The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1869-03-11
History Of = RemarkabIe stone.

The Harrisburg State Guard says :. It
is not often that facts and circumstances
hike the following come within The reach
of the Journalist, and we now barely refer
to this as showing history of the curious
as well as mysterious In minerals which
certainly borders ON the marvelous.-
Nearly century ago an old gentleman
was passing along road in lower Virginia,
where party of worthy emigrants had
been encamped some time before. As he
walked leisurely forward rabbit crossed
his path. He paused, and in a moment
the little animal returned. Coming back
the third time, the old man stopped to
pick up . stone to throw at it. As he
lifted his arm in the sunlight his attention
was attracted by the beautiful manner in
which the stone refracted the light, and
instead of throwing it he put it in his
pocket. Returning home he gave it to his
children to play with, only regarding it as
singularly beautiful stone, without attach
ing any special value to it. Some days
afterwards an intelligent physician called
at the house and observing the stone on
the floor, examined it and offered six dol
lars for it. The old gentleman argued
that if il was worth six dollars it was worth
| more, and declined parting with it.
Eoon an opportunity offered to send the
stone to England by trusty friend of the
| family. On reaching London he went to
consult an old lapidary by the name of
Fox. After careful examination this man
said GAN America is not able to buS
that stone" The young man then went
to an old Jew who dealt in precious stones.
he was of your nervous suspecting kind of
individuals, and said at once 'put that in
| your pocket, and do not come out again
without guard. You would be robbed
were it known you had this" The agent,
alarmed at finding himself the custodian of
so great a treasure, avoided any further
effort to bring it to notice and availed HIM
self of the first opportunity to return home.
| Some time after a party of six men came
over from Maryland, and offered in land
and negroes what was considered equiva-
lent to one hundred thousand dollars. The
owner argued as be did when the FIRST offer
was made, and declined.
| In the meantime the old man died, and
as the circumstances of the family were
4 comfortable, no special effort WAS made to
dispose of the stone. 1t passed down
through several generations, being careful
| ly concealed till after the war, when it
came into the hands of DR.. Dougherty, of
Mechanicsburg, whose children are legal
heirs. The Doctor applied the various
tests, and found it to possess the charac-
teristics of the diamond. His opinion was
confirmed by several scientific friends.
1t is, of course. In its rough state. 1t
possesses superior degree of hardness,
and readily cuts glass 1t has the pecu-
liar adamantine lustre, and acquires vitre-
Gus electricity by friction, has double re-
fractive power, and is colorless and trans
parent. There is only one suspicious cir
cunstance connected with it and that is
its size. 1t is somewhat larger than any
diamond heretofore described. The larg-
est diamond known seems to be that of the
Rajah of Matten, in the East Indies, which
weighs 367 carats, whilst this stone weighs
45O earats. The diamond possessed by the
Emperor of Mrgul weighed ZIG carats,
and was reckoned worth G400, 900 sterl
ing.
For prudential reasons DR.. d. has been
quiet in regard to this stone, waiting, as
| Micawber would say, for something to
turn up" Recently combination of cir
cumstances, bordering on the marvellous,
has led to further investigation. The
stone has been sent away to pass the scru-
tiny of the ablest men of this country; and
there is every reason to believe that Amer
lea can boast the largest diamond in the
world.