The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-01-24
ARKANSAS DIAMONDS.
Worthless Bits of Quarts and the
Duel They Caused.

In nc book on modern dueling have
been able to find even suggestion o
one of the best stories On this subjec
that | ever heard. Accountable for thi
are two facts-the incident had it's oc
currence many years ago and the scene
OF it was in place that, even in thi.
day of railroads, is not overly accessi
bic.
was waiting for stage in one of the
back settlements in one Of the noun
tain counties of Arkansas one day last
summer, when one of the old settlers OF
the community addressed me:
II see in a Leetle Rock paper thuthe1
day." he said, shat there's bin some
di'mands found over in Africy."
There's nothing new in that" re-
piled. "But the field has been broad
ened, in speculation at least, until the
excitement has grown tremendously"
"Wall, don't keer none," the old fell
low remarked. Il amt goin'-I only
had an idee tibet it might be all hoax
like di'mand find we oncet he'd was a
hoax"
did you think there were diamonds
in this part of the mountains" I in
quired.
think! We knowed it fer awhile,
but after scientific Teller come here,
and after dooel of some size we learned
ditfrunt."
The old man climbed to the top of
barrel in the one store of the town in
which the conversation was ticking
place, and as he mentioned the duel
half dozen of the loungers who were
more interested in me than they
were in the old mans talk, cfaned their
necks and almost in chorus OK claimed:
''Tell erbout tibet dooel."
Then one of them said: eyer allus
talkin' about it, but it amt often we say
much more'n it jest happened"
The old man appeared to be fattered.
He looked at me with the air of one who
had all undisputed position in the COM
munity and was proud of it. took up
the cause of the native mountaineer
boys who were longing about the
place.
go ahead with the story said.
"We'll have drop from the proprietor
to wet your whistle properly and then
we'll listen"
II never talk about tibet Jooel," the
old man said. ''These young le Hers hev |
all heered their daddies talk about it, |
anyhow"
There was a long silence. In the
the lank, slip-shod back
woodsman who was running the store
had brought out bottle of white liquor,
better known as moonshine whisky,
with rusty tin cup, out of which every
one took drink. One hears much talk
IF bad whisky sold over bars in large
cities, but one never knows what liquid
ire and birthstone are until he has had
l swallow of the whisky that is to be
1ad at the backwood's stills of the
mountain districts of this country
Revenue officials have cleared out many
N Illicit distillery, but they exist even
low in some parts OF the south in a
thriving way.
"Thcm things looked like diamonds,
the old man remarked, as he
smacked lis lips and
assed the cup to the next one. "T'bet
vas in the '40's, reckon, and the few
f us as was here didn't know much
bout the country. Our folks had come
o the uplands after the sinking of the
and over at New Madrid 30 years be-
pre-, and here they stuck, just as hev
tuck seence tibet time. There was 10
oospapers and no railroads Onct an I
while there was a steamboat and !
nets the only way we ever got much t
ord from the outside world. The '
earsoll boys was the liveliest fellers |
/ the settlement, and onct year one of a
hem would go to Moo Orleans and sell
,me of the hides that we got together. i
hen he was down there he'd get idees I
things tibet we didn't know nothin'
bout. One of the boys would go one s
me and one another, and each time b
let they went there was big time b
round, I'll tell you. Onct, jest after
lie Pearsoll he'd come back from Moo g
rleans, he got to tellin' about seeing
man who had paid fortune for
lirt stud. That was the fust time n
ost of us had ever heerd about d
'monds. OF Pearsoll described the d