Evansville History: Queen of Gypsies Buried at Oak Hill Cemetery
BY JOHNNY KINCAID
MARCH 29, 2024
The 128th anniversary of a huge “Royal” funeral in Evansville. The “Queen of the Gypsies” Elizabeth Stanley Harrison, was laid to rest in Oakhill Cemetery on April 1, 1896.
Elizabeth and her husband Isaac were the leaders of the Romany gypsies when the tribe migrated from England to the United States in the mid-1800s.
In Evansville, the Harrisons and Elisabeth’s brother, Adam Stanley, owned a large tract of land along Stringtown Road near Pigeon Creek. They lived in a large Victorian mansion in what is now the 500 block of Olmstead Avenue. That home was the scene of an annual convention of the gypsies and Tribe members would pitch tents and camp on the land around the mansion.
Elizabeth died in Corinth, MS, in November 1895, and her body was brought back to Evansville for burial. But, time was needed to allow the Gypsie tribe members to travel to attend the funeral and the body was stored for five months.
The funeral was the most prominent in Evansville’s history. Newspaper reports said over 6,000 people gathered at Oak Hill Cemetary to watch. Many spectators had heard that her wagon and possessions would all be burned. The spectacle didn’t happen; instead, it was a simple, short ceremony conducted by a Presbyterian minister.
Four years later, Isaac was killed while breaking up a fight between his sons. His body was held for three weeks until he was buried at Oak Hill Cemetary.The couple’s burial site is marked with an obelisk in section 23 near a statue of a Confederate soldie
Freedom, Indiana – AuthorAndrew Horning is the Libertarian Party of Indiana’s candidate for Indiana’s US Senate seat in 2024.
It is, of course, true that Libertarians oppose unconstitutional, costly and inevitably destructive “government programs” that make up most of what government does to us today. But when people use that against us, as if we’re who’s wrong, they’re ignoring reality.
The voters our government brings across our borders, may help with the demographic problem of too many retirees per taxpayer. That’s one of the many reasons our government has been encouraging illegal border crossings since Reagan’s administration. But the new aliens may not share our priorities, and may not want to pay into a system doomed by our government’s obvious priority of foreign entanglements, foreign aid, endless wars, and relentless spying, lying and crony capitalism here at home.
So, shall we continue to reelect people who rob millions of taxpayers 15.3% of their salary in combined OASDI and HI payroll taxes, as they prepare to stab millions of retirees in the back?
This is worth repeating: The over-lauded keystones of FDR’s New Deal, and LBJ’s Great Society, Social Security, and Medicare/Medicaid are failing. And we’re all paying for it, in every way.
While Libertarians rightly disdain impossible political promises, they are still promises. And we believe in keeping promises. There are ways to keep promises to citizens, by nullifying our other problems. Ask me how.
It’s time to stop reelecting this catastrophic Two Puppet Party train wreck. We need to FIX THIS to avoid genuinely impoverishing fiscal, monetary and social calamity. NOW!
Indiana State Police Regional Dispatch Center (Fort Wayne) Hiring Shift Supervisor
MARCH 29, 2024
(Fort Wayne, IN)- The Indiana State Police is accepting applications for a Shift Supervisor at the Region II Dispatch Center which is located at the Fort Wayne Post 5811 Ellison Road, Fort Wayne. The Region II Dispatch Center covers the Fort Wayne Post (11) county region, as well as the Peru Post (7) county region.
A Regional Dispatch Center Shift Supervisor’s primary responsibility is to provide shift supervision to Regional Dispatchers to ensure efficient and accurate telecommunications operation relating to operational and personnel functions at the Regional Dispatch Center, including the oversight and use of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, Records Management System (RMS), Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL), Geographical Information System (GIS) and other Regional Dispatch Center resources.
Duties include direct supervision of Regional Dispatch Center communications operational personnel, operational functions, and assignments. The Dispatch Shift Supervisor will evaluate, train and schedule dispatchers as well as need to understand and anticipate dispatchers’ work needs and be able to take appropriate actions. You will participate in the selection of new Regional Dispatchers as required and work with the Regional Dispatch Center Manager to maintain efficient operation of the radio room and act as Assistant District Coordinator of Indiana Data and Communications System (IDACS). Responsibilities include assisting with covering all shifts during illness, vacations, and other shortages.
Pay starts at $53,222.00 per year but may be adjusted based on education, experience, and training. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement plans, and accrued time off.
For more information and to apply, go to joinispfamily.com. The application deadline is Sunday April 14, 2024. Questions about this position can be directed to Regional Dispatch Center II Manager Brad Deane at (260)432-8661 (option 8).
Typically requires a bachelor’s degree preferably in Industrial Distribution or related field. The Trainee also participates in various online and satellite…
Communicates technical information to technical and non-technical stakeholders and meets customers daily or as required to ensure high levels of customer…
PARIS, France—The warning came not long before it was time to board the train.
