Episode 110 Mississippi Royalty King and Queen of the Gypsies

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2022

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Emil and Kelly Mitchell, known as the King and Queen of the Gypsies, have long been a part of Meridian, Mississippi lore but their story is complicated and often misunderstood Want more Southern Mysteries? Hear the Southern Mysteries show archive and immediately access exclusive content when you become a patron of the show. Join now at patreon.com/southernmysteries Connect Website: southernmysteries.comFacebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastTwitter: @southernpod_Instagram: @explorethesouthEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com Episode Sources Queen of the Gypsies Dead. Our Southern Home. February 10, 1915 The Rose Hill Company of Players. Facebook Queen Kelly Mitchell: A Slice of Meridian’s History. The Meridian Star. December 26, 2007 Historical tales abound within Rose Hill Cemetery. Today in Mississippi Fortune telling ordinance challenged. The Meridian Star. February 13, 2011 Meridian, Mississippi, the Queen City. The Meridian Star. October 28, 2011 Why Being 'Gypped' Hurts The Roma More Than It Hurts You. Code Switch NPR. December 30, 2013 Roma Culture: Customs, Traditions & Beliefs. Live Science. November 26, 2018 Meridian’s Royal Past. Mississippi FolkLife. February 4, 2019 Episode MusicAlone with my Thoughts by Esther Abrami Licensed under Creative Commons Theme Song “Dark & Troubled” by Pantherburn. Special thanks to Phillip St Ours for permission for use

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Shannon Ballard. Your Southern Mysteries is an independent podcast. It's made possible by the generous
0:06.8	support of listeners like you. So if you'd like to help, you can join Southern Mysteries on
0:11.1	Patreon and you get a little something in return.
0:15.0	You can hear more than 60 episodes in the Southern Mysteries Archive and you also have an option
0:19.4	to support the show and hear exclusive monthly episodes that are new this year called the Lesser
0:25.2	Known's, stories of lesser known figures related to major historical events.
0:31.0	Join me on Patreon today and catch up on all the episodes you haven't heard at
0:35.8	Patreon.com slash Southern Mysteries. Meridian Mississippi's Rose Hill Cemetery is situated just west of downtown.
0:56.0	As you enter the cemetery you pass the gates and just as the road curves to the left, there
1:01.5	are several graves adorned with Mardi Gras beads and covered with trinkets.
1:07.2	The inscription on one grave reads, Kelly Mitchell, Queen of the Gypsies.
1:13.3	Next to Kelly, the final resting place of her husband,
1:17.4	Emil Mitchell, whose headstone reads,
1:20.6	King of the Gypsies. The Mitchells have long been part of Southern lore and a lot of folks
1:27.0	romanticized their titles of King and Queen, but the story of Emile and Kelly Mitchell and the Romani people is complicated and
1:36.7	often misunderstood.
1:39.9	Welcome to Southern Mysteries, exploring the history and mysteries of the American South.
1:45.9	I'm your host, Shannon Ballard.
1:49.2	This is the story of Mississippi Royalty, the King and Queen of the Gypsies.
1:57.0	Gypsy is a popular but inaccurate reference to the Romani people.
2:02.0	There are negative connotations and generations
2:06.0	of intolerance associated with it. But telling the Mitchell's story means
	...

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