Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-08-28
ALL NOT GEMS THAT CLEAN.
A Tramp Becomes q millionaire For Ten
Minutes.
"
IN. 7. Journal.j

N. 7. JournaLl
Six commercial travellers, each wearif Z
q huge diamond on his shirts front, stood
on the Astor House steps yesterday morn
ing, calmly picking their teeth. The
gloomy doorway of the old hotel looked
like show-window at Tiffany's. Dozens
more Of drummers were inside.
The occasion Of the gathering was the
convention of jewelers.
Two hundred rooms in the Astor House
Gre now full Of good articles and precious
stones. Every drummer" sleeps with a
bag of diamonds under his bed. Every
manufacturer has a box of gold watches
under his pillow. A waiter was imperti-
nent to a jeweler yesterday and the latter
threw a diamond bracelet at him giving
the fellow a merited blow.
A maid id cleaning up room this n,orns
Ing swept up two gold watches, an ame-
shyst ring, two sapphire breast-pins and
an amethyst studded comb. She said that
If the jewellers didn't stop dropping their
diamonds on the f,or she would throw
them into the ragbag. She said she was
tired of dusting up diam ond rings. Each
seller shows his sLniples in his room.
"Paste diaruonds," said a drummc r,
One New Orleans firm took 200 bushels at
10 Ia cents: They will be sold at retail
in the black belt in the South. Alaska
diamonds are given as wedding presents
among the colored people in the South.
lave seen a clerk in a colorsd hotel wear
ng an Alaska diamond as large as the
binnacle-ligat Of ship. 1t locke like
4 window in his sh rt. bosom. One hogs
head o glass topazes was taken by o st.
Louis man for $3.50. Rubes were easy at
A barrel. Six hogsheads of emeralds
were sold at private sale, ami price could
not be learned.
Zone hundred manufacturers como from
the two towns of Attleboro Mass, and
Providence, r. L, which makes nearly all
the jewels sold in the United States At
tleboro has about 5000 people, and nearly
alI ara engaged in jswel- making. The
sweets there are said to be pavel with
watches. Providence also makes a grest
many Jewels"
About five O'Clock last eveniny a tramp
got into the Astor House by the side door.
He made his way unobserved to tn fourth
story. Several mon notice him there, but
supposed that he was servant, a rat
catcher, or something Of the sort, and was
going up to the garret roo ms.
A door was ajar on the corridor. The
| tramp stealtEily opened it and looked in.
The room was emp y. It was the apart.
| ment OF Mr. Buffingwell, Of Attleboro,
who had startel but ten minutes before
| for Delnonico's to get his lunch. The
! tramp entered the room Ga tn, table
! were fifty or sixty glittering diamonds
crosses, bracelets, earlrops, breastpips
and rings
They dizzled the tramp. He tottered
! toward the table. pickel up a almond
cross with thirty-tw diamonds in It,
looked at it with wonder and put it in hi:
pocket. Then he gather I'd in the Other
| damon Is and crowded them into hi:
pockets. The last hand ul of diamonds
he put into his hat and then put his hat or
his head
"Now I am a millionaire" said he, ''of
for Canada"
At the door Mr.. Buff gwell, who had
Just got back from Dbl slmonico's, met him.
He saw diamond cross fall out of thr
the pave nent He caught the tramp by
the collar of the coat and askel hin
where he had obtain ID that cross.
The Astor House watchman came u,
and the tramp was searched. All tn
diamonds wers recovered The watch
man was going to telegraph for Captain
Berghold and Inspector Byrnes, but Mr.
Buff agweu, wlo appeared gool -natured
said:
"No; these gorgeous damon Is ar
worth only seventy five cents. They ar
samples. have barrelful of them VI
stairs"
Mr.. Buffingwell gave the tramp a quar-
ter; and the man who had been a million.
aire for ten minutes left the Astor Hous
for Mulberry Bend.