Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-12-19
DIAMONDS IN THIS CRAVE.
LONG SEARCH o THE HOARD
LEFT BY JACQUES DUPONT.
4 Tale Told in Maine Camps of n Girl
buried in the Woods. Her Body
Covered With Gold nnd
Gems-That Was in 1859.

headwators of the Aroostuok river. 1t is a
creepy tale of cunning ana cOVctOusueSS,
such rs the residents OF Maine ana Canada
liked 10 tell a hundred years ago. 1t was
related so often that everybody believed il,
says Il Masardis CMe.) letter to the New
York sun. and it was handed down from
generation 10 generation until 1t retains all
lis Youthful Vigor Today. Though few PEG
pie Of the present generation take much
sock in the narrative. at least one diamond
Of the hoard has been found within twenty
years. 1t was taken to 4 Boston IeWclrr.
who offered $3.50 for tn" gem, but jerry
HaI per. the man who found 1t. suspected
until he had taken a few more glasses OF
liquor. and then LETT ii in a fremont street
haTroOm IS security for the drinks. When
he called later 10 recover his property The
bartender had gone and taken the diamond
According to all accounts-and they agree
remarkably wcli-JaCques Dupont was 4
gem merchant of Paris who went 10 Que
bee about 1859 to sell diamonds and other
precious stones to the French army officers
of the garrison. He sold a large number
OF diamonds. taking his pay in gold and
beaver skins. which We're just as &God.
Later his daughter. Lucy. came across,
bringing more gems and a beautiful face.
which latter set all the officers half wild
with admiration. 1t is claimed that Cen
cral Wolf would never have climbed 10
the Plains OF Abraham in the darkness
OF a September morning in 1853 If the Of
hccr of the guard had not been asleep with
an overdose Of Wine, taken at u party
given in Lucy'S honor the night before.
After the fall of Quebec. Dupont took
his daughter and his diamonds and struck
south through the wilderness hoping to
reach tn" ACadiun settlements at Grand
Falls and dispose of the balance OF his
stock. Though the woods were fun Of
PAINTED and wariike Indians at the time.
they We're all friendly 10 the French. 50
the party Travelled the whole way under
an escort of adniring s2vaseS. All went
Mile. Lucy was taken with smallpox.
Tlcreupon every red~kin turned upon. the
ola man and his daughter and drove them
out of the settlement, forcing them into
the uneXplored woods along the ArooStoOk
river. Six months later Dupont came out
to Grand Falls alone. saving that Lucy
Rad died from exposure and that he mad
buried her in a stone tomb near Il water
fall. and had covered her body with gold
coins. diamonds. ard beaver skins. Soon
after this he returned to France. where
he died. ;
The exiled Acadians of Grand Falls liked
wealth and the good things which money
would buy, as well as people who had more
means. If they could find Duponts riches
they would he able to wear good clothes
ard live in fine houses. they reasoned. For
the next century the French Canadians
sent many expeditions into Northcrn Maine
the Aroostook and Allagosh rivers and their
> tributaries, they hunted the hills and
la@yn al ,o mis- T rSr J disroVSre d' The t ssEies
of caves in the hill on the side of .Allasosh
lake. hut they never found l;ncy's, grave,
and rever saw anything that looked like d
~ This time the Maine woods were full
Of logging camps. which were occupied by
mon of ali nations. Among these the tale
spread rapidly. Two or three woodland
poets put the story into verses. which were
sung around the campfire evenings. The
songs went to Houlton and Bangor wheel
the lumbermcn We're laid off. and had Il
famous run in the boarding houses and bar
coms Men with money caught the craze
for DupOnt's wealth and sent well e4uipped
parties 10 all portions of Northern Mains:
Still no diamonds We're found until Jrrry
Harpor came here from New Brunswick in
1SE2. Then men who knew Harper best said
he wasn't very bright. lie was a good man
no balance wheel. they said. and was al
ways getting into debt or trouble. from
which he seldom had the wit to cSrhn".
II Harper'S story can be credited. he
found the diamonds by accident in tn" fail
Of 1SS5. He met a man in Houijon VINO
To. be at the old log bridge in Masardis at
/ o'clock in the afternoon four days later.
Instead of finding a whole crew, as he
ployer showed up. He looked Harper over.
motioned for him to fail in behind. and
started off at a brisk walk for the woods.
The man paid no attention to logging roads
or natural paths. but went du" northwest
by compass for two days, making, no stop
except to eat and sleep. Near the close
Of the third day he ordered Harper TO
stop and put up a Iean-to camp. as they
had reached the end of their journey.
Long after supper the strange man
lighted darklantern and. producing n long
rope, told Harper TO follow him. They
walked a mile or more, and came TO a
high. ledgy hill, which they assembled: on
top of the hill WAS n round knob or ledge
about four rods in diameter. which was
surmounted by 4 heavy fiat stone. Though
the ledge was Of limestone. tn" CapstOne
was OF clay slate. indicating that it had
been brought thither at Il later date. The
man cut n stout hornbetm stick and used
it to pry up this stone, while Harper
chinked il in place by smaller stones.
When il was half way w the two men
took hold of ii with thor hands and stood
il on edge The removal of tho stone re-
vealed q seam in the ledge ten feet long
and four to six feet wide. The strange
man then turned 70 HARPER and said:
Tie this line about You and take the
lantern and I'll lower you down"
The hole, proved to be not more than
four feet deep, 50 that no line was need
ed. which led Harper to believe that his
companion had never seen the place be-
Now" said the man. pick up all the
bright pieces Of glass and stone which
YOU see and pass them ont to me"
Harper turned the light of the lantern
onto the bottom Of the cave and saw that
it was covered with bones. among which
We're piles Of great gems which almost
made him blind. He had picked up Gne
stone and was rising to hand ii to the
man alloy" when the fat cover of slate
aroused ny Il blast of cold air in his face.
Looking up he saw three men standing
nj the edge Of the hole waving torches
aIov" him. believing them to be his late
had com" later. uarner staggered to his
feet. held out the diamond and said:
Here's one of them. and there are n
lot more among the bones"
Instead OF taking the protfered gem tho
men began to yell with torro" and started
OF through the woods. running for their
lives. Harper. who still believed them 10
L." friends. gave chase. folIowin- them I'M
til daylight. when he fell down exhausted
He passed Il week in searching the woods.
hat failed to find any OF the mon. Then
he concluded that another party had come
wElle he WAS down in the tomb. and hay
ing killed his cmpioyer the men were
about to descend for the spoils when they
saw him and heard him speak. and mis-,
taking him for a ghost. LETT tn" treasure
without seeing q single diamond
After he had failed ia tind the hiding
place of The gems. Harper went to Bangor
Boston, where Shrov". crump * Low. Jew
clrrS. Of Washington street. made him an
offer Of 500 for his diamond. as has been
tCld. For the mex: two wears Harper did
nothing but tell Of his adventures in Dn-
pcuts diamond cave and get up expeditions
10 20 and find It again. y dczeH or more
men who knew him 10 hc trustworthy and
believed him truthful lent him money to
forward the work. and several men OF
wealth accompanied him or his trips.
conducting a hig party mp til" Little
Aru"stook river. n canoe was overturned
near Aroost0ok falls. and Harper md
two companions We're drowE.d. Since
after the buried wealth. which is still
undiSCuv"rahl". Two parties have gone
into tn" woods from here this fan. start
ing from the log bridge and going north
west, the way Harper and his employer
went twelve years ago.
A TEXAS HERO.
The Way the Average Texan Looks