Omaha daily bee., 1884-04-03
DIAMOND POLICE.
Precautions Used in South African
Diamond Mines to Prevent
THETA Wonderful
Institution.

--
"The diamond police of South Africa
form a wonderful institution" a gentle
man lately frem the diamond mines at
Cape Colony said. "They are appointed
by the government and are incorruptible,
although you may hardly believe that.
John Fry, their chief, i, a most remark
able man, and has the best memory of
anyone 1 have ever met. He was form
erly a Judge. His present position is one
of the greatest Importance in South Afri-
Ca. He Is about 90 years of age, and very
quiet In his manner. He has under him
many detectives, each of whom employs
forty or fifty black men and woman to aid
him in discovering the thefts of diamonds
from the Mines"
"Are many diamonds stolen2"
sin the thirteen years thatthe diamond
mines around the cape have been worked,
more than S13, 000, 600 worth of diamonds
have been stolen. The miners are Caffres,
who steal the diamonds every chance
they get. Take, cefor ~instan, the diamond
mines of Kimberly, which are two miles
in diameter. In them are forty or fifty
mining companies and nearly twenty
thousand miners aud other employees.
The diamonds are imbedded in a dark
colored rock, which is blasted ut The
fragments containing the gems are spread
out on q level field and left to the action
of the atmosphere. In a few weeks the
rock crumbles away and the diamonds are
gathered. In blasting out the rock there
are often found free diamonds, which the
miners try to steal. The Caffres are di.
vided into squads of fifteen, which are
under the charge of a white overseer,
who never turns his back to them. If one
of the Caffres can pick up a free diamond
without being seen, he swallows it. That
is the only way they can conceal it, as
they are searched before and after they go
into the mines"
"Where are they searched?"
SIN houses built for the purpose.
When a man goes to work he first enters
the search houses, as they are called,
where he is compelled to remove all his
garments, and to put on canva trousers
and a jacket which have nc pockets in
them. On THEN return from work they
are again searched, after which they are
allowed to change the canvas suit for
their own clothing. The searchers receive
$40 a week salary. But these precautions
by no means prevent the stealing of
diamonds. 1t is impossible to entirely
prevent the stealing, but the precautions
keep the stealing down to a very large ex-
tent. The searching, however, is only a
small matter compared with the other
precautions"
What are they2"
"Unless the diamonds can be disposed
of after they are stolen there is little
good in stealing them, and toward pre-
venting the sale of stolen diamonds the
diamond police have done much. Each
diamond buyer, seller, cutter, and broker
must have a license from government.
The licensed diamond buyer must keep a
register, in which he is required to enter
the size, weight, and appearance of each
diamond that he buys, the name of the
person from whom he buys it, and the
price paid. He must also enter on the
same register each diamond that he sells,
and the name of the person to whom he
sells it. If he is suspected of buying
stolen diamonds, the diamond police
quietly seal up his place and compare his
stock and the records ON the register. If
they do not tally. and it is apparent he
has been buying stolen diamonds, he is
sent to prison to await trial, If he is
convicted he may be sentenced anywhere
from five years to twenty years imprison-
ment. If a man buys or sells diamonds
without a license he is subject to the same
penalty"
"What is the cost of a licensel"
"The license itself costs 81, ZOO a year,
but in addition the applicant has to depo-
SIT SIC, 600, to be used as bail for himself
if arrested.
SLOW often are the register examin-
edo"
sat the end of each month they are all
sent to MI. Fry, who examines and COM
pares them. If some of them appear
suspicious even, Fry has the right to
close up the dealers places, and to ex-
anime their stock. He has also the
powers of a magistrate. He is so sharp
that he can detect a discrepancy at a
glance"
els it not possible to buy and sell
stolen diamonds without being found
out2"
"Anything is possible, but there is a
great risk. If a person without a license
buys or sells a single diamond, he knows
that if he is found out he may pass the
next fifteen years of his life behind the
prison bars