Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-30
WITH MANY
How a Man Who is Half Dude, Half Cow
boy, Makes a Show of HIMSELF.

How a Man Who is Half Dude, Half Cow
boy. Makes a Show of Himself.
john /. Lighthall and wife, registered
from Peoria, ILL.,, have been attracting
considerable attention for three days
days past. The couple We're %conspicu-
Gus especially for the magnificent and
ponderous jewelry which they wore,
and could not 60 into the dining-room
or walk through the corridors without
being followed by gaping boys. In APP
pearance Lighthall combines the cows
boy of the West and the swell
young mar of the East. He is about
thlfty-tive years of age and six feet tall,
OF a 1.-THE, active build. His hair,
which is raven black, is as straight as
an Indians, and falls in a mass to his
shoulders. His clothes are of a fash
ionable cut and of rather loud pat
tern. His vest, which is of bright ma
t%erials, is buttoncd with diamonds,
there being fifty-four good-Sized stones
IN the set of buttons. His visit to Gin
clnnati was for the purpose of adding
some choice stones to his already large
collection of jewels. He probably wears
more diamonds than any other man in
this country, or any other, for that
matter.
MI. and Mrs. L~ighthall welcomed a
reporter yesterday and seemed nothing
loath to show their jewels, which were
rather co%nspicuously displayed. Il am
sorry said he, THAT | did not know
you we've coming, for l could have had
more of my stuff here and made more
'of a show. But this scarf-pin is worth
looking att pointing at the same time
to a huge cluster Of diamonds more
than an inch square, which almost hid
q gaudy necktic which swathcd his
throat.
This is probably the largest pin in
the United S>ates,n he continued. cit
contains one hundred and seventv-nipe
stones, II of which. as YOU see, weighs
six carats. They are beautifully set
and the entire Workmanship is almost
perfect. 1t was originally a ring, but
is too cumbersome to wear"
".Did you order it 'madc?:'
"No. 1t was the last ordrr OF q dia-
mond broker in st. Louis, whose name
was Maus. 1t is said that he went
crazy, and I guess he did, for no sane
man. unless he was as eccentric as I
am, would order, mucl. less wear, a
baublc of this description. 1t is said
that Maus took a handful of stones into
a workshop and told the foreman to
make the finest ring possible out Of
them, and this is the relult.'
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
collection 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 affects the and actions of
a cowboy. He has Il somhrero which
cost him over two thousand eight hun
dred dollars. 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's keptin I'M
safe. The same man, Just to crafty an
inclination to be conspicuous, wore a
suit OF clothes the buttons of which
were made of ten dollar 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 We're pinned on his vcst-front.
The setting Of one ring was a topaz
said to be the largest in the United
States. Another was a beautiful
sapphire, surrounded by four large dia-
monds. The others were diamond
clusters and were only noticeable on ac-
count of their unusual size and the
worth OF the stones. Cincinnati En-
Qutrcr.