Morning journal and courier., 1883-04-24
The Washed Diamonds.

The Hearing at Yesterday's City Court.
 The case against Jacob Nepel. charged with obtaining money under false pretenses by means of the washed diamonds came up by continuance in the City court yesterday after- noon before Judge Deming. The first wit ness called was the young man who took the diamonds to Engers. Charles s. Dorman. He testified that the diamonds were given to him by Martin Gum, the clerk at the Grand Union Hotel, on March 18th. He took them to Engel's and got check of $2OO for them,
 which he got cashed and turned the money
 over to Gum. The same day the earrings and
 ring were given him. With these and the pawn
 check for $2O0 he got check for $4OO and
 1925 in cash which he placed in his own
 pocket Mr. Gum told him that all he got
 over $40O he might keep. He was also in-
 structed to say that she earrings came from
 Tiffany's and cost $7O0. The settings of the
 diamonds the witness identified, but was not
 able to the stones. Objection was made by the defense to the evidence of
 Dorman as to the second stud taken to En-
 gels and which was not returned. MT.
 Stoddard called for the stone, but it was not
 in court ttIf it's the stud you stole from
 us," remarked MT. Stoddard, ''we want it
 back, and we want it bad" The judge ruled
 out the testimony further than that the wit
 ness took such an article to Engel. He fur
 ther testified that he did not know the firm of Randall, Barmore & Billings, which he mentioned while selling the diamonds. On
 the examination he testified that the
 $25 he received as commission he turned over to- Lawyer Pigott, who gave him a
 receipt for it, when he learned that
 transaction frQuh
 He supposed that the money was to be re-
 turned to Engel. Before taking the first stud
 to MT. Engel's he took it to Kirby, who, after looking at it, said that it was worth about $80 karat, and that 1t would probab-
 ly weigh two and one-half karats. The stud was not offered for sale to Mir. Kirby.
 Martin R. Gum recalled, testified that his
 commission of $2O had gone back to Engel
 through the hands of Mir. Pigott. Nepel
 told him that the diamonds cost $7O0 at Tiff fanys and so he told Dorman. As he recoi- lects the bill it indicated that they cost $365.
 Witness had the earrings and finger ring in
 his possession at the time he gave the stud to
 Dorman. On the transaction Nepel received from the witness $2OO at one time and $400 at another time. The first payment was in cash and the second by
 Engel's check. The second stud was receiv- ed from Nepel the day after he paid him the $2OO When Dorman received this check he
 
 should have it cashed. The witness answered in the affirmative.
 On cross examination the witness said that he understood Dorman's $25 went from MT. Pigott to MT. Blydenburgh and was turned over by the latter to Engel. MT. Engel still retained possession of the second diamond stud.
 At this point Mir. Pickett gave notice that the State rested.
 The defense called Samuel H. Kirby, who ! said he had been in business thirty-five years. He identified the first diamond, which he told Dorman was worth $175 to $190. The diamond was little of color, having vel l Jewish tinge. If it had been pure it would l have been worth 5000 to $9OO.
 Jacob Nepel testified that he was in the habit of selling on commission for 8 New York house. The diamond sold to Engel for ! $2OO cost him $19O. He denied that he dealt in painted or doctored stones.
 an old mine stone anywhere from $1;O00 to | $5.000, The stone was actually worth to any dealer from seventy five to eighty dollars a | karat, and stone cut as fine as the one in the stud could not be replaced at eighty dol
 lars karat. The accused did not tell Gum 1 that the diamonds were bought at Tiffany for $7OO, but might have told him that such pair of earrings would cost at Tiffanys be tween $60O and $70O. For the earrings and finger ring he received $3SO. They cost him 1852.