers of Hoodlums, yet the best Romany blood in England flows in her veins and in her husband's Sydney, he is tall olive eyed Gypsy and talks English like an Oxford undergraduate,the Grays were born in Norfolk,where their ancestors lived in tents for generations , Lord Snffield whose seat is in that county was attracted to the little Gypsy boy while on a visit to the camp and had him educated at a Herefordshire college, but the nomadic instincts which young Sydney had were too much for him and he returned to his family, Sydney's ancestors were horse dealer's, while he is also a Horse dealer, The wagon in which the family travel in England is furnished like a Palace and cost £300 you can give me the finest house on fifth avenue said Mr Gray I wouldn't live in it,my greatest sorrow was my youngest child was born in a house we were unable to get south last winter,otherwise she would have been born in a tent.

The child referred to is a pretty blonde baby girl 5mths old and was born in Brooklyn, her hair strange to say will become as black as a raven's wing,the gypsy Queen's greatest feat in Palmistry was accomplished 7 years ago on the race course at Chelmsford Essex England, when she foretold Fred Archer's death, the great English Jockey who was riding his brother Charlie's horse at the course, he walked over to the Gypsy camp and asked Cynthia to read his hand, the Queen glanced at his palm and immediately dropped his hand and said a sudden death by you own hand young Gentleman, poor Archer laughed, but it came true with the death of his brother.

Cynthia sister is Princess Kioni the most beautiful gypsy girl in England George R Sims the dramatist made her the central figure in his gypsy drama The Romany Rye and Sands the royal Academician painted her portrait,for 2 years it drew all London to the National Academy.

Heron Allen the young Englishman who came over to this country to tell Americans about Palmistry visited the Grays in New York and had his hand read by Cynthia,he said it was an astonishing thing and thought the Gypsy Queen the equal of Desbarrolles. In England the Grays whose Gypsy kin Palengro were visited by the Prince of Wales Lord Lurgen the Marquis of Harrington and other English noblemen,there are only 15 families having Genuine Romany blood in their veins in England,they are found in the Eastern country,not one of the older Romany can read or write,the language is handed down from generation to generation by sound, their customs are similar to those of the natives of India,when Mr Gray's grandfather died his grandmother burned his wearing apparel wagon and horse and everything that belonged to him.

The Gypsies are a people supposed by some to be descendants of Israel,but Mr Gray says that there are not more than 30 Hebrew words in their Language, some of the words are of Coptic and others of Persian derivation,these wanders of mankind are of Hindoostanee or Suder Origin.

Mrs Gray tells me no two human hands are alike.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1907*ROMANCE OF GYPSY QUEEN NOW HERE

Foretold Child's death and was loved by English Earl

Gypsy Madge whose real name is Madge Hicks is the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter and is not only a real English Gypsy of the most aristocratic of the Romany tribes,but has had at least 2 remarkable romances in her life,which a Free press reporter can vouch for.

Several years ago while staying in Manchester England the writer was told a Strange story by a lady friend which marked the first instance of the exercise of the remarkable powers of the Gypsy Queen.

Oldham is a great mill centre about half a dozen miles from Manchester and here the father and mother of gypsy Madge carried on their fortune telling business with marked success,one day a little black eyed girl with curly hair was playing in the fields when the Manchester lady telling the story came by with her little boy, she got into conversation with the gypsy girl ,she asked her if she could tell fortunes, Madge said she could as she had seen it done often.

, she was asked to tell the fortune of the little boy and said the lady would lose him to a watery death in 3 days,coincidence or wild guess, 3 days later the little boy did drown.........the mother told the writer the story has always since had a belief in the claims of gypsies to have occult powers.

Gypsy Madge thus made her first fortune telling under tragic circumstances the lady seeking her parents heartbroken

days after her lost,if she had not treated it as a jest perhaps she could have saved her boy.

In later years Madge who was a beautiful girl fell in love and was loved in turn by and English peer......... the Earl of.......... as this is a true story and he is still living and married happily the name is with held.

The young earl's family bitterly opposed the romance and hurried him out of England for a term of years and bribed /Madge's parents to emigrate to the States........ later Madge was engaged to Robert Lee who was King of the Gypsies, but she remained unwed and confesses that the power of fortune telling her own fate is not given her.

The celebrated palmist Louise who is associated with gypsy Madge in the present venture is a most remarkable judge of character.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1884- April 22nd *A GYPSY QUEEN'S FUNERAL ( This Algurrey Stanley - daughter of Owen & Harriet Stanley )

Dayton Ohio –

 GANNIE JEFFERS Queen of the Gypsies of the united states died at Greenfield Tenn – March 10th and was buried today, the gypsies are encamped all about the city to the number of 1.500 travelling by wagon from all parts of the country, The Queen was embalmed and laid out in Nashville Tenn

immediately upon her death and when brought to this city where her tribe own considerable property and a large lot in Woodland Cemetery where lie buried the former Queen & King of the Gypsy tribe of this nation, she looked beautiful, she was in a handsome casket made of the finest wood and lined with the finest silks and satins and mounted with gold and jewels. The lot belonging to the Gypsies is marked by a beautiful and monument

of granite shipped from Greece, the funeral procession which was composed entirely of Gypsies formed in the northern section of the city and marched to the southern extremity of the city where the cemetery is located. At the grave a rope was stretched around it leaving an enclosure large enough for the mourners to stand ,the funeral services were conducted by one of the leading pastors of this city with the choir of his church.

There were stifled cries and sobs as the mourners gathered about the grave, the preacher referred to the deceased whom he had known personally in life, she had been a Christian ,he said and the bible she had worn with reading was placed at her feet.