The weekly Arizona miner., 1872-12-14
THE DIAMOND sWINDLE.
What we tKnow About 1t in Prescott


 has been raging on the Pacific Slope about an alleged discovery of diamonds somewhere. west of the Mississippi river in some unde- fined locality, either in southeastern Utah, southwestern Colorado, or northeastern Arl- zona, and the floating population of miners, prospcctors, spectators, and sharps, has been much exercised in mind on the subject, all agreeing that diamonds were worth looking after, and only doubtful as to the proper To- calty to commence the search in.
 The muss did not originate in any settled portion of Arizona, nor have either of the three papers published in the Territory aided or abetted the so-called swindle and humbug. The MINER, Citizen and Sentinel have each and all most consistently and consistently re- trained from giving countenance to the state ments made in regard to diamond fields said to be located in Arizona.
 Months passed away and the MINER re- peatedly declared. that no diamonds had been brought to Prescott from the new diamond fields. We were distrustful and incredulous ];
  on the brain' broke cut in Prescott, and a party of six started from Prescott on the 9th of September to hunt for the precious gems. Four of the party returned to town on Fri day evening, December 9th, having been gone about three months. The party con sisted of Messrs. Hutchinson, Dickason, Tompkins, Hagan, Herring and Tremble; the last named left the party and struck out for Salt Lake City. Herring was outtitted by the others and stopped on the 'tields,'' pre- pared to stay and fight it out on that line all winter The other four are here among Us, having lots of rocks, red, white, and green, supposed to be rubies, opals, aqua marines, and emeralds, with lots of garnets, quartz crystals, petrifactions and other pretty but comparatively worthless stones, and with a few which they hope are diamonds.
 The "boys" tell a story of long wanderings up and down, hither and yon, to and fro in the unexplored regions north, northeast and northwest from Fort Defiance; they followed Mike Gray's trail in all its twistings and turn
 
 the country belonging to the Ute Indians, and being politely requested by the authorities of that high-toned nation, backed by 300 we'll armed, able-bodied warriors, to get outside of their grounds, prudently skedaddled, and finally found the camp of Slack and Arnold, (the original locators on the diamond tields), their notices claiming the valuable ground, and their monuments defining their bounda- ries. ,....
 In that neighborhood the Prescott ''boys" struck it; their claims are located in that vicinity Sam. Ball, Fox, Cunningham, Moss and Atchison arc located in close connection. There c. P. Stanton found the. stone which at latest accounts from San Francisco was poohed at by some experts as soft garnet ot little value, and valued by others as ruby worth thousands of dollars. This section of country is about l20 miles northwest from Fort Defiance, and not within 300 miles ot the location claimed by Iarpending, Lent, Roberts & O., of San Francisco.
 sThe way the old thing works" is very funny: As stated above, on the 9th of De- ccmber, the Prescott party returned jubilant. confident, enthusiastic, c,-having left one or until the return of the party with the neces- eary ontfit for permanent work, having found a country rich enough to pay in rubieS, opals, amethysts, sapphires and other precious stones, even if there are no diamonds, and creating quite sensation among the old pio- neers of Arizona resident in Prescott, which grew with what it fed on until Tuesday, the 10th inst. when the San Francisco Alta, Gull. Bulletin and Chronicle, of Nov. 30th, arrived by mail, giving the expose made by Clarence King, U. s. Geologist; Gen. Colton, manager of the San Francisco and New York Mining and Commercial Company, and Henry Janin, mining expert for the same party.
 Hundreds of excited individuals have pc rused the columns of those papers, and have interviewed Messrs. Dickason, Ball, Hutchin- son, Tompkins and Hagan, comparing their statements with the reports of the eXposers; and as a natural consequence there. has been more talk about diamonds and precious gems generally, in Prescott this week, than ever before, and more believers in the existence of valuable stones in the northeastern corner of Arizona than at any previous time.
 A careful sitting of all the evidence pro and con, has resulted in convincing many of the shoysu that the diamonds, etc, are ''thar," ana many who laughed when the "boys" no have just returned first started out, are getting ready to go themselves ssoon as the winter is over.
 For ourseif, we are sure the MISEa has never held out any Inducements t9 diamond hunters to come te Arizona; our constant sndearor has been to giye the facts when we could fad them; and our faith, never very strong. is not TOW diminished by the ezP0ss-