, 1872-12-04

nonds we're purchased IN London
they wereworking up the diamond fever adroitly
with a view to launching their stock on the mark
ct when United States geologist detected the
fraud and blew it to atoms. The following ac-
count Of their manmuyreB is from the San Frau
cisco Chronicle Of the 9th:
Now that the whole thing haab been officially de-
! c1ared q fraud, it Is quite interesting to know
| how the job WAS ppt up and ali about it. Janin,
! perhaps, is not crimina1ly to blame, although
bis reputation as a geologist and mining
sgass1 shis from @ wheS e it 1sdi'G w be hard s for
him to recover. His first connection with
! the affair seems to have been in New York last
spring, Ehere he was approached BY Harp M
ending, General Dodge, and Arnold, the "dls.
! coverer'' Of the wonderful Golconda. They told
| him that Arnold and Slack had made two trips
| to the diamond fields, securing in the first in
stance bag Of precious stones valued at
$1,000, 900, which had been sealed and deposited
in the Bank Of California; and in the second q
bag Of gems valued at 1000, the latter being
deposited in the banking house Of Vim. B. Dun
can l. Co., in New York.
Besides all this, Janin Was taken tothe private
residence Of Tiffany, the great New York jewe1er,-
who told him, in presence Of Sam Barlow, Gen
eral Mcclellan, and other parties, that the esti'
@4tsa eaas bank x' wss 1t gems This sssse R
ment, emanating as it did from 80 re-.
liable 3 source, could not fail to disarm Whatever.
suspicion there Was in Janins mind, and the.
consequence was he was most effectnally roped
in. Harpending and Dodge told Janin that Ar
mold received 100000 for his first trip, and by
sundry plausible statements they induced JAnin
to visit the diamond fields. These gentlemen,
promised Janin that he should have two weeks
to examine the ground and Investigate its geo.
logical formation. and when once ho reached the
spot they kept him employed in surveying and
making mining laws for whole week Soon
after, when he began to prospect, Dodge and
Harpending hurried him away, against the prom
ise, and had him make his ti-st report in New
York, in which he says:
II had only time to gather samples from
those portions Of the 100-acre block OF ground
which are marked on the accompanying plat. At
each one Of the points numbered diamonds or
These points we're over o1e-third Of q mile dis
tant from the original dincoyery and shows 8
very large area to be diamond and ruby-bearing:
The samples we're taken from the snr1ace. Il Is |
would be found: Tho amount Of prospecting !
done Was Insignificant, and does not enable me
to form q judgment as to the extent or limits
either of the very Tieh or only mod
ssstSy ss shdan gsa Ebs It 1sopi4es hsse onlv a.
one-ha]f acre OF the very rich ground to repay
the purchase money and also that if the whole
160 ao1e tract will produce gravel Of IN average
value Of per cent Of the value Of the one and @
half tons washed ($5,0 600 per TOM. it would fur
nieh an inmenHe value in diamonds and rubies.
consider this q wonderfully rich discovery, and
one that will prove extremely profitable; that while
did not have time enough to make inyestiga-
ions which would have answered very import
ant questions, do not doubt that further pros
pecting will result in finding diamonds over q
greater area than is as yet proved to be diamond,
bearing; and finally, that consider any invest
ment Of $40 per share, or at the rate Of g, ,000-
900 for the whole property, 3 safe and attractive
one"
While Janin was being induced to join the en-
terprise andto make,a professional survey Of the
ground, the projectors Of the scheme we're at
: work in . new direction General Sam Barlow
set ball in motion to secure United States
looking to the development Of the diamond
mines. He drew up the celebrated "placer
mining bin " and gave it into the hands Of that
immaculate Legislator, General Benjamin F.
Butler, of Massachusetts, to engineer through
Congress. Ben'swonderful sagacity and thou
sand shares Of the Lent-Harpending diamond
stock, to him in hand paid, enabled him to
see the great advantage this bill would be to the
country, and he finally secured its passage with
out difficulty. General Buffers stock ig not
worth much just now, but then that is not his
fault.
Before Janin went in the first time he Was
paid 81, 900 Tor his services BY the Company.
This was mere professional fee, and is not be-.
able renort % Besides @ the 10 = I'M e'GV he va evan
the privilege Of purchasing @ 1oo0 aharea 0 Of the
stock It an shsTe II, or,5ra,,c. .u1;nI' ba Az
purchase Ia New York after his rat1r frn, M tha
fields. This stoek he at once sent to san Fran1
cisco and sold at ita 1on Yalue.-S40a shnra r.
gold-thuB clearing over SD. .oo0 by The transacl ~
tion. Whatever suspicion Of tho integrity 5or
lack Of confidence in the professional ability Of
Janin may grow out OF this matter, it is evident
he has been made the dupe Of others. His rep
utatiOn, though has snffered }n1g frnm which
be can hardly hope to recover. we and aud from rom which
800, 600 is hardly an adequate recompense.
Next to Arnold, Of whose guilt there can hard |
ly be reasonable doubt. Harpending and Gen-
eTal Dodge are the most strongly Suspected Of
completely in the fraud. Harpending and Dodge |
we're both in New York, as We have related, when
they secured the services OF Janin: Nav more
Harpending Was in London when the stones
were said to have been purchased there Of pittar.
Levison l. Co. and Keller, the diamond men.
These facts, in connection with other things
suspicion to faIl upon both these persons. Can
eral Dodge was perhaps icnorant Of tha frand in !