The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-04-12
MY DIAMONDS.
A PerilOus Mission that BY Lizzie Fore
sight Came Our All Right.

sight Came Our All Right.
On the 9th of May, 1876, arrived in
Austin, Texas, with thirteen diamonds in my
possession, the aggregate value of which was
fully 100000. They had been sent to a
certain party in New York who had agreed
to carry them to San Antonio Texas, where
the purchaser, wealthy merchant and
the owner of several ranches lived
They We're intended as present to his only
daughter on her birthday, the 10th Of May.
Ever probable provision had been made to
get them to the Lone Star State several days
IN advance Of the suspicious occasion,
which was meant to be s,tsh memorable
one in the life of the dark-eyed beauty of the
romantic old town inwhich she was born and
reared. The first hitch occurred in New
York, Immediately after the diamonds came
into the hands of Fred Barrett, the cousin
of Miss Barrett, and who it was arranged
was TO deliver them in person to the father
On the very day Fred Barrett opened tho
wonderful gems to feast his eyes on their
beauty he was taken violently ILL., As he
was an athletic, vigorous man, with no bad
habits, he and his friends supposed he
would be himself in a brief while, but he
showed no improvement for several days
and finally sent for me.
The doctor says have begun to menu,
but that it will be impossible for me to leave
my room under ten days. According to the
original plan, would have had ample time
to reach unele's before the 10th, but if those
diamonds do not start tomorrow they viii
be too late for the interesting ceremony
and uncle would rather lose a fortune
than miss such q pleasure, ON which his
heart is set"
"Why not send them by express 1t is
quite as safe--that is as safe MS anything can
be in this world"
have thought of all TINT, but the inn
perative order from uncle was that under no
circumstances should the diamonds go by
public conveyance. You know that there
have been many train and stage robberies
in the West and Southwest lately and these
jewels would be too tempting morsel for
some of these gentry Tho long and short
of it is, l want you to take charge of and
deliver them to uncle himself You have
been over the route several times and know
the country more thoroughly than do. To
30 brief, accepted the proposal and as I
ated at the beginning reached the capita;
of Texas ON the afternoon of the 9th of May
in the Centennial year.
am naturally cool and free from nervous
ness, but there was excuse for considerable
been notified by telegraph that a visitor
would reach his house on the night of the
10th of May, which would be in time for the
party, but when the preceding evening
found tho messenger in Austin, that mess
enger felt it was cutting things altogether
too fine for his comfort. II is fully fifty miles
from the Texan capital to San Antonio, and
the stage which left the former city carly in
the morning required the entire day to make
the journey. The line had been established
many years and there were three changes of
teams ON the route, four horses always be-
ing hitched to the heavy but powerful coach,
which very rarely indeed failed to rattle into
San Antonio early in the evening. With the
late completion of the railroad the stage
company find its occupation gone.
1t would have been more pleasant for me
had another twenty our hours been at my
command, but il was not that which caused
so much uneasiness as the conviction that
amounted to an absolute certainty that two
men were following me. How in the name
of the seven wonders they learned or even
suspected that had such valuable property
in my custody passes my comprehension.
The utmost secrecy was used in New York
and the fiery carbon points were carefully
wrapped up in a piece of chamois skin,
which was securely fastened to n small
belt passing around my waist, beneath my
clothing, and which was not to be removed
until the end of the journey was reached.
Aperson in my situation is naturally suspic
ious, but am sure ] conductedmysef like the
majority of my fellow passengers who were
not supposed to be in the possession of as
much wealth ms myself / kept close
watch on them, but observed nothing to
cause alarm until after leaving st. Louis
over the Iron Mountain Railroad / then
became 50 well satisfied that two sinister
looking and welldressed men were shadow
ing me that declined to retire to my berth
and sat up smoking the most of the time and
wide awake all the way to Texarkana At
that dilapidated town | made the best effort
could originate to throw the hounds off
my trail thought I had succeeded for
time, but they turned up at Dallas, and
when registered Mt the Commercial Hotel
their names appeared under mine.
Long before this l had fully concluded
that they had fixed on the road between
Austin and San Antonio as the ono where
should part company with my diamonds
and most probably with my life The
chances were 80 favorable on that lonely
route that they merely kept on my trail or
rather in my company from ST. Louis to the
capital The situation then WIS that was
due at a certain point fifty miles away and
within twenty-four hours, and that two men
were determined that my property should
never reach there.
After strongly securing the door of my
rooiH tilit HlBnt III inc Hotei but uOWH 10
decide what should be done, for there could
be no installing the fact that the crisis was
at hand. Instead of being mentally tired
and worn out from the continual strain TO
which had been subjected / never was
more prepared for intense thought in all my
life. tipped my chair against the door,
sitting with my hand on my loaded revolver,
In which position knew il would be impos.
sible TO surprise me, and still thinking and
turning over all sorts of plans, / finally drop
ped asleep and did not open my eyes until
daylight However, when reused up and
looked around me / had fixed upon line of
action. Whether it would take me through
or not remained to be seen, but | did not
hesitate to follow ont the line had laid out
for myself.
The next morning when the stage with the
four vigorous horses halted in front Of the
hotel, the landlord went out and told the
H. 4