The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1896-06-05
ARKANSAS DIAMONDS.
Worthless Bits Of Quarts and the
Duel They Caused.

RSen able TO ind even a Suggestion OF
one of the best stories on this subject
that I ever heard. Accountable for this
are two facts-the incident had T. oc-
cuTrenee many years ago and the scene
Of it was in a place that, even in this
day Of railroads, is not overly aecessi-
BILE.
I was waiting for a 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;
Il see in Leetle Rock paper thuther
day. he said, "that there's bin some
di'mapds found over in Afriey."
''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, I don't AeeF none" the old fell
low remarked. 81 amt goin'-I only
had an idee thet 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 mountains2" In
quired.
"Think! We knOwed it fer awhile,
but after scientific teller come here,
and after a dooel of some size welearned
diRrunt."
Phe old man climbed to the top Of
barrel in the one store Of the town in
which the conversation was taking
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, craned their
necks and almost ina chorus exclaimed:
"Tell erbout tibet doOel"
Then one of them said: eyer allus
talkin' about it, but it amt often ye say
much more'n it jest happened"
The old man appeared TO be fattered.
He looked at me with the air of onewho
had an undisputed position in the COM
munity and was proud of it. I took up
the cause of the native mountaineer
boys who were louuging about the
place.
"Go ahead with the story" I said.
"WeH have a drop from the proprietor
TO wet your whistle properly and then
veil listen"
II never talk about thet dooel," the
old man said. ''These young toIIers hey
all heered their daddies talk about it,
anyhow"
There was long silence. In the
meantime the lank, slip-shod back
woodsman who was running the store
had broughtout bottle Of white liquor,
better known as moonshine whisky,
with rusty tin cup, out of which every
one took drink. One hears much talk
Of bad whisky sold over bars in large
cities, but one never knows what LIQUID
fire and birthstone are until he has had
swallow of the whisky that is to be
had az the backwood's stills of the
mountain districts of this country.
Revenue officials have cleared out many
! an illicit distillery, but they exist even
now in some parts Of the south in
thriving way.
"Them things looked like diamonds,
anyway" the old man remarked, as he
thoughtfully smacked his lips and
passed the cup to the next one. "Thet
was in the '40's, reckon, and the few
OF us as was here didn't know much
about the country. Our folks had come
to the uplands after the sinking of the
land over at New Madrid 30 years be-
fore, and here they stuck, just as I hev
stuck seence tibet time. There was no
newspapers and no railroads Onct an
awhile there was a steamboat and
thet's the only way we ever got much
word from the outside world. The
Pearsoll boys was the IVeliest felIers
in the settlement, and onct a year one of
them would go to Moo Orleans and sell
some of the hides that we got together.
When he was down there he'd get idees
Of things thet we didn't know nothin'
about. One of the boys would 90 one
time and one another, and each time
tibet they went there was big time
around, I'll tell you. 0Hct, Jest after
Ollie Pearson he'd come back from Moo
Orleans, he got to tellin' about seeing
q man who had paid a fortune for a
shirt stud, That was the fust time
most Of US had ever heerd about
dimonds. OF Pearsoll described the
things keerfully an told US tibet they
was found only in a few parts of the
world. When he he'd got done there
wasn't a feller in the crowd that wasn't
as worked up as eff he'd heerd a ghost
story. While Ollie PearsolI was stand
ing at one side kinder restin' after his
talk-reely playin' the hero-another
] of our fellers, Bill Sims by name,
slipped around to him and took him
TO one side. Iheerd afterward thet he
took leetle stone outen his pocket an
asked Ollie eff it looked like emmy of
them diamonds he'd been tellin' about.
I seen Ollie put his hand to his mouth
and tell Bill to be quiet, and then they
strolled off together.
Il didn't think no more of it until
tie next eyenin', when Ollie come to me
oil excitement and sed; See here, Tom,
I'm in trouble
What's up?' l asked, SEEM thet it
was somethin' big.
You remember what said about the
dfmond last night% lie went on.
-MolI Bill Sims has . Erhnla lnt # tho-,