The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-03-04
Work for the idisf--zaiSI Ory
Of Remarkable stone.

1t Is not often that facts and circnm-
stances like the following come within
reach of the Journalist, and we now bare
ly refer to this as showing a history of the
curious as we'll as the mysterious in min
erals which certainly border on the mar
velons. Nearly century ago, an old
gentleman was passing along road in
lower Virginia, where party of worthy
emlgrants had been encamped some time
before. AS he walked leisurely forward
a rabbit crossed his path. lie paused,
and in a moment the little animal return
ed. Coming back the third time, the old
",en? stopped to pick up stone to throw
/ a' II. h9-he lifted his arm in the sun
/ night hls attention vrOs attracted bv the
beautiful manner in which the stone re.
fracted the light, and instead of throwing
1t he put it into his pocket. Returning
home he gave it TO his children to plav
with, only regarding it as singularly
beautiful stone without attaching any
special value to it. Some days after
ward an intelligent physician called at the
house and observing the stone on the floor,
examined it and offered six dollars for it.
The old gentleman argued that if it was
worth six dollars it was worth more, and
declined parting with it.
Soon an opportunity offered to send the
stone to England by trusty friend of the
family. On reaching London he went at
once to consult an old lapidary by the
name of Fox. After careful examina-
ton this man said: eau America is
not able to buy that stone' The young
man then went to an old Jew who dealt
in precious stones. He was one of your
rervous, suspectiny kind of individuals.
and said at once ''Put that in your pock>
et and do not come out without a guard
\ Gou would be robbed were it known you
had this" The agent, alarmed at finding
himself the custodian of so great treas
ure, avoided any further effort to bring it
to notice and availed himself of the first
opportunity to return home.
Some time after party of six men
came over from Maryland, and offered in
lands and negroes what was considered
equivalent to an hundred thousand dol
lars. The owner argued as he did when
| the first offer was made and declined.
| In the meantime the old man died, and
as the circumstances of the family were
comfortable, no special effort was made
to dispose of the stone. 1t passed down
! through several generations, being care
fully concealed until after the war, when
! it came into the hands of DR.. Daugherty,
! of hIechanicsburg, whose children are le-
gal heirs. The Doctor applied the vari-
Gus tests, and found it to possess the char
acteristics of the diamond. His opinion
was confirmed by several scientific friends.
1t is, of course, in its rough state. II
! possesses a superior d gree of hardness,
and readily cuts glass. 1t has the pecu-
liar adamatine lustre, and acquires vitrc-
Gus electricity by friction, has double
refractrous power, and is colorless and
( transparent. Thero is only one suspi-
cious circumstance connected with II, and
that is its size. 1t is somewhat larger
| than any diamond hitherto described =
! The largest diamond known seems to be
that of the Rajah of Mattan, in the East
Indies, which weighed 367 carats, whilst
this stone weighs $50 carats. The dia-
mond possessed by the Emperor of Mo
gul weighed 279 carats, and was reckon
ed worth 100000 sterling.
| For prudential reasons Dr. d. has
been quiet in regard TO this stone, wait
ing, as Macawber would say. for ''some-
thing to turn up.'' Recently a combina-
( ton of circumstances bordering on the
marvellous, has led to further investiga-
ton. The stone has been sent away to
pass the scrutiny of the ablest scientific
men of this country, and there is every
reason TO believe that America can boast
the largest diamond in the world.-tState
! Guard.