Posted on 09/20/2002 9:37:35 PM PDT by Shermy
Some local authorities will not refer to Madelyn Gorman/Toogood and Margaret Daley as 'Travelers' but a local expert on Travelers says from the video he's seen, he believes the women are Irish Travelers. There are an estimated 12,000 to 20,000 Irish Travelers in the United States, mostly in South Carolina and Texas. This is where it is believed Gorman and her family is from.
Travelers live a nomadic lifestyle, moving from town to town in large groups to do seasonal work but they've also been labeled, by some, as scam artists. Most Irish Travelers in this country are descendents of 19th century Irish immigrants. They are also known as Irish gypsies or "tinkers".
Traveler expert
Elkhart resident Don Wright has been investigating the Travelers for 24 years. He's published books including one called 'Scam!'. Wright says many of these scams take place in our own backyard. Between April and October, there are between 15 to 20 families in the Michiana area running these scams. When Wright saw the Kohl's parking lot assault video, he knew this was more than just a case of child abuse.
After seeing the video, Traveler expert Don Wright says he called police and other Travelers and came to this conclusion. "I started making calls right away and found out, yes indeed, they were Irish Travelers."
Reasons behind the beating
Wright believes the beating happened for one of two reasons. "The little girl gave away the scam to an employee or the mom was so ticked off at not getting refunds she took it out on the little girl. As far as beating a kid like this, I've never heard of it."
Wright has heard of Travelers working in the Michiana area. He says certain things in the video lend him to believe these women are Travelers. "The fact that the license plate was from Texas - I knew who they were."
Why do they travel here?
Wright wrote about Travelers who travel from Fort Worth, Texas to Indiana in his 1996 book called 'Scam!' "A majority of the Travelers come to Elkhart a few times a year to pick up travel trailers they use for different scams." Wright says the trailer is a scam in and of itself. They live in it until they can sell it for an exorbitant price. Meanwhile, men of the Travelers do house scams and the women do shoplifting scams. Wright says it is common to take along their children. "This is on the job training for kids. They learn to shoplift at their mothers elbows."
Prosecutor Chris Toth said today that the reason Kohl's began to follow these two women and their daughters was because they had scammed the store before. Police in Fort Worth say in March they arrested Madelyn Gorman for an alleged theft at Kohls.
Good one!
It's available online. Also Donn Byrne wrote a number of books about the Irish gypsies and the Irish tinkers. I wouldn't be at all surprised if these two groups are related, but they keep themselves apart at this point (at least in Ireland).
I enjoy visiting with the Rom that I meet at the horse sales, I too enjoy reading about their traditions. And they really know their horses. I have been riding, training, etc. for 40 years and even the little ones know more than I do. If I were to buy a grai from them I'm sure they would cheat me blind! And in the horse business it is DEFINITELY "buyer beware"! If I'm seriously looking, not "just looking", I take along my trainer AND my vet! :D
No outsider is welcome there. The girls marry at 14, or so, and usually move into a large home that has been provided by the parents -- right next door. I've read that any one who blabs about what they are up to is beaten, or murdered, by the others. If these women really are part of that group, it explains a lot about their actions. Not an excuse -- just an explanation.
In 1956, when I was in college, I was working at JC Penney's. The fabric department received a whole shipment of pure silk chiffon for $1/yd -- pricey for fabric in those days, but reasonable for real silk. As an employee, I saw it first and immediately bought enough in Champagne to make a formal with a bouffant skirt, even though I did not have a pattern in mind.
It was lucky that I made such a quick decision, because the next day the Gypsies came through and bought every last inch of every color of silk chiffon on the table. All of the reds, oranges, purples, blacks, etc. became Gypsie creations, but I had enough to make my dress.
How refreshing to meet a poster who is so well-read. Because frankly, George Borrow is a somewhat obscure author. I think that's because his books tend to defy classification--you might call them biography, but then they have elements of fiction, as well as poetry, and on and on. Anyway his books and his life are fascinating. And he did know gypsies, didn't he? Some of his contacts with such people took place in the British Isles, and some in Spain. (The Bible In Spain.) So he was definitely familiar with different "strains" of these very interesting people.
These people, be they Roma or the ones who look different and now call themselves Irish Travellers, are a fascinating group, but no one can deny that they are clannish. Judging from the many accounts I've read of "gadjos" who fell in with them and travelled with them, they would not trust such an outsider unless he really proved that he meant them no harm. Outsiders should be equally wary about trusting them, as I still maintain that it is a part of their culture that cheating an outsider is not really morally objectionable. I am glad to see that you exercise these precautions in dealing with them.
IMO, no matter how clever any one of us "gadjos" may think we are, we are no match for any average gypsy or Irish Traveller, in the sharp-dealing department.
When operating in a certain area, a traveling group contacts and pays "dues" to a local "Gypsy King" who intervenes with payouts to people who have had property or money stolen, and manage to get the cops to actually catch the operator(s). There are seldom any trials because the victims are made whole: but you gotta catch 'em.
The "king" usually has a working relationship with one or more detectives on the local PD who'll arrange payments to victims.
They do false ID's, steal airline tix at travel agencies, and basically travel the world with autonomy. The amount of money they can get in a few knocking stings is huge....One old man was parted with $80,000 he kept in a steel box in his bedroom. The guy at the front door said he was from the water department. Another guy went in the back door and stole what he could find. PAYDAY!
The dough they make doing driveway and roofing scams is just the maintenance-level cash; what they really want to do is get inside the house.
The travelers' religious mythology has it that they have recieved dispensation from Christ to steal.
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