The Lambertville record., 1899-03-01

You must pardon me, :, | said apol-
| ogetically, "but this is really an ex-
traordinary case. A jewel of such val
ue"--
"All right, but whatever you do
You do at your risk -
The girl appeared to me entirely
above suspicion and to be quick witted
A long acquaintance with crooks of all
kinds permits me to quickly distinguish
between the hypocrite and the honora-
BILE, and was indeed not mistaken In
my diagnosis. Arriving at police head
quarters, she was asked who she was,
whence she came and whence the pearl.
She gave her name and residence Her
father. she stated, had at his death be-
queathed her modest pawnbroker shop
III small country town, which had
often been visited by young farmer,
who had pawned various articles with
her He was very poor, she said. One
day she accidentally passed near his
miserable hut and heard n noise In the
yard, Well knowing the man, she en-
tered and learned that all his posses
sions were being Sdistrained for a debt
of. IL horins. Tho young man called her
aside, secretly showed her the pearl and
asked for loan of 30 forms ON 1t to
pay. the debt. He said the pearl was an
old keepsake with which he parted most
unwtlllngly, Moved rather by pity than
by the value of the collateral, she ad-
vanced the sum desired, although she
knew from general experience that IL
the pearl was genuine 1t must be quite
valuable, but she thought it to be an Inn
itation only. II is barely worth while
to add other data. The telegraph was
called into requisition and the truth of
her statement established.
The history of the pearl was as fol-
lows; The father of the Young farmer
had been II chamber valet of Count
Louis Batthanyi. the minister president
of the revolutionary government of
Hungary, III lS4s The count wore the
pearl az cravat pin, and few hours
before his depth-as is known he was
shot in Pest by order of n military
court martial-he presented it to his
faithful servant who under no cir
cumstances ever parted with it, At his
death his son took tho pearl out Of the
setting, which he sold, keeping the
pearl and parting from it as recited.
The pearl itself had been stolen about
l5O years ago out of the English crown,
which had contained three of them.
Two large diamonds went with it at
tho same time. The English govern
ment had been looking for it for 150
years but to no avail Nothing WAS
ever heard of it until this accident In
what manner it drifted into Count Bat
thanyis possession will doubtless re-
main II secret forever He had most
probably bought it of some antiquarian.
The English government redeemed
tho pearl, paying for it the offered re-
ward of G2, 800, handsome sum,
which tho girl divided with the farm
er-but not divided, because the his
tory of the pearl says that the two con
cluded to keep the money together
best done by getting married
ant. "many Jewels aud pearls have
had their eventful history, and during
the many years that | have been en-
gagged in dealing in precious stones
good many of their ups