Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-22
A PRECIOUS STONE.
Romantic History of Tweed's Ola.
mOnG.
From the Boston Bulletin.

mOnG.
-- From the Boston Bulletin.
Boss Tweed's diamond has attained world
! wide notoriety from the prominence given
| to it in Nast's well known delineations OF
| the great master of the ring. 1t is a stone
of great beauty and purity of color, weighs
| something over twelve carats, and is valued
at about 700 in gold. It was imported
by a diamond dealer in New York, in
whose office it was seen and admired by
| the leading dealers in such baubles. At
the request of dealer in this city, whom
for convenience sake we will call G., it was
brought to Boston, and by him sold to a
gentleman in this city, who wore it as a
SOLITAIRE" pin.
But in time the owner tired ofhis trinket,
and another Boston dealer-M. we will call
| him-offering to find purchaser for il in
Chicago, it was entrusted to him. NJ. did
not 90 to Chicago, but stuck to the pin in
his shirt bosom and ''sported" it in New
York for some days, trying to sell it, but
without success. He accordingly returned
to Boston, surrendered the gem to its own
er, and he in turn took it to G.. for safe
keeping and sale should buyer appear.
Now, it CHANGED that NJ, Just previous to
his appearance in New York with his
sparkling jewel in his bosom, had returned
from Europe with a small invoice of gems
which he had regularly entered at the GUS
tom-house. The keen detectives at that
institution, ever on the watch for a fat re-
ward for detecting smuggling, thought that
| they smelled the odOr of a very large sized
rat about this affair, jumped at once at the
conclusion that the smaller stones had been
v,ooca1 fIror1Oh tho
"blind" merely, and that the large ones had
been brought in contrary to law.
! Accordingly they came to Boston, took
possession of MIS- premises, got the KEYS of
his books, and compOrted themselves as
| agents Of the Government are wont to do
when fraud upon the revenue is suspected
But they found nothing, and were about to
| give up the case when they learned acct
dentally that G. had large diamond in his
possession, whose description correspondent
exactly with the one they had seen fash
ing upon MS breast in Gotham.
Following up this lead, they called anon
g., and asked to see the large diamond of
which, they said, ga friend had told them.''
G.. courteOusly responded, when one of the
pair, after carefully examining the stone with
a glass, informed his companion that "that
was the stone"
G. was then told that the stone had been
Struggled, and that he would have to sur
render it to him. G. quietly remarked that
he didn't know them, shouldn't surrender
the stone, and that they couldn't have it I'M
less they took it by force. After some par
ley it was decided that the stone should be
taken TO Collector Russell, of this port; that
he should have custody Of it, and become
| personally responsible for its return in case
the charge proved to be unfounded, and
that in no case should he allow it to be
taken to New York.
Then the detectives went to work, and so
did G., who, having bought the stone direct
| from the importer, could trace it much
| quicker than the officials. In three or four
days he was able to give Collector Russell
the exact page and line of the cuStom-hOuse
record book of entries where it had been
entered, with its weight, description
! invoice, value, duty, etc, as well as the
names Of the parties who shippedi it and by
whom it was received. Upon investigation
! this proved to be straight strOTy, and, be-
fore the detectives had fairly begun TO work
/ up the case, Collector Russell sent a polite
note to g., asking him TO come and take
the stone away, as he did net care to be re-
| sponsible for SO valuable piece of property.
From Gs. store the stone went to New
! \ ork, where 1t was reset, and surrounded
! with one carat stones, and in this shape il
was bought by Boss Tweed, who, we be-
| lleVe, still wears il. Where it came from,
or how many years or centuries it has been
worn, no one EnOWs, nor can one even con-
! lecture into whose hands it may fall and
what changes il NAV see in the near and
far distant future, for, though Tweed
and all his followers may fade out of
memory of the men, though centuries may
pass away, aud with them the names and
| fame of nations now of first rank, that
stone will retain all the beauty, all the mar
velOus luster, and all the value it now has
in truth, "a thing Of beauty and a joy
forever"