The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-26
a New Scotland than a New England in
that respect. This theology has largely
affected our present life.
The "Arixona Diamenas.-

The sArixona Diamenas.s
A writer In the San Francisco Call
revives the recollection of the famous
and fabulous story of the Arizona dia-
mond fields and gives its origin in this
wise:
Several years ago the always large
floating Bohemian population of San
Francisco included Thomas Seymour,
who will be remembered by many of the
profession, and who was kind of para
graphic tramp, having successfully done
'local itemizing" on every paper OF
every town west of the Rocky Mountains.
Seymour's knowledge of the topography
of this slope was most detailed one, and
had been painfully acquired by always
going afoot; but always of necessity and
never of choice, from the place where
his usefulness had just been exhausted
to where he hoped to have it renewed.
In San Francisco Seymour made his
usually precarious living by writing
specials for the Sunday edition of such
| papers as would buy them. By virtue
of the common guild of vagabOndage
Seymour had made the acquaintance in
this city of one who was, when
his energies set in any direction what
ever, mining prospector. "How do
you newspaper fellows liyeT once asked
the prospector curiously Of Seymour.
"Come with me and l will show you"
said Seymour, and he led the other to
his meagerly furnished room. "Now
see. Here's good two columns. I'll
probably get $12 for this. Listen" and
Seymour subjected his friend to the fear
ful punishment of listening to an author
reading his own manuscript. "Were
you ever there at that place describedT
asked the miner, who had listened with
out an interruption to the full reading.
"Well, / was never exactly there, but
I've been near where that place is sup
posed to be, and it's tough country"
what put it into your head to spin
such yarn as thatS There's no truth
in it,"
"Anything is true that you can't prove
to be false. How can any one prove that
it amt trueT' .......
The miner dropped his head in his
hands, thought long and intently with
out moving, Notwithstanding Seymours
growing impatience to get back to the
beer cellar from which they had issued.
Finally, the prospector asked, abruptly:
"What's the most paperll give you
for that rootbackf'
"Oh, $l2, or $1S at the outside"
"Does anybody else know about that
yarnf''
"Not person."
"Say, Seymour" said the miner, after
another long pause, 81 know something
about that country, too. There amt nc
stones there, that's fact, but that
whopper you have there is pearl itself
if you only knew it. I'll give you $25
for it, and if you keep your mouth
mum on it, I will make that story pay
you better than all the yarns you evel
spun in your life. Seymour gladly made
the sale, and soon lost sight Of his friend
and in succeeding literary inventions
that which he had sol not for publica
4 ton, had long been forgotten, when, in
J dividually, he was astounded at the an
n nouncement of the discovery of tn
+ great Arizona diamond fields, in almos
the identical spot where he had located
! in newspaper fiction field of preciou
4 stones. That announcement was on,
= that startled the whole civilized world
f Seymour followed the successively-an
n nounced facts with the intense interes
~ of one who believed that his own geniu
4. had been prophetic. "AA
Il Then came the even more startlin
r. exposition of the even more wonderfu
fact that the diamond field was the cru
dest, most barefaced and most enormou
D "plant" that had ever been made
N Pacific coast mining. The prospecto
le le whom Seymour never saw again, was nc
u, one to forget his promises, for Seymou
u ! received an unsigned letter, presumabl
u from him, and enclosing a certife
Is check for 81, 300, and which reads as fo
10 lowsl ado you think ! have improve
~ on your story9 1 think 50. 1t has mac
., ., great deal more than two columns, an
~ as it was very interesting I enclose VIII
e. l hope you will think fair pay for
,g When you invent another equally goe
's- diamond field or a gold mine, or an
ng thing of that sort, please hunt me Vi
&c as l will give the story point, and it wi
II. be for the interest Of both Of us" Sc
re mour was so startled that it was lol
e. after the diamond plant had lost its i
ly terest that it was generally known tn
lei it was founded on the invention Of
so Bohemian, and that it was only act
a dental that its interest was not Il
On ephemeral one of the publication Of
We surprising story in q newspaper.