The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-10-01
MORNING, OCTOBER 1, 1869.
death by violence (tha. /, to sy, in the absence

death by violence (that Is to Ry, In the absenc
Of the regular letter from him at the appoints
date), my father was then directed to send th
Moonstone secretly to Amsterdam. Il Was
be deposited In that city with famous diamond
cutter, and II was to be cut up into from foul
to six seperate stones. The stones were then h
! be sold for what they would fetch, and the pro
oeeds we're to be applied to the founding Of ths
professorship Of experimental chemistry whicl
the Cononel has since endowed by his win
Now, Betteredge, exert those sharp wits o
yours, and observe the conclusion to which th'
Cononel's instructions point 70
instantly exerted my wits. They were o
the slovenly English sort (; and they conse
! quently muddled II all until Mr.. Franklin tool
them In hand. and pointed out what they ough
10 see.
"Remark," says Mr.. Franklin, "that the In.
tegrity ofthc Diamond, as whole stone, is her,
artfully made dependent on the preservation
from violence Of the Colonel's life. He Is no
satisfied with saying to the enemies he breads
Kill me-and you will be no nearer to- the Dia.
mond than you are now Il Is where you CAM
get atit-in the guarded strong-room Of bank.
He says instead, Kill me-and the Diamond
will be the Diamond no longer its identity will
be destroyed What does that mcanr'
Here had (as thought) fash Of the won.
derful foreign brightness.
/. 81 know 70 said. ''It means lowering The
value Of the stone, and cheating the rogues In
that way"
"Nothing Of the Sort" says Mr.. Franklin
81 have inquired about that. The fawed Da-
mond, cut up, would actually fetch more thar
the Diamond as II now Is /; for this plain reason
that from four to six perfect briliiants might
be cut from It, which would be, collectively
worth more money than the large-but imper.
fect-single stone. II robbery for the purpost
Of gain was at the bottom Of the conspiracy, the
Colonel's instructions absolutely made the Dia-
mond better worth stealing. More money
could have been got for II, and the disposal Of
II In the diamond market would have been In.
fnitely easier. II It had passed through the
hands Of the workmen Of Amsterdam"
"I,ord bless us, Sir - burst out, "Whai
was the plot thent"
"a plot organized among tho Indians who
originally owned the jewel" says Mr.. Franklin
ia plot with some old Hindoo superstition q,
the bottom Of It. That Is my opinion, confirm.
ed by family paper which have about me a'
this moment"
saw now why the appearance Of the thre'
Indian jugglers at our house had presented IL
self to Mr.. Franklin In the light Of q circum.
stance worth noting. 81 don't want to fore,
my opinion on you," Mr.. franklin went on
The idea Of certain chosen servants Of an Ole
Hindoo superstition devoting themselves, through
all difficulties and dangers, to watching the op
portunity Of recovering their sacred gem, ap
pears to me TO be perfectly consistent will
every thing that we know Of the patience Of Orr
entail races, and the influence Of Oriental reli.
gions. But then am an imaginative man and
the butcher, the baker, and the tax-gatherer,
arc not the only creditabe realities in existence
to nv mind. Let the guess have made at the
Truth In this matter 20 for what II Is worth. and
let us get on to the only practical question that
concerns us. Does the conspiracy against the
Moonstonc survive the Colonel's death And
did the Colonel know II, when he LEFT the birth
day git to his niecei'
began to see my lady and Miss Rachel at the
end Of II oil, now. Not word he said escaped
me.
'T was not very willing when discovered
the story Of the Moonstone," !" said Mr.. Franklin,
.'to be the means Of bringing II here. But my
must put my cousins legacy into my cousins
hands-and that I might as we'll do II as any
body else. After taking the Diamond out Of the
bank fancied I was followed In the streets by
shabby dark-complexioned man. l went tc
my fathers house to pick up my luggage, and
found letter there, which unexpectedly detain-
Cd me In London. went back to the bank
with the Diamond, and thought I saw the shabby
man again. Taking the Diamond once more
out of the bank this morning. l saw the man
for the third time. gave him the slip, and start
ell (before he recovered the trace Of me)by the
morning instead Of the afternoon train. Here
am, with the Diamond safe and sound-and
what Is the first news that meets mel | find
that three strolling Indians have been at the
house, and that my arrival from London, and
something which am expected to have about
me. are two special objects Of investigation tC
them when they believe themselves to be alone.
don't waste time and words on their pouring
the ink into the boy hand, and telling him ia
look In Il for a man ut distance, and for some
thing In that mans pocket. The thing( (Which
have often seen done in the East)is the 'hocus-
pocus' in my opinion. rs II Is In yours. The
present question for us TO decide is whether we
really have evidence of the Indians being on the
track Of the Moonstone, the moment II Is re-
novel from the safe-kceping OF the bankl''
Neither he nor seemed to fancy dealing
with this part Of the inquiry. We looked al
each other, and then we looked at the tide, ooz-
ing in smoothly, higher and higher, over the
Shivering Sand.
"what are you thinking Of 7" says MIR.
Franklin, suddenly.
81 was thinking. Sir,"I answered, "that
should like to shy the Diamond into the quick
sand. and settle the question in that way"
"Ifyou have got the value Of the stone In
your pocket" answered. Mr.. Franklin, "say 80,
Bettercdge, and in It goes!''
(To DE CoNrISUED.)