Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-31

tions. but once / was foolish enough p
buy Il box Of twenty Opals because L
thought ! was getting them cheap.
| hadn't had them in the safe two DAYS
before my place burned down. ! saved
the safe. however. and started business IN
Brooklyn. In one weeks time | was again
burned out Other bad things followed,
and one day il occurred to me that all nv
ill-luck had been brought on by the pre-
seGce Of op1i5 in my store. ] mad no
sooner thought Of it than | sold the whole
lot tor less than they cost NE, and have
had good luck ever since. ! wouldn't even
take an opal ring 10 repair II, and know
dozens OF jewellers VINO believe rs ! do"
What stones do you sell the most OF D."
Diamonds every time. More of them
are imported here than OF any other
stones. About 100000 worth are
! brought over here every year, and the ma
iority Of these stones 90 direct to Maiden
lane and JOhn-street dealers. They are
then sent 20 all parts OF the country by
special statesmen. THIS IS line or busl-
ness that a man takes up az ygry carly
age and remains IN for the rest ot hls Lie. ~
docs one man carry manyE"
That's according TO his ability and
trustworthiness. The stock Of q salesman
generally runs from S75. 900 to $4,000
worth OF diamonds, which they carry about
litll DfAobAlot AAthN q III NeA2N Vi AAtt'
bag.
JEWELS II THEIR VESTS.
Most OF the statesmen carry these jewels
in vests made of leather and securely
bound by straps TO their bodies. This vest
has a set of deep pockets with flaps which
can be snapped shut. Asa rule a salesman
must be a good athlete. They 60 heavily
armed and when they see any suspicious
characters they quietly slip out OF the way.
Upon reaching hotel the FIRST thing
they do - TO deposit the stones IN the safe.
Then an easy breath Is taken, probably for
the first time IN twenty-four or forty-eight
hours. Some of the more timld statesmen,
or the beginners, will not leave their hotel
after dark for fear they may be followed
by crooks. who, not knowing they have
! cot rid of their diamonds, might 90 them
! bodily injury.
The life Of travelling diamond statesmen
| is not by any means pleasant. They never
make chance acquaintance, Tor II they did
! so they might meet the same man on a
| series of trips for years afterwards, andupOn
| becoming intimate the fellow could easily
get away with the vestful of diamonds
| when the opportunity offered. Many a
crook would have the patience to wait for
| four OF five years and then think himself
| fully repaid if he could get away with u
| good load of diamonds, for they come
nearer TO being money than any other arti-
cles of value. Another thing of interest
about the diamond statesmen IS that they
never drink or gamble. The first time
they are found indulging IN either vice
| their occupation is gone forever"
TRUSTWORTHY.
do they have to furnish anythiIg?'
None at all. There are very few men
who could furnish a security equal to the
amount of diamonds they carry. and the
only men employed in this business are
those whom their employers would trust
with their lives. You must take into con-
sideratiOn that when a man starts out on
the road with big vestful of diamonds he
takes his life in his hands, for he Is liable
10 be attacked almost any minute"
Suppose they lose the diamonds or
| some of them get stolen ~
That is almost out of the question:
they do not lose them. and diamond rob-
berry OF this kind is seldom heard of. If "a
man should lose his whole vestful he would
not be held accountable"