The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-09-30
A JEWELS CORY HISTORY.
It Is Now . Part OF the Imperial Russian



It Is Now Part of the Imperial Russian
Regalia.
A famous diamond. with history Of
blood and fraud, is 1.-The shah" which
forms part Of the reralia of the car.
About one hundred and fifty years ago,
it belonged to Nadir Shah, military
desperate, who. BIZ his talent and
wickedness. had become ruler of Per-
sia. After subduing all his rivals there
he invaded the dominion of the grand
mogul and enriched himself with
money and jewels 10 the amour. OF
$500, 600, 0oo. On MS return TO Persia
he carried two great diamonds, called
the Sun of the Sea and the Moon OF
Mountains, and these he worked into
his throne. Afterward a conspiracy
was formed, and after terrible strug-
gle. on June 10 ls41. Nadir Shah was
murdered IN his tent and his palace
piliaged At this time an Armenian
named Shafras dwell. with his two
brothers in Bassorah, and enc day an
Afghan came TO him with the Moon OF
Mountains and sapphire called the
Eye of Allah, together with hundred
other stones, and offered them for sale
at moderate price. Shafras promised
to buy them, but he had not suf-
iciently great sum IN the house: so he
asked the Afghan to come on the next
day, but the other, fearing a trap,
left Bassorah secretly, and Shafras
and his brothers could not trace his
flight.
In years afterward Shatras met the
Afghan in Bagdad, and learned that he
had sold the Jewels for 81. 900 piasters
and two horses. So he went to the
house of the purchaser. who was
Jew, and offered him 10000 piasters
and four horses for the jewels, but the
Jew would not agree to it. On the
same night Shafras and his brothers,
who were also in Bagdad, entered the
Jews house by a stratagem and muir
dered him and took his jewels and
they put his body in sack and cast it
into the River Euphra.es And on the
next day they invited the Afghan to a
repast and they put poison into his drink
so that he died and they put his body
into sack and cast it into the Euph-
rates. And So there was nobody left
to bear witness to the manner by
which the brothers had obtained the
jewels, but presently they fell into u
dispute among themselves concerning
the division of the booty, and so Sha-
fras poisoned both his brothers and
threw their bodies into the river and
he fed to Constantinople and thence to
Holland.
Being now safe in Christian Europe,
the murderer exposed his jewels for
sale and offered them to many kings
and princes, and at last their fame
Catharine sent for Shafras and offered
to buy the Moon of Mountains for a
pension of 10000 rubies each year
(which is equal to near 50. 900 in our
money!, together with a title of no
bility, but Shafras wanted 600, 600 ru-
bles for the diamond. At this time one
of the empress ministers was Count
Panin. a cunning man. He pre-
tended 10 be friend to Shafras,
and invited him to his house;
and he contrived that the
Armenian should meet many rich
and prodigal people. ard the Armenian
was thereby drawn into reckless living,
until after time his money was gone
and he was indebt to many mer-
chants and tradesmen. And Count
Panin, learning that he was penniless,
refused to buy the diamond for the
empress at any price. Then Shafras
made as if to leave the city, but was
prevented by his creditors, and they
would not let him go. but threatened
to throw him into prison. So from be-
ing careless and Indifferent concerning
the sale of the diamond, Shafras be-
came a suppliant, and he sold the dia-
nond to the empress for $50, 900 rubles.
Then he paid his debts and went away.
Ten years later the emissaries of the
Russian court found Shafras at AS
trakhan and bought other jewels from
him to a considerable amount, and "a
title of nobility was conferred upon
him. subsequently he married, and
lived long in considera honor. But
he had seven daughters, and the hus-
band of one of them envied his wealth
and power. and gave poison TO him; SO
that the riches for which he had sacri-
feed so many lives brought sorrow TO
him at last, and he died.
Free Press.