The French government had issued its highest-level threat alert. Everyone should be watchful.
The mass shooting in a Moscow concert hall that killed at least 137 people, for which the Islamic State claimed credit—such a twisted “achievement” over which to take a bow—prompted the heightened security.
The French had reason to feel wary. The massacre in Russia carried with it echoes of a similar horror in Paris in 2015, when a series of coordinated attacks left 130 people dead and another 400 wounded.
With the tourist season about to begin in earnest and the Paris Olympics approaching, France offers many potential targets for terrorists.
On the nearly three-hour ride from Avignon to the Gare de Lyon—Paris’ train station for travelers coming from and headed to the south—I watched the passengers for signs they were concerned.
And saw none.
Across the aisle, a little boy midway between the baby and toddler stages amused everyone within earshot with his burbles and exclamations. Taking the train wasn’t a trip for him. It was an adventure and he wanted everyone around to know it.
After he fell asleep, the travelers settled into their routines. Most scrolled on their phones. Others read or did work on their laptops. Still others dozed.
When we arrived in Paris, the interlude ended.
Security personnel in their distinctive black uniforms were positioned every 15 or 20 steps. They scanned the crowd for any hint of trouble or danger.
At the turnstiles where passengers enter and leave the boarding platform, guards pulled disembarking travelers aside to open and inspect their bags. Some passengers even got pat-down body searches.
That wasn’t the case when I left from this train station less than a week ago to amble around Provence. Then, anyone with the proper ticket could stroll onto his or her train undisturbed.
But that was before the Islamic State made clear it was issuing statements again—and punctuating them with tragedies on a large scale.
More caution seems merited.
The question is whether it will make a difference.
Russia is one of the most closely guarded police states on the planet. The Russian people must endure invasions of privacy and deprivations of personal autonomy most residents of the self-governing world would struggle to tolerate for an hour, much less their entire lives.
And yet the murderers associated with the Islamic State circumvented all the Russian security protocols and brought death by the dozens to a music hall in Moscow.
Such is the nature of warfare in this age.
It is not only undeclared but asymmetric and seemingly random in nature. The ones who practice it seek not to destroy or capture traditional military targets. Instead, they want to use fear as a weapon of mass destruction by creating the impression that anyone anywhere at any time can be subject to a deadly attack.
Hence, the name terrorists.
They seek to shake our sense that the world operates in a rational, predictable way.
And they draw strength from counterproductive responses to their surprise murder sprees and other evil acts. When they see how desperate their adversaries are to draw them into more traditional kinds of war, they know they are gaining ground.
Consider the situation in Gaza.
What Hamas did—the murders, the rapes, the kidnappings—was evil in all ways, but the Netanyahu government’s response on behalf of Israel likely only will encourage similar attacks in the future.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s overwhelming use of force has left civilians—not the hostage-takers, rapists or murderers of Hamas—feeling the bulk of Israeli rage. Many of those in Gaza who have lost loved ones will want to strike back.
That is the ultimate goal of terrorists.
They seek to make us think and act like them.
And at times, they seem to be winning.
Once I cleared the turnstiles, I did a quick scan of the throng to see if anything seemed amiss. My eye caught nothing worthy of concern.
I did, however, see the little boy who amused everyone in the train car.
His mother carried him in her arms.
He was still sleepy from his nap, so he rested his head on her shoulder.
Nestled in his mother’s arms, he’s innocent—in a world where innocence itself seems so often imperiled.
FOOTNOTE: John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The views expressed are those of the author only and should not be attributed to Franklin College.
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Department of Health today released the 2022 infant mortality rate (IMR) and preliminary 2023 data. The 2022 IMR is 7.2 per 1,000 live births, on trend with the national IMR, which also increased in 2022. Preliminary 2023 data shows a decrease in the IMR, at 6.5 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“Every baby lost is a tragedy,“ said State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, MD, FACEP. “Although it’s preliminary, we are encouraged to see that infant mortality is declining in Indiana, and we’ll continue working to understand the causes of these deaths so even more can be prevented.”
Infant mortality is the death of a child before his or her first birthday and is measured by the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. The greatest contributing factor in 2022 was perinatal risks, or conditions related to the health and well-being of the mother. Other factors included lack of early prenatal care, stress, obesity and smoking. More details on Indiana’s 2022 IMR are available here.
The IDOH is releasing the preliminary 2023 data to help communities and organizations make timely and well informed public health decisions. The 2023 IMR is based on the same vital records systems and methodology used every year to calculate the rate. More in-depth analysis of the data will be available in the coming months.
The IDOH is committed to working with its partners to address infant mortality in Indiana. This includes programs to connect women to early prenatal care, mental health and substance use programs, home visiting and community resources, and education surrounding safe sleep, pregnancy spacing, and other programs designed to reduce preterm births and low birthweight.
