Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1891-04-03

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plains the prairie sparrow twitters
sleepily to its mate, the long lances
of light shoot up to the zenith and
presently the sun glints and glistens
ON the snowy crowns of the peaks
above. Up in the silent canyon, so
lately filled uproarious life, lie seventy
three dead cattle and two horses and
cowboys crushed into unrecognizable
shapes. The sparrows' twitter be-
comes a hymn Of praise and ecstasy,
the Quaking aspen trembles in the
morning breeze and breaks into glory
with the morning sun; but they in the
canyon have passed beyond its narrow
limits to the grander heights and
faircr Plains across tile great divide.
THBSrRAEeB STORY OF ADIAMoND.
Mr.. Lewis Atkinson, an expert in
diamonds, writes to the Kimberly
(Africa) Times as follows: In October,
1889, Dutchman named Nicholas
Wilhelm Pentz came to the Detec-
tive Department at Kimberly and
handed in rough and uncut diamond
weighing 87l carats, alleging that he
had received it about twenty years ago
from an old sweetheart of his, who
resided at Heidelberg, Cape Colony.
Neither the giver nor the receiver was
aware that it was a diamond. Pentz,
according to his story, appears to have
kept this stone as a memento, and
carried it about with him wherever
he went. Being in poor circumstances
he managed to make his way to. the
River Diggings, in order to try his
luck in winning diamonds. He
arrived there in October, 1889, and
was informed by some old diggers
that the stone he had taken such
great care Of was diamond of good
quality, worth about 81 800.
As stated above, Pentz came to the
Detective Department and requested
permit to sell the diamond, as,
according to the law, no one is allow
ed to sell diamonds here without a
permit from the Detective Depart
ment. The chief Of the department,
however, very rightly refused the per-
nit, pending inquiry into the story
told by pentz, and retained the dia-
moGd.
In the meantime the chief clerk Of
the Detective Department was dis
patched to the district in which the
young lady who was supposed to have
handed over the stone was last heard
Of lie found her residing on a farm
and married to respectable farmer.
The whole circumstances Of The case
were narrated and the actual dia-
mond shown to her. She admitted
that She knew Pentz in her girlhood;
but She did not rocollect having given
him stone such as the one shown to
her
Now comes the strange part Of the
story. The sister of the lady herein
alluded to now put in a claim to the
diamond, stating that thatshe was the
person who actually handed the stone
to Pentz. She stated that she picked
it up on her mothers farm, and asked
Pentz to ascertain the nature Of it,
She had quite forgotten the circum-
stances until her memory was refresh
ed By an account of the diamond
appearing in the local papers. Pentz
denies her story in toto and dedes her
her to prove it in a Court of law. The
consequence Of all this is that Pentz is
bringing a friendly action against the
Government to restore the diamond,
while the sister here referred to is
suing Pentz. The cases will shortly
be heard in the High Court, Klmber-
ley. The diamond weighs 87I carats,
and has been value at el, 800.
The Colorado and New Mexico agent
for the Maxwell land grant company,
in denying the sale of That property,
mentions some items Of its value.
According to him, the Finance Chron-
icle, Of New York, reports the assets
of the company at $4,000 600. The
output Of the coal mines, coke ovens,
lumber mills and precious metals, is
rapidly making it an excellent diyi-
dend payer while the sale Of irrigable
lands under its canals is fast settling
up the country with frst-class agri-
culturalists The sale of cattle during
the past year has paid well for the
purchase Of 10000 head, made from
those who had been on the grant as
settlers The hydraulic cement mills
have orders ahead which will tax
their utmost capacity. He well asks
"What does the company want to sell
an investment of that kind for?"
Tombstone Prospector: A petition
was being generally signed to-day ask
ing the governor to appoint join
Slaughter as captain of the rangers
While Mr.. Slaughteris at the ranch
and not cognlzant of the doings Of the
people he will be requested to accept
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