The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1896-03-07

)iNgI@ @&N40I front. Sometimes
+ = 'l1NtyYI * H. it is the discovery
eoasSSIgJgN Of lost Mexican
| !s INMw. mine, bursting
@% H2)AS with gold nuggets,
&CSlG1f and sometimes it
~ ~ ~ is a diamond mine.
Around the neWly-found gold mine is
heard the old story Of the dying Mexi-
can, who attempted to reveal the site,
but died in the attempt. This gives
the tslocal coloring;;" the schemers
send out prospectors who dig hole
and secretly bring valuable ore from
genuine mine, and bury it. When the
gold ore is dugsup the richness of the
mine is. proved-to the satisfaction of
| the Western investor, and he buys the
hole in the ground. After this scheme
has been worked while there is a
| lull and when the robbers have been
forgotten by the public a new lost
Mexican mine is discovered. The same
Old game is now being played in the
MoJare Desert, for the benefit of the
wise men Of the East, many of whom
seem to believe that gold grows as
| the flowers that bloom in the spring
Inc false reports of these scheming
Dunco men bring out a number of
prospectors, restless mining men who
are ever hunting for the rich fields,
| which, like the mirage they often see
/ in their wanderings, is ever beyond.
They trudge along over the sandy,
| tr,on y,
| ions are exhausted they sink from ex-
haustion, thirst and hunger and die on
! the, burning sands. ;
| These false reports have whitened
the desert with the bones of thousands
OF prospectors, besides causing the
financial ruin of many too confiding
| Investors One of the most gigantic
schemes ever perpetrated in the far
West was the Great Diamond Swim
die. OF quarter Of century ago. It
lsNas hatched in San q ncisco, with. a
portion Of the plot in Kentucky The
San Francisco conspirators secured the
aid of a Kentucky gentleman one
i Colonel Harpending" Some of them
| purchased in London a few bushels of
crystals from the South Africa dia-
| mond fields, and, under the guise of
prospectors, visited a remote portion
OF the desert. The expedition was con-
Quoted secretly and at night these dia-
! monds were ''planted'' in a district of
| several acres.
The schemers returned, located the
land as mining and mineral lands and
then kept quiet for several months.
Finally they sent out a prospect
ing' expedition to uncover the stuff, -
as detectives would say.
! Reports of the discovery of diamonds
in the sands of the desert soon reached
San Francisco. The conspirators
shrewdly circulated the reports, yet
| pretended that they knew nothing of
| the facts. Specimen finds were exhib-
tied by experts and reported to be of
the s'purest rays" The city was thrown
| into fever of excitement and specula-
| tion ran highs Many sold their mining
properties at a sacrifice, thus bearing
| the market and running others, and
| many mortgaged real estate and houses
in order to buy stock in the diamond
| fields.'' Millionaire Spectators ac-
companied some Of the spectators to
the fields, and with a spade they bur-
rowed in the sands and turned up dia-
monds. So plentiful were they that
by digging with a pocket knife dia-
monds were found. Some of these were
worth from s1O0 to $500 each. They
had been carefully planted and focat-
| ed by the conspirators, and these oc-
casional rich finds led to the belief that
there must be many others. One man
unearthed about a quart of these crys-
tails, greatly resembling diamonds, and
among them were several genuine
stones. There could be no doubt about
that-the millionaire's own expert was
on the ground and saw the diamonds
taken from the earth and pronounced
them to be without flaw. s
But the expert and the millionaire
| were both deceived ---as to how the dia-
monds came to be there. The, million
aires took $4,000 worth Of stock. On
their return to San Francisco the ex-
citement grew into frenzy. Even the
lE1ate w. G. Ralston, then cashier Of the
Bank Of California, was a victim. It
is believed that he invested 100000.
Finally there was a quarrel among
the conspirators as to an equitable di-
vision, for there is no such thing 81
honor" among q certain class. The
diamond bubble burst, the conspiracy
was exposed. In the meantime the
Kentucky colonel was sudd denly
called East He had invested about
$10O, 900 in a new Kentucky home, and
had purchased all the lands adjoining
land was preparing to enjoy himself as
la feudal lord. Lawyers and detectives
were sent on to Interview the colonel
amid his palatial q surround dings and