DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-07-10
AN UNLUCKY STONE.
After Many Years of Wandering n Famous
Diamond Turns Up in Chicago.

After Many Years of Wandering n Famous
Diamond Turns Up in Chicago.
The temperance and recognition,
after long years Of hiding, of famous
diamond at the store of downtown
jeweler in this city resulted in the re-
viyal of the story of one Of the tragedies
of tho early part of the century. The
! likeness of the story to that Of Wilkie
Collins "Moonstone" does not make it
| the less true.
During tho Indian revolt and mutiny
of 1857 a British troop had been sent
upon an expedition of destruction and
| plunder into one of the Indian interior
| towns. In the course of a general sack
ing of the place an old temple was made
| the object Of attack, and every thing Of
value was taken. A Captain Hill, of the
British Royal Engineers, was in COM
mand Of the party and many others
participated in the plunder of the tenn
pie. He discovered and appropri-
ated to himself an immense yellow
diamond, which had served for CEN
turies as the one eye of the principal
he carefully concealed it about his per-
son and forgot it in the carnage and ex-
| citemcnt that followed
All the soldiers who were present at
| the time stated that the temple had
been cleared, absolutely, of all the ma
tives before the place was plundered,
and that it was impossible that any ma
| tive could have seen Captain Hill take
| the stone. However, no matter where
| the officer wandered after that, his steps
were dogged night and day by first one,
| then another Of the Indians, Several
| times his tent was ripped open in an at
tempt to murder him. Finally body
Of natives made an attack upon the Off
| Ger, when he had strayed few yards
| from the camp one day, and killed him,
| recovering the diamond from his pocket
Almost before the body had quit quivcr-
ing party Of soldiers came to the res
cue, took in the Situa ton, killed all the
Indians, but failed to find the stone.
Some one of the party who knew
the Indian characteristics suggested
that possibly one of them had swal-
lowed it. Sure enough it was found in
an Indians stomach, and afterward sent
to England and given to the widow Of
Captain Hill. Bad luck seemed to aC-
company it's possession, however, and
after some years Of almost wretched eX-
istence the widow was one morning
found dead in bed beside her daughter,
wound over her heart. The asSassins
did not get the stone, and it aft fterward
passed out of the possession OF the
family, and its whereabouts remained
ecret for many years
Some ten years ago the sultor for the
hand of the daughter of the girl whose
mother was killed beside her was pre-
sented with handsome diamond
! brooch, the center stone of which was
the unlucky diamond.
Being of an interpretations nature
tho young lady failed to see any thing
more than a coincidence in the circum-
stance, and accepted the splendid gift
! and aftCrward its donor.
The union was happy but brief one
| ne nuSDdnu NdS DIOuSuO HolHc Vcllipla
wounded one day after they had been
married for woycars and the widow was
left withouta an income. She was brave,
however, and struggled with the world.
She was advised by every one to sell the
valuable brooch for money on which to
live, but it was her husbands gift and
she refused to part with it until she
and her child we're really in need.
On Saturday last she took tho brooch
to a prominent jeweler and offered it
for sale. The jeweler turned the gems
over to his diamond expert, who at once
recognized the brooch as one he had
made in London several years ago and
the yellow diamond as the one of un'
lucky omen. Chicago Evening Post.