Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-05-13
The "Arlxona Diamonds. !,

A writer In the San Francisco Gall re-
vivet the recollection Of the famous and
fabulous story of the Arizona diamond
| 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 remem bered by many of the
profession, and who was a kind OF para
graphic tramp. having successfully done
local itemizing" on every paper of
every town west ofthe Rocky mountains.
| Seymour's knowledge Of the topography
of this slope was a most detailed one,
and had been painfully acquired by al
ways going aioot, but always of necessity
and never of choice, from the place
where his usefulness had just been ex-
hausted TO where he hoped to have 1t re-
newed. 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 whatever,
mining prospe tor. How do you
newspaper fellows liveP" once asked
the prospector curiously of Seymour.
Come with me and will show you,"
said Seymour. and he led the other to
his meagerly furnished room. Now;
see. Here's a good two columns. I'll
probably get $l2 for this. Listen" and
Seymour subjected his friend TO the fear
full punishment of listening to an author
reading his own manuscript. Were
you ever there, at that pace describedw
asked the miner. who had listened with
out an interruption 10 the full reading
Ah khn.-a
but I've been near where that place is
supposed to be, and it's tough coun-
try
"What put it into your head to spin
such yarn rs thatp There's no truth
in it."
Anything is true that you can't
prove to be false. How can one prove
that it amt truep"
The miner dropped his head in his
hands, thought long and intent ly with
out moving, Notwithstanding Seymour's
growing impatience to get back to the
beer cellar from which they had issued.
Finally, the prospector asked abruptly:
What's the most paper'll give for
that roorbackP"
"Oh, $l2 or Sl6 at the outside"
Does anybody else know about that
yarnp"
mot a person."
"Say, Seymour" said the miner, after
another pause. 81 know something
about that country, too There amt
no 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 1t, and il you keep your mouth mum
on it ! will make that story pay you
better than all the yarns you ever spun
- "a rta Al.y DC
the sale, and soon lost sight OF his friend
and in succeeding literary inventions
that which he had sold, not for publi-
cation, had long been forgotten, when,
individually, he was astounded at the
announcement of the discovery of the
great Arizona diamond fields, in almost
the Identical spot where he had To-
Gated in q newspaper fiction field OF
precious stones That announcement
was one that startled the whole civil
lied world. Seymour followed the sue
cessively- announced facts with the in
tense interest of one who believed that
his own genius had been prophetic.
Then came the even more startling ex-
position of the even more wonderful fact
that the diamond field was the crudest,
most barefaced and most enormous
"plant" that had ever been made
in Pacific coast mining. The pros
pector, whom Seymour never saw
again. was not one 10 forget his prom
ises, for Seymour received an unsigned
letter, presumably from him, and in
closing n certified check for 81 800, and
which reads as follows: "Do you
think have improved on your storyp
/ think so. It has made great deal
more than two columns. and as it was
very interesting, inclose what / hope
you will think fair pay for 1t. When
you invent another equally good dia-
mond field or gold mine, or anything
of that sort, please hunt me up, as /
will give the story point, and II will be
for the interest of both of u.s." Sey-
mour was so startled that IL was long
after she diamond pant had lost its i'm
terest that it was generally known that
IL was founded on she invention OF n
Bohemian and that IL was only acci-
dental that its interest was not the
ephemeral one of the public alton of
surprising story in n newspaper.