Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1889-07-24
The Oldest and best Insur-
ance Companies represented
by L. H. Wellington.
STOLEN DIAMONDS
SOME cURloSlTIEs OF THE SOUTH
AFRICAN TRAFFIC IN ILLICIT GEMS.

Schemes and Articles of That Rasca1ly
Fraternity, the st. d. Bs"-How Stolen
Stones Reach Europe-Some Interesting
Stories-The Dying Digger.
DIR. Matthews, an English practitioner
who spent many years in the diamond
field of South Africa, has just published
in England book on the subject. An
interesting part of his book is that which
deals with the development of the great
diamond digging industry, and the
schemes and articles of that raseally
fraternity, the I. D. B., or illicit diamond
buyers. There is a saying that i've years
in South Africa is sufficient to corrupt
the most Immaculate, and that man
who has lived there for seven should not
be believed upon his oath. DR.. Matthews
revelations certainly give color to the
saying. According to his account, the
larger part of the community of Kimber-
ley is mixed up in this nefarious traffic.
Diamonds, as most people will be
aware. are sorted out of diamondiferous
stuff by native "hands." Some of these
hands are probably in the pay of the fra
ternity. A fine stone is turned up by one
of them 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 afectionately
till an opportunity occurs of redeeming
the stone. Or, perchance, he conceals it
behind rock, or forces it down the
throat of dog, or, Homeric device, he
swallows it himself. The gem being re-
stored to the light of day from its hiding
place, whatever it may have been-and
many q diamond now sparkling on a
lady's neck has made acquaintance with
the stomach of a Kafr-the dusky thief
in due course puts himself in communi-
Gated with another native of a superior
class. This man is tout in the pay of a
low white mana ''mean white" as he
is called in the colonies.
HOW IT IS DONE.
The tout buys the stone for, let,us say,
hundredth part of its value, and the
thief spends the money in the vile drink
which it is the peculiar pride of civil
ization to supply to the unsophisticated
savage, and, so far as he is concerned,
there is an end of the transaction. Then
the tout carries the stone to the "mean
white" and receives from him a sum of
money, perhaps double what he 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
responsibility church warden or a
member Of the municipality, or at least
a merchant Of good antecedents-and
from him receives perhaps a 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 country to the final receiver in Lon
don. To this end many articles are re-
sorted to. Innocent looking fowlng
pieces, on examination, have been found
to be loaded with diamonds to within an
inch of the muzzle, while such depos-
tories as novels with holes cut in the
leaves, the quilts of ostrich feathers and
boots with hollow heels are not uncom-
mon.
Often the fair sex are found to be use
full auxiliaries in these adventures, for
there is q peculiar sacredness about a
lady's underclothing that appeals to the
mind Of the customs officer. The man
would be bold who merely vent1red on
her back hair. However this may be,
by far the greater number of stones SO
procured arrive safely In Europe. Most
people will naturally think that the ma
tive rascal who takes the stone is respon-
sible for this state of things, but it is not
the case. The native never dreamed of
stealing diamonds until he was taught to
thieve by the white receiver of stolen
goods.
SOME INTERESTING STORIES.
DR.. Matthews tells some interesting
tales of the I. d. B. fraternity. In the
dead of certain night, in the year 1879,
he was reused from sleep and confronted
by a trembling and middle aged citizen
of the fields, who informed him that he
had swallowed 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 substances, which had presum-
ably begun to disagree. Ultimately
they were recovered, and the happy
citizen departed with the diamond,
leaving the gold in payment. OF course
this man had disposed of the diamond
under imminent fear of detection; but
why he took the two sovereigns it is diff
fcult to say, unless it 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, native
dying under suspicious circumstances,
his body was opened and sixty carat
stone found in his stomach.
Hero is another tale. A white gentle
man lived with q pretty Fingo woman,
who also acted as his agent in the
strade." He fell i'll of fever, and for
weeks lay in state of delirium, 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 she was
enabled to present him with hundreds of
carats of fine stones. And now, mark
the sequel. No sooner was he strong
enough than he departed for Europe,
taking every gem and farthing she had
collected with him, and leaving the UNI
fortunate girl to starve on the streets.
On a certain occasion DR.. Matthews was
called in to attend a dying digger, who
had once worked claim for him. These
were the words that greeted him when
he told the man that there was no hope:
doctor, I cannot die without telling
you how, when / worked your claim in
No. 8, robbed you of nearly all your
diamonds.
In the face of stories such as these and
q mass of other evidence, it is sometimes
difficult not to believe that civilization is
O failure and that the educated Christian
man, except under very exceptional cir
cumstanceS and when restrained by the
Etrictest pressure of law, is o lower ami
NAL at heart than the savage he despises
and destroys with drink and rifle bull
lets, The Argonaut.