Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-02-12
A Dandy With Many Diamonds.

John L. Lighthall and wife, register
ed from Peoria, H., have beer attract
ing considerable attention for three
days past The couple were conspicu-
Gus especially for the magnificent and
ponderous jewelry which they wore,
and could not 90 into the dining-room
or walk through the corridors without
being followed by gaping crowds. In
appearance Lighthall combines the
cowboy of the west and the swell young
man OF the east. Heis about So years
OF age and six feet tall, of 1.-THE, ac-
tive build. His hair, which is raven
oIack, Is as straight as an Indians, and
Ialls IN mass to his shoulders. His
clothes are of fashionable cut and of
rather loud pattern. His vest. which is
OF bright material, is buttoned with
diamonds. there being fifty-four Good
sized stones in the set of buttons. His
visit to Cincinnati was for the purpose
OF adding some choice stones to his al
ready large collection of Jewels. He
probably wears more diamonds than
any other man in this country or any
other, for that matter
Mr.. and Mrs. Lighthall welcomed a
reporter yesterday, and seemed moth
ing Ioath to show their Jewels, which
were rather conspicuously displayed.
i am sorry" said he, THAT [ did not
know you were coming, for | could
have had more of my stuff here and
made more of a show. But this scarf
pin is worth looking at" pointing at
the same time to huge cluster of dia-
monds more than an inch square, which
almost hid a gaudy necktie which
swathed his throat.
This is probably the largest pin in
the United States" he continued. 1T
contains 179 stones, one of which, as
you see, weighs six carats. They are
beautifully set and the entire workman
ship is almost perfect. 1t was original
ly a ring, but is too cumbersome to
wear"
did you order it made?"
mo. 1t was the last order of dia-
mond broker in st. Louis, whose name
was Maus. 1t is said that he went
crazy, and l guess he did, for no sane
man, unless he was as eccentric as |
am, would order, much less wear, a
bauble of this description. 1t is said
that Maus took a handful of stones in
to a workshop and told the foreman to
make the finest ring possible out of
them, and this is the result"
Lighthall processes to have been fond
OF Jewels ever since a boy, and for the
past ten years, since he has been able
to crafty his desires in this direction,
has been making an extraordinary col
lection of precious stones. He wears
them, he says, because he likes to be
odd. Of late years he has been much
among the Indians in the west, and af-
fects the manners and actions of cow
boy. He has a sombrero which cost
him over $1,000. Clusters of diamonds
and other gems decorate the crown and
rim of the hat, and it is probably the
only hat in the United States that is
kept in safe. The same man, lust to
crafty an inclination to be conspicu-
Gus, wore a suit of clothes the buttons
of which were made of $40 gold pieces.
The jewelry which he wore yesterday,
in addition to his glazing scarf-pin and
diamond vest buttons, consisted of four
big rings, a massive gold chain, and
three large badges or medals, which
were pinned on his vest-front. The
setting of one ring was topaz said to
be the largest in the United States.
Another was a beautiful sapphire, sur
rounded by four large diamonds. The
others were diamond clusters and were
only noticeable on account of their IN
usual size and the worth of the stones.
= Cincinnati Enquirer.