The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-03-04
FORTUNE IN A GRAVE
LONG SCARCE FOR THE FORTUNE
LEFT BY JACQUES DUPONT.

Everybody who has worked in the Maine |
logging camps has heard the story of |
Jacques Dupont and the great bag of gilt
tering diamonds which he hid away in his
daughters grave somewhere along the
headwaters of the Aroostook river. Though |
few people Of the present generation take |
much stock in the narrative, at least one |
diamond of the hoard has been found |
within 20 years. 1t was taken to Boston
jeweler, who offered $500 for the gem, but
Jerry Harper the man who found it, sus-
pected the stone was worth more and car
ried it until he had taken a few more
glasses of liquor, and then left it in a Ire
mont street barroom as security for drinks
When he called later to recover his prop
erty, the bartender had gone and taken the
diamond with him.
According to all accounts-and they
agree remarkably well-Jacqnes Dupont
was a gem merchant of Paris who went
to Quebec about 1850 to sell diamonds and
other precious stones to the French army
officers of the garrison. He sold large
number of diamonds, taking his pay in
gold and beaver skins, which were Just as
good. Later his daughter Lucy came
across, bringing more gems and beauti-
full face, which latter set all the officers
half wild with admiration.
After the fall of Quebec Dupont took his
daughter and his diamonds and struck
south through the wilderness, hoping to
reach the Acadian settlements at Grand
Falls and dispose of the balance of his
stock. Though the woods were full Of
painted and warlike Indians at the time
they were all friendly to the French, so
the party Travelled the wholew way under an
escort of admiring savages.
All went we'll until they reached Ed
mundston, where Mile. Lucy was taken
with smallpox. Thereupon every redskin
! turned upon the old man and his daugh-
ter, drove them out of the settlement, fore
ing them into the unexplored woods along
| Aroostook river Six months later Dupont
came out to Grand Falls alone, saying that
Lucy had died from exposure and that he
had buried her in stone tomb near q wa
terfall and had covered her body with gold
coins diamonds and beaver skins Soon
after this he returned to France, where he
died.
BY this time the Maine woods were full
of logging camps, which were occupied by
men of all nations Among these the tale
spread rapidly, Men with money caught
the craze for DupOnt's wealth and sent
well equipped parties to all portions of
northern Name. Still no diamonds were
found until Jerry Harper came here from
New Brunswick.
II Harper's story can be credited, he
found the diamonds by accident in the fall
of 1885. He met a man in Houlton who
hired him to go into the woods, telling him
to DO at the old log bridge in Masardis at
O'Clock in the afternoon four days later.
Instead of finding whole crew, as he had
expected, nobody but Harpers employer
showed up. He looked Harper over, mo-
toned for him to fall in behind and start
cd off at brisk walk for the woods The
man paid no attention to logging roads or
natural paths but went due northwest by
compass for two days making no stop ex-
! oept to cat and sleep. Near the close of
the third day he ordered Harper to stop
and put up a lean to camp, as they had
reached the end of the journey.
Long after supper the strange man light
ed dark lantern, and producing long
rope told Harper to follow him. They
walked mile or more and came to high
ledgy hill, which they assembled. On top
of the hill was round knob of ledge about
four rods in diameter. Though the ledge
was of limestone the capstone was clay
slate, indicating that it had been brought
thither at a later date. The man cut a
! stout thorn beam stick and used it to pry
up this stone, while Harper chnked it in
place by smaller stones. When it was half
way up. the two men took hold of it with
their hands and stood it on edge. Tho re-
moval Of the stone revealed a seam in the
ledge 10 feet long and 4 to 8 feet wide.
The strange man then turned to Harper
and said
"Tie this line about you and take the
lantern and I'll lower you down"
/, The hole proved to be not mora than
four feet deep so that no line was needed,
which led Harper to believe that his com
panion had never seen the place before.
"Now." said the man, "picll up all the
bright pieces of glass and stone which you
see and pass them out to me-
, Harpet turned the light of the lantern
on to the bottom of the cave and saw that
it was covered with bones, among which
were piles of great gems which almost
made him blind. He had picked up one
; stone and was rising to hand it to the
( man above when the fat cover of slate
, rock fell down, hitting him on the head
and rendering him senseless. He was
: aroused by a blast of cold air in his face
r Looking up he saw three men standing al
the edge of the hole waving torches above
: him., Believing them to be his late com
panion and two other employees who hat
= come later, Harper staggered to his feet
held out the diamond and said:
l "Here's one of them, and there are lo
{ more among the bones.
Instead of taking the proifered gem, thu
: men began to yell with terror and started
off through the woods running for theii
! lives. Harper who still believed them K
! be friends, gave chase, following them un
0 til nearly daylight, when he fell down ex
t hausted He passed week in searching
T. the woods, but failed to find the open toni
| or any of the men, Then he concluded
l that another party had come while he wa
p down in the tomb, and, having killed hi
= employer, the men were about to descent
for the spoils when they saw him ant
heard him speak, and, installing him 70
ghost, left the treasure without seeing
3 single diamond 81.
1 In the summer of 1889, as Harper wa
, conducting a big party up the Little Aroo
a stock river, canoe was overturned men