The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-31
SOME ODD STORIES

SOME ODD STORIES
The Blood Diamond of BRAZILIAN Old
Miners Story of the Fatal Stone and How
1t Caused Two Deat1,s-Sunk to Rise No
More.
Copyright, 1898, by American Press Associa-
tion.l
do you know there are such things as
fatal diamonds and to possess one means
.ertain and violent death?' asked the old
diamond miner SIT is true,' he went OH,
ioting my look of incredulity II saw one
If the stones in Australia, and my partner
.ound one of the accursed things in Brazil.
Ehey are called blood diamonds, and the
lame is well applied. No matter which
way YOU turn one, in some corner or angle
Of it turks a crimson spot that seems like a
Iron of blood. Before the Australian stone
was lost it had been in the possession OF
nine different persons, and every one OF
them died violent death.
ssMy partner in Brazil was likely young
fellow named John Robinson. He was
norm in Michigan and had taken to wan
iering over the world at an early age. 1t
was his ambition to make fortune, return
70 Michigan and support his parents In
luxury as long as they lived. Night after
hight, as we smoked our pipes, he talked of
this one great desire that possessed him.
Poor fellow! All his chances were blasted
The moment he touched that fatal dia-
mond.
ST never knew exactly how it came into
mis- possession There was some mystery
about that, and he did not explain. I am
certain he did not steal it from the mine, for
It was partially polished, bringing out
strongly the bloody light in the stone. 1t
seemed to me that the one who set out to
polish it had not lived to finish his task.
81 noticed Johns excitement some time
before he showed me the stone, and won
iered what could all him. was smoking
In front of our cabin door when he came
and crouched close beside me, his voice
trembling as he whispered:
'''I'm going back home tomorrow, Hank
"'You mean you are going to start l
corrected. Have you given up making
your fortune?'
Not a bit of it, mani have my for
tune in my pocketp
"sWhat?'
''Here,' he softly cried, excitedly fun
bling in his clothes and producing some
thing, take look at thisp
ssThen he held the diamond up before
my eyes, causing me to drop my pipe and
utter cry of amazement. The stone was
rs large as an egg, and once glance showed
me it was of the very highest grade.
"sWhere in the name of heaven did you
get thatp I asked.
81 found it, was his evasive reply.
What's it worth, Hank?'
s'sIt's worth kings ransom declared
as reached out to take it from his fingers.
Then saw the drop of blood lurking in an
angle of the fatal stone, and I fell back,
feeling my face grow pale. My SOUL
gasped; sits the blood diamondp
s'What's that?' he questioned, but whc1
had told him he laughed at me, saying he
was not superstitious. All the same. re-
fused to touch the thing and urged him to
throw it away. He actually thought me
crazy.
''While we were examining the stone
glanced up and discovered a pair of dark,
glittering eyes fastened upon us. The eyes
quickly disappeared around the corner of
the hut, but not until I had recognized the
evil face of Matanza. a native laborer.
''That night rested poorly, but in some
manner Robinson managed to slip out OF
the cabin without arousing me. When
morning came, l discovered he was gone.
know not what fate possessed him to sneak
away in such manner, but think it was
the evil influence of the diamond.
SIT was near midday when he was found,
less than half mile away. He was stone
dad, his skull having been crushed like an
eegshell by means of heavy stone. The
accursed diamond was gone, for its bloody
work was done.
''In moment suspected Matanza, and
INQUIRY revealed the fact that he had not
been seen that day. A search failed to find
; trace of him, and then I told what /
Thought had happened. In less than an
hour an armed party was ready to start on
the trail, which was to be followed by
bloodhounds, the animals being kept to
hunt down runaway thieves.
''It was near shutdown when we came up
with him. He had fallen and sprained his
ankle, so he could not travel very fast, and
there was no chance OF his escaping. When
he saw he was fairly cornered, he turned to
shake his clinched hands at us, and then he
began hobbling down a cut that led to a
dark sink hole that was like basin filed
with black water, on the surface of which
nothing fioated.
thinking he might try to give us the
slip by climbing up some rocks to the right,
[ hastily scrambled over the powders to
intercept him. When reached the sum.
nit, could look down upon him as he
stood al the verge of the sink hole, trapped.
He had the fatal diamond in his hand, and
he was wildly cursing the stone in his own
language.
'''You have brought me death, as gave
death to the Americana he cried. You
shall bring death to no more! Let he who
can draw you from beneath the black
waterl'
''Then one of the dogs broke from leash
and came baying at the fugitive Matanza
turned to face the creature, and with one
leap the hound fastened it's teeth in the
natives throat. Over and over whirled man
and brute as they shot downward. saw
an instant CLEAN of the blood diamond just
as they struck, and then the black water
closed sluggishly over them. We waited 80
minutes, but neither dog nor man rose TO
Al. MI. fatal 1so,o,npd 1pct