The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-10-09
DIAMOND HUNTING.
Gems Found in Georgia, and Stories of the
Finders.
From the Detroit Free Press.

near Atlanta, has created no little excitement
throughout the state, and the people OF Hail
| county in particular are beginning to think
| that the eccentric old scientist, DR.. Moses +.
Stephenson, may be fulfilled after all. DIR.
| Stephenson always contended that the geologi-
cal formation Of Hall county was the same as
that Of the rich diamond belt in Brazil and
exactly similar to that Of the Kimberly, South
| African fields. 1.-THE micaceous sandstone
which underlies Hall county" nc said, "is the
true matrix of the diamond and some day
these farms and plantations that now afford a
bare living 20 their owners, win be scientific
| ally developed for their hidden treasures. The
find win be prodigious, for these hills and
valleys that form the Chattahoochee's water
| shed have hidden in their depths millions and
millions Of dollars worth OF diamonds and 9TH
| er precious stones"
| The cracker farmers used to wag their heads
| unbelievingly when the old scientist talked
thus, and whisper among themselves that the
| doctor was getting crankier every day. Now
| they begin to think there may have been a
! great deal of method i'll his madness. DIR.
| Stephenson was a man of the most profound
attainments, and his worth was understood
| and appreciated in the scientific world. He
was member Of scientific societies in all parts
| of the globe, ana by the assistance of several
learned men, who were glad TO come to him
for council and to admire, he was able to pub
lish two or three works on scientific subjects.
the sale Of which gave him aBmall income and
kept him from actual want. Before the war,
when there was United States mint at Dahl
lonega, in the neighb0ring county of Lump
kin, Dr. Stephenson was the chief assayer.
When the mint was abandoned after the ordi-
nances OF secession were adopted by Georgia
he rendered his services to the confederate
government and WAS attached to the medical
department OF the army until Lees surrender
at Appomattox. The wreck of war had swept
away his savings, and he and his motherly old
wife-who, Heaven bless her, never lost faith
in him settled down at Gainesville. They
lived here quietly, humbly, but always hope
fully, until the end that comes to all of us ar
rived for them. The doctors tall ungainly
figure was a familiar one on the streets of
Gainesville, and he was usually the center OF
an incredulous group of men, who listened
half-pityingly to what they called "the DOCTORS
diamond deusion." TO the day of his death
he had hope that on some vague tomorrow he
would get financial backing and be able to put
his diamond working machinery into opera
ton. He had explored every hole and corner
of northeast Georgia. and shortly after the war
made an exhaustive geological survey of this
section Of thosstate. IL was during this inves-
LEGATION that his attention was turned seriously
to that peculiar geologic formation know as
the diamond belt" which, beginning in wes-
tern Virginia, runs through Kentucky, Tennes-
see, the Carolinas and Georgia, but has its most
pronounced development in Hall county. In
his report OF the survey Dr. Stephenson called
and later on published pamphlet on the dia-
mond belt in which he declared that it was his
deliberate opinion as geoogist who had made
careful study of the subject that Hall county
held concealed in her bosom more diamonds
than were to be found in Brazil and Africa
together
An old Cherokee warrior with whom /
stopped on one occasion at his home in Quaker
Valley, N. g., had belt of deerskin studded
with amethysts, moss agates and quartz crys-
n all n MI hoy nut
of virgin gold which had descended to him
from his grandfather. A diamond of about
two carats and two SMALL irregularly shaped
rubies were set in the crown of the ring, and
he told me that there were similar stones in
the possession of other families in the valley.
This old Quaker valley warrior said that there
was legend in the tribe that when the white
men under Ponce de Leon, who penetrated the
interior as far as Noyoochee Valley and opened
several gold mines there. tho remains OF which
are yet to be seen, passed through the country
lying west OF the Chattahoochee they found
diamonds in the beds of the small tributary
creeks.
Sometime in i849 q cracker named Tomlin,
who had squatted on piece of land near the
Shallowford ON the Chattahoochee river,
found q stone of considerable size as he was
washing for gold in the bed of a small branch.
He was counting the daughter OF a neighbor-
ing farmer at the time, and he presented the
pretty to his sweetheart, who had it fixed in
pin and wore it as a brooch. The young lady
was quito coquette, and Tomlin was only one
among the small army Of admirers who were
at her beck and call. Among this coterie of
wooing SWANS was n stalwart fellow named
Keith, and he and Toml!n were not the best of
friends, having quarreled over the ownership
of some hogs The night after the coquettish
one got Tomlin's pretty stone fixed into pin
Keith called upon her He noticed the trinlz-
ct, and she, exhibiting il proudly, exclaimed:
The man thst Civ me thet air pretty Pm
shore agoin' to marry" "Shore ?" repeated
Keith and bis face darkened with jealous an
ger. "plumb shorel" reiterated the girl:
can his name air Hank Tomln" At this
Keith sprang to his feet with an angry curse
and rushed from her presence, She followed
him to the door of her fathers cabin and
laughed tantalizingly rs he strobe across the
fields. Suddenly her laughter changed TO
cry of terror rs Keith reached the edge OF the
clearing and came face to face with Tomlin,
who had been out hunting, and had stopped on
his way homo to see the girl he loved. Tho
encounter was so sudden that both men halted
and for moment stood facing each other III
silence. Then Keith said: "Look-ahere Hank
Tomin, We love Sally an so do /. Both we'uns
KANT hev her. / hate We wussn pizon am
We'll settle the ditfikilty right hyar an now.
May tho best man win" AS he finished speak
ing he drew from his belt monstrous looking
knife and sprang toward his rival Tomlim
could have killed Keith with his rifle, but he
was too ohivalrous TO take unfair advantage of
a foe. Throwing tho weapon aside no drew
gether rs painting fieroely the rivals struggled
Tor the anastery. For moment the cause of
the duel watched the conflict in silence aud
then with piercing scream ran swiftly to-
ward tho combatants. As she neared the spot
Ceith fell to the ground dead. Tomlins knife
had been driven into his heart. Tomln was
also desperately wounded, and when Sally
reached his side he had fallen from exhaustion
and loss of blood. Crying bitterly she knelt
beside him. He had voice only TO tell her the
cause Of the duel, and beg her to wear his
pretty" forever rs o remembrance of his love.
Then his tones grew husky, his eyes dimmed,
and with tho name Of the coqotte on his lips
he died. Sally, now grandmother, and well
known in the vicinity Of Naldosta, where she
has resided since her marriage, still wears the
rough uncut diamond and il was from her lips
that I heard its history.
Tho small farmers who people the broken
country west Of here are densely Ignorant and
intensely superstitious. The little valleys are
full Of moonshine whisky stills and the depu-
~ United States nArshals are kept busy rout.
ing them out and arresting their owners. The
first revenue officers that raided through
Northeast Georgia immediately after recon.
struotion were northern mon. They literally
fought their way through tho country, and
I 4 a.. a. -