Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-02-11
A BOX OF DIAMONDS.

Well, as l said before, don't mind
telling you the story. It's good
many years ago now since it happen
ed; before the days of the mail com
ranies and the Glasgow clippers,
when man had to make his will aud
put his house in order before setting
his foot on board y ship; and when
once you had passed the Eddystone
it was almost hundred to one
against you ever setting foot again
in old England. However, here |
am, laid up like an old hulk for the
remainder of my days, with nothing
to fall back upon but my memories
of the past; and sad memories some
of them are, you may stake your life.
I was a young man then, and had
been knocking about in the Brazils
and the West Indies-everywhere i'll
South America, l may say, for | be
lieve made one of the first parties
of Englishmen to cross the Andes
from Valparaiso to Buenos Ayres, no
light feat in those days, | can tell
You. | was a doctor by profession,
and many tllno, by the exercise OF
my professional skill, | have saved
my own scalp among the savage In.
dians of the Pampas. | am not go.
ing, however, to tell you anything
about the Indians now-some other
time, perhaps. A slice of lemon?-
thank you; and sugar-thatll do
Now for my story:
AS | said before, | had been knock
ing around good deal in South
America, and shipped as doctor on
board of an old tub of trader leav.
ing Rio Janeiro, homeward bound
for Bristol, with a full cargo and a
couple of cabin passengers.
The Good Hope was commanded
by Captain McFarlanc, a hard-headed
old Scotchman. John Williamson
first mate, and a crew OF thirteen
hands, all told, made up of English.
men, Dutchmen, Swedes, and cou-
pie Of nlggers, one of whom was the
stewards mate. We sailed on the
14th Of December, blazing hot day
with scarcely breath Of wind to fill
the sails; but the Captain was anx-
ious to get away, as Yellow Jack was
in port, and he had no mind to keep
knocking his heels in Quarantine any
longer than he could help. We had,
however, hardly got clear of Raza Is
land when breeze sprung up, and
we were soon bowling along as fast
as the old ship could be made to step
along, all studding sails set, and so
far clean bill of health on board.
On the 21st, however, | was sitting
for'ard getting breath of fresh air
and smoking my pipe, when Pete, the
stewards mate, came up and sum
moned me aft to see one of our two
cabin passengers, Mr.. William Grier-
son, who had been very unwell dur
the night, and began to be afraid that
he was in for touch of the fever. |
went aft and saw him, but there did
not seem to be any very alarming
symptoms just at present so | pre-
scribcd some cooling medicine and
left him.
He was, however, worse the next
day. and the next, yet it was not a
case Of the yellow fever, and there
was something in the symptoms that
am not ashamed to say fairly batfied
me. On the oath he was so much
worse that | began to feel seriously
alarmed, and communicated my fears
to the Captain:
at is not yellow fever, of that l am
sure"
"What is it then, doctor?"
"Well, to tell the truth, l can hard
ly say. Nothing that can admins
ter seems to do him any good, and
he is evidently sinking rapidly"
"Humph!" said the Captain; "mys-
terious, to say the least of 1t. Does
he know of his condition."
The conversation was cut short by
the arrival of Pete, who informed us
that Mr.. Grierson had been siezed
with a sudden and alarming access of
pain, and was apparently dying, ad-
ding that the patient wished to see me
at once and alone. In obedience to
the summons | went below, and hav-
ing closed the cabin door and admin
istered the necessary remedies, asked
the dying man (for there could be
little doubt that he was dying) the
reason for his wishing to see me.
81 wish to see you because l feel
that | am dying and 7 can put off no
longer what I wish to say, if it is to
be said at all, responded the patient
fecbly.
"Fetch me that box from off the
top of my sea-chest, and listen"
/ brought it, a small oblong ma
hogany box, and laid it by his sideup-
on the coverlet, and Mr.. Griersonlay-
ing his hand upon it and at the same
time dctaching a key from a string
by which it was suspended round his
neck, with which his fingers played
nervously during the recital, con-
tinued:
81 am a murderer. Aye! you may
stare, and think perhaps that my
mind is wandering, but it is the
truth. Twenty-Five years ago-twen-
ty-fivc years of misery-I committed
the deed which | am now in the pres.
encc Of my Maker about to confess
| was clerk in banking house in
London, and the facilities and oppor-
tunities tor peculation offered me
were too much for me to withstand,
but circumstances occurred that con
vinccd me that discovery could hard
ly be much longer delayed, and l was
casting about how to make my escape
while there was yet time. Just at
this juncture one of the senior clerks
of the house had to be sent down to
Bristol in charge of a very large sum
of money in gold, and was deputied
to accompany him to guard the treas.
ure. In those times matters were
differently conducted from what they
are in the present day, and we had to
take the money in box, strongly Sc
cured and sealed, with us, by the
mail-coach, which started from one
of the old inns in the city for the
west of England. There was sum
of 1000 guineas IN the box, and the