New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-23
THE NEW DIAMOND FIELDS.
An Unvarnisbed Tale by the Original
Civilized DiscOverer-The Precious
Gems PIentier than Chicago Fire

The subjoined special dispatch is copied
from the Chicago Tribune:
LARAMIE, W. T., August I9.-The follow
ing appears in the Sentinel to-day:
| We have the honor of first placing be-
fore the country the only authentic history
and circumstances connected with the
| great diamond discovery, which we
| gathered from the original disCOverer, Mr..
| T. Edward Arnold. The main facts were
in our possession some days ago, but at the
| request Of parties most interested, it was
not published at that time. Our readers
will remember that on the fourteenth in
| slant there appeared in the Sentinel an ar
! ticle on this subject. The next morning
we were waited upon by Mr.. Arnold, when
| the following conversation ensued:
! Mr.. ArnOld-lt is no use for me to misrep-
! resent matters to you regarding your article
! in last evenings issue, for you have got us
! down to hole. l came here for the pur-
| pose Of lifting out an expedition, as you
! state, suppOsing that it could be done with
! out our intentions or destination being diR
| covered. The San Francisco papers have
been working in the dark, publishing all
sorts of nonsense regarding this important
discovery, but you are the only one who has
yet hit us hard. We will compromise, If
agreeable to you, as we are not ready to
have the facts made public II you Will let
up O1 Us 4OE d lew udyS VIC VIII ElNC NOu
the facts in full, and you shall publish the
first authentic account of the affair.
Satisfying him that we would remain
quiet until such time as he was ready to
have the matter made public, Mr.. Arnold
proceeded: Il am the original discOverer
of the diamond district. Ny first visit to
the fields was in July, 1869 / was pros
pecting in the Pimas Indian country for
gold. One day an Indian came TO NE
bringing about a pint of bright and pecu-
liar shaped stones. The Indian secured me
that they were diamonds, and that the To-
calty where they were to be found had
been known to his tribe for many wears.
After making him some presents, and with
a heap of persuasion, he consented to ac-
company me to the ground. 1t was three
DAYS journey, and we started Immediately.
| found the fields located on the slope of
mountain, of sandstone formation; and so
plenty we're the gems to be found, that
picked up quart or more in a few minutes.
| started next day, with fear and hope, for
San Francisco.
On my arrival there l carried the stones
to j. A. Tucker, jeweler, in Montgomery
street, who pronounced them worthless. l
was not satisfied. L heard of French
lapidarV in the city who had worked at
Amsterdam, Holland, the great diamond
cutting mart Of the world, and to him
repaired for bis opinion. He pronounced
them diamonds Of the first water My
friends. in some manner got hold OF the
matter, and it was creating some excite
ment. When questioned, | referred to
Tucker. This satisfied them, and threw
them off. To make assurance dOubly sure,
/ sent one of the stones to FOssa, Morris &
Co., Boston, and had it cut. This relieved
my mind of all doubt. went back that
season and brought out with me about
$500 600 worth. l made two trips in 1870,
two in 1871, and one this year, in company
with Dodge, Rewbery and Henry Janin,
who were sent to verify my statements to
the company was then about forming. On
this occasion, in washing about ton and
half Of dirt, we found about $4,000 worth
of brilliants. The publishing of this report
of Janin's was the greatest mistake we
have made, for it set all the old miners up
on us.
These diamonds were discovered before
the two pretenders were ever in that cOun-
try. | know them both well. They are
frauds" Here lie showed US a beautiful
brilliant Of about seven karats, saying,
This is one that l brought out with me on
nv last trip. Dodge, vino accompanied US
on that occasion, is q very poor miner. He
is too well fixed to mine. After being on
the grounds for few hours, he positively
refused to pick up the diamonds when they
were under his very nose. Janin's report
was more than satisfactory, and the com
panv was formed with a capital Of SlOO0O,-
6OO 1t was still thought necessary to keep
the locality a secret | started South and
secured twenty negroes, thinking that l
could move them out to the location to get
about six months work out OF them, when
would have been willing that the world
should know the location.
! got them here and had them equipped,
and was ready to start when | lost conf
dence in the cOiOred troops, and concluded
to send them home. They had been here
only about three weeks, and / gave them
$500 each, and they were well satisfied
General Mcclellan has come on, and mat
tiers are satisfactorily arranged. ! 90 to
Canon City, Colorado, from which place
shall start with 100 picked men and expert
enced miners. Our claim is all right. We
are protected by the government and we
have concluded to 90 ahead in the matter
boldly. Miner & Fox, of Colorado, claim
! to have discovered the spot where our
gems are found, but do not speak of seeing
! the men whom we have on the ground
working and holding possession.
| From Canon City our route lies south
| west through st. Louis valley, 300 miles,
and south of the MOQuis village, near Flax
| river About $2,S00,0 600 worth of bTiliiants
| have been gathered up to this date, figured
| at low estimate. | took out one weighing
4Oj carats on my first visit. l could pick
! them up on the slope of the mountain with
out trouble The rains had washed the sur
! face dirt off and exposed them to view. l
| have denied, upon all occasions, any knOwl-
| edge of the location of the diamond district,
except to my company. l have been obliged
| TO do so to protect the interests of my
! friends and myself You are the first out
slider who has obtained any accurate ac-
! count of the affair. humboldt speaks OF
this country as a region where diamonds
! should be found, and Lieutenant Ives, who
passed through that section in 1857 with a
| surveying party, describes the rubies and
emeralds found there, and speaks OF finding
| stones resembling diamonds, none Of which
were tested by competent Judges.
We believe that the gravel in which the
| gems are found occupies an area Of some
| 300. 600 acres. The tract Is on government
| land, and the government has issued Its
patent for the entire area. The present
owners have, therefore, the power Of the
United States to protect them in the posses
| sion and endowment of their property. The
| eomDanv of which Mr.. Arnold is the fOun
der is incorporated as the California and
New York Mining and Commercial Com
panv, with the following named trustees
Hon N. S. Latham, president of the Lon
don and San Francisco Bank; Albert Can
sci. of b. Davidson Il Co, ROthsChilds
agents, Hon. ThOmOs A. Selbv, William NJ
Lent William F. BabcOck, Louis SlOss, anC
Maurice Dore, of San Francisco, and Gen
eral George B. Mcclellan, and ). l.. NJ. bar
low, of New York city. The capital steel
is $lO,O00,00O.
Mr.. Janin, the engineer and mineralOgl Is
of the company, estimates the cash value o
the Jewels already. secured at 100000
and Gays there can be no estimate Of the
wealth embodied in the company's tract.
Mr.. T. Edwards Arnold is a Kentucky
No., h. l;y+I, Il forty y~aaps Df HI