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"Frank Miller, 26, heir to the leadership of the 500-member gypsy colony of Cleveland, was buried yesterday amid surroundings he cherished most - a joyous occasion filled with people and blaring music.... A five-piece brass band had accompanied the coffin to the funeral home and the Greek Orthodox Church on W. 14th St. The band was ordered by Frank's father, Bucky Miller, to strike up the music again." -- photo verso. "...Frank Miller, 20, prince of the Cleveland gypsy colony, was carried from the Greek Orthodox Church at 2187 W. 14th St. yesterday. A procession of nearly 50 cars – many Cadillacs and Lincolns – followed the casket to Woodland Cemetery .
By Wally Guenther
They came in a steady procession of shiny cars – unlike the wooden cart caravans of yesteryear – to bury a gypsy prince at Woodland Cemetery. Frank Miller, 26, heir to the leadership of the 500-member gypsy colony of Cleveland, was buried yesterday amid surroundings he cherished most – a joyous occasion filled with people and blaring music. Miller, the grandson of the late king and queen of gypsies governing 12 Midwest states, would have been married next month. Instead he was dead, the victim of a two-car crash shortly before dawn Saturday on Carnegie Ave .
Two other persons were also killed in the crash .
The bright cars, mainly Cadillacs and Lincolns, carried more than 300 persons into the cemetery grounds. Nattily dressed men, some smoking cigars. Chanting Women. Kings of at least six gypsy provinces across the states, including Hawaii, followed the procession .
A five-piece brass band had accompanied the coffin to the funeral home and the Greek Orthodox Church on W. 14th St. The band was ordered by Frank’s father, Bucky Miller, to strike up the music again .
‘When the Saints Come Marching In’ vibrated across the cemetery grounds. Beer, wine and whisky were poured on the grass of nearby gypsy graves. Pop was poured for children. It was, Bucky Miller explained, a ritual to wash away evil spirits lingering near the gravesites .
As the coffin was lowered into the ground, dozens of friends and relatives again poured whisky and wine, this time on the casket. Coins and bills, in $1, $5 and $10 denominations, were tossed into the grave puit. (sic) This, the prince’s father said, would help to pay his son’s way through another life .
The band picked up its tempo, playing the prince’s favorite songs, ‘Strangers in the Night,’ ‘Hello, Dolly’ and ‘Days of Wine and Roses.’ Scores of gypsies locked arms, dancing and singing .
In six months, the gypsy clan in Cleveland will honor the dead prince’s memory with a huge hall feast. Six months after that a year of mourning will end with the election of the prince’s successor .
The gypsies in Cleveland, as most of the 100,000 in the United States today, reflect little of the wandering inclinations of their ancestors. Many of those here are employed as roofers, tinners and as construction workers, and they don’t wander far from their livelihoods.” -- article photo verso. |
