Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-12-01
DIAMOND TnlEvINo.
How the zulus Have Been Corrupted by
Unprincipled Whites.

Unprincipled Whites.
Diamonds, rs most people will be aware,
are sorted out of the diamondifcroos stuff
by native hands, Some of these, says
the Saturday heeietr, are probably in the
pay of the fraternity, or, TO be more accp
rate, are humble members OF it. A fine
stone is turned UP By one of them when
nobody is looking. He scizes it, hides il in
his hair, in his mouth, or in some other
portion of his person. Or il . goat lie
handy, he twists it in his wool and tends
the animal affectionately till an opportu-
nifty occurs of redeemIng the stone. Or
perchance he conceals it behind rock, or
forces it down the throat OF dog, or Ho-
meric device, he swallows II himself. The
gem being restored to the light OF day from
its hiding-place, whatever it may havo
been-and many diamond now sparkling
on a iady's neck has made acquaintance
with the stomach of u Kafir-the dusky
thief in due course puts himself in commu-
nication with another native of superior
class. This man is tout IN the pay OF a
low white man: q Mean White,n 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 the vile drink which it is the peculiar
pride of civilization to supply to the unso-
phisticated savage, and, so far as he is
concerned, there is an end of tho transac-
ton Then the tout carries the stone
TO the Mean White and receives from
him sum of money, perhaps double
what he has given TO the actual
thief. The Mean White in his turn takes
1t to the licensed buyer of diamonds,
who is possibly person of glaring and
even aggressive responsibility church
warden U1prnhar. Hf
at the least merchant of good antecedents
and from him receives, perhaps, tenth
part of the worth of the gem. SO far so
good; but still there are slips between the
cup and the lip, and it is sometimes found
difficult to convey the stuff out of the coun-
try TO the final receiver in London. To this
end many articles are resorted to. We
have heard of innOcent-loolxing fowling.
pieces, which, on examination, have been
found to be loaded with diamonds to within
an inch of the muzzle, while such reposi-
tories as novels with holes cut in the leaves,
the quilts Of ostrich feathers, and boots
with hollow heels, are not uncommon
Often the fair sex are found to be useful
auxiliaries in these adventures, for there is
q peculiar sacredness about a lady's under
clothing that appeals TO the mind of the Gus
toms officer. The man would be bold who
AAAGNNAg Na4hhAAC u OlA llGE DdCh ndlT. HOW
ever this may be, by far the greater num-
Der Of stones so procured arrive safely in
Europe Most people will naturally 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 well
known, and as DR.. Matthews is careful to
explain, never dreamed of stealing diamonds
until he was taught to thieve by the white
receiver of stolen goods, and after his simple
virtue had been debauched by Cape
smoke More especially is this true of
natives of the Zulu race, among whom, as
/ they are yet nncontamminated by ciyiliza-
/ ton. honesty is not only policy, but uni
! yersal practice.
| DR.. Matthews tells some interesting tales
of the l. d. B. illicit Diamond Buyers fra
ternity. In the dead of a certain night in
the year 1872 he was reused from sleep and
confronted by trembling and middle-aged
| citizen Of the Fields, who informed him that
he had swallowed a thirty-carat diamond
and two sovereigns = just to show his
friends how the scoundrels did it, and was
now anxious to be rid Of these foreign sub
stances, which had presumable begun to
disagree. Ultimately they were recovered,
and the happy citizen departed with the dia-
mond, leaving the gold in payment OF
course, this man had disposed Of the dia-
mond under imminent fear Of detection:
1 but why he took the two sovereigns not
knowing we can not say-.unless il was to
get his hand in. Some people, by the way,
appear to be able TO swallow very large
stones, for so lately as last year a native
dying under suspicious circumstances, his
body was opened, and a sixty-carat stone
found in his stomach. Here is another tale
A white gentleman lived with a pretty
Fingo woman, who also acted as his agent
in the " trade" He fell i'll Of fever,
and for weeks lay in a state of delir.
ium, between life and death She nursed
him tenderly through it all, and, what is
more, kept up his connection with the
boys" so that, when he came TO himself
he was enabled to present him with hun
dreds of carats Of fine stones. And now
mark the sequel! No sooner was he strong
enough than he departed to Europe, taking
every gem and farthing that she had col
lected with him, and leaving the unfortunate
girl to starve on the streets. On certain
occasion DIR. Matthews was called in to at
tend dying digger who had once worked q
claim for him. These were the words that
greeted him when he told the man there was
no hope: Z" sha'n't, can't, won't die with.
out telling you how when worked your
and Mr.. Lynch's claim in No. 6 | robbed you
OF nearly al your diamonds"
In the face Of stories such as these and Of
a mass Of other evidence, it is sometimes
difficult not to believe that civilization is a
failure, and that tho educated Christian
man, except under very exceptional circum-
stances, and when restrained by the strict.
est pressure Of the law. is lower animal
at heart than the savage he despises and do
, stroys with drink and rife bullets.
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Manufacture Of Clutches.
. There are but three factories in the
United States in which crutches are exclu
: sively manufactured, one each in Boston,
Philadelphia and New York. The crutches