The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-07-11
SIX POUNDS OF DIAMONDS Stolen. :

Six POUNDS OF DIAMONDS STOLEN. =
CAPE Town, May 18.-The steamship
William Miller leuves in n few hours for
New York, and I grasp the opportunity
to send you particulars of the greatest
postal robbery ever known at this shank
end of the world. Whilst I AN writing
this, there are number of diamond
dealers conversing frantically outside my
window i'll the most evident stnte of
funk. for they hnve no information as to
who are the unlucky birds who have
diamonds in the post due here on Thurs
dny. Iu fact, no one knows very much
about it. The thief or thieves were too
careful for that. They have Just walked
of with about 9l00,0 0O0 in diamonds
and paper currency, and left the virtu-
GUS to imagine how it was done. Iu my
lust, per Buln. gave you brief sketch
of DeBeers, New Rush, which n year
ugo was described as the richest spot on
all the earth. The amount of diamonds
which have been taken out Of that Kopie
would furnish dozen or two of crowns
to oil the crowned heads of the world.
It was the most profitable rush ever
made, except this lust one. This
Gi00, 900 rush was about the easiest way
of making money that can we'll be ina
gined The post Office ut DeBeers is a
stately building, rs large as sentry-box,
constructed of such costly material as
old pine wood, and of the magnificent
design of u ships cook.house. It looms
up majestically in comparison with the
famous Pig and Whistle opposite it.
where captain in her Majestys Lam
GERS is bar man. aud lute captain in her
Majesty's foot line is waiter. It will,
therefore, be seen that its situation is
elegant md its neighborhood aristocratic.
On Thursday, tue 9Th of May, Ascen-
sion Day, the post of Cape Town was an
exceedingly valuable one. It is difficult
to toll how valuable It is certain that
it contained six pounds weight of
diamonds, and the value of this with
money orders, bank notes and other cur
rency is roughly estimated from ESQ, 600
to ElO0, 600. The mails were nude up
and heaped by window only fastened
by bolt without the security of shutters
or rods. The postmaster was absent
from his Office for ten minutes. AS he
says, it was all done in ten minutes, the
surmise, therefore, is, that he was not in
the building. Perhaps he had gone on
visit to his nristocratio friends over the
way. At any rate, during the ten
minutes pane of glass was taken out Of
| the window, the bolt drawn back, the
wiDdow opened aud the bag walked OFF
With. That terrible fire in Chicago did
not dash faster over that city. rousing all
the energy and feelings of distress of
tie Inhabitants, than did the news of the
robbery at the Rush Nearly all we're
directly or indirectly interested, and an
amateur detective force, hundreds
strorg, was al once organized and COM
menced searching for the thief. The
detectives searched and searched; the
post was detained for some hours, but all
in vain. Not the slightest clue had the
robber left behind him, and it is ques-
tionable whether after the long start he
had he will ever be found out. If he
can only manage to get clear of the
letters, having the diamonds in his
pockets, he will be all right.
There is, of course, great consterna-
ton in the country. We have been long
suspecting that our mails, rs unprotected
as they are, whilst passing over some
wild tract Of country, would have been
robbed for the sake Of the diamonds
which are known to be sent in large
quantities by the post. The post-cart is
~ dismal box-like arrangement on two
| "uCCiH, huA ID BtucTaliy uIhWu Dy wv o
animals, who evidently over-do Banting.
The driver, a Hottentot, who ut night Is
Just SO drunk that it is marvel that he
keeps his seat, and during the day is
somnambnlistic from the nights de-
bauch. 1t is passing strange that some
inventive genius has not taken the rise
out of the driver aud the diamonds out
Of the mails before this. But the ElOO,-
900 haul will no doubt develop some of
the scientific capabilities of light-fnger-
ed gents, and some of the blessings of
civilization will dawn on this benighted
land. The Government is being pretty
considerably blasphemed on account of
its handsome posta! structure ct DeBeers,
and if the thief is not captured con-
lecture that the postmaster stands very
favorable opportunity Of being lynched
NEW GRAB FOR KNOW .NornINGIsM -
There has recently been started in the
State of South Carolina an Order bear
ing the title I. o. U. b., the headquar-
ters of which is at Columbia. It has its
signs, passwords and grips, and it's ritu-
al has been drawn from that used by the
old KnowNothing organization. No