The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-05-31
Rascality in Diamonds.
From the Saturday Revieao.

Diamonds, as most people will be aware,
are sorted out of the diamondiferous stuff
by native "hands." Some of these hands
are probably in the pay of the fraternity,
or, to be more accurate are humble mem
bers of it. A fine stone is turned up by one
of Thorn when nobody is looking. He Seizes
it, hides it in his hair, in his mouth or in
some other portion of his person. Or if a
goat lie handy he twists it in his wool, and
tends the animal atfectionately till an op-
portunity occurs of redeeming the stone.
Or perchance he conceals it behind a rock,
or forces it down the throat of a dog, or
Homeric device, he swallows it himself
The gem being restored to the light of
day from its hiding place, whatever it may
haYe been-and many diamond now
sparkling on q lady's neck has made
acquaintance with the stomach of Kafir-
the dusky thief in due course puts himself
in communication with another native of
superior class This man is a tout In the
pay of a low white man, a 'mean white"
as he is called in the colonies The tout
buys the stone for, let us say, hundredth
part of its value, and the thief spends the
money on tho vile drink, which it is the
peculiar pride of civilization to supply to
the unsophisticated savage, and, so far as he
Is concerned, there ~ an end of the tranSac-
ton. Then the tolt carries the stone to
the mean white and receives from him a
sum of money, p rhaps double what ne has
given to the actual thief The mean white,
in his turn. takes it to the licensed buyer
of diamonds who is possibly a person of
glaring and even aggressive respectability
"a church warden or member of the muni-
cipality, or at tho least a merchant Of good
autecedants-and from him receives por-
haps, tenth part of the worth of tho gem
SO far so good, but still there are slips be-
tween the cup an the lip, and it is some
times found difficult to convey the stuff out
Of the country to the final receiver in Lon
don. To this end many articles are re-
sorted to- We have heard of innocent
looking foWliDg pieces, which on examina-
ton have been found to be loaded with
diamonds to within an inch of the muz-
gle, while such repositories as nores with
holes cut in the leaves, the quilts Of ostrich
feathers and boots with hollow heels are
not uncommon. Ofton the fair sex are
found TO he useful auxiaries in these ad-
ventures, Tor there is a peculiar sacredness
about lady's undcrclothing that appeals
to tho mind of the customs officer. The
man would be bold vino merely ventured
on her back hair. However this
number of stones so procured arrive
safely in Europe. Most people will natur-
ally think that the native rascal who takes
the stone is responsible for this state of
things, but it is not the case. The native,
as is we'll known, is careful to explain that
he never dreamed of stealing diamonds un-
til he was taught to thioye by the white re-
cciver Of stolen goods, and after his simple
virtue had been debouched by"Cape smoke"
More especially is this true of natives of tho
Zulu race, among whom, when they are as
yet uncontaminated by civilization, hon
esty is not only policy, but universal
practice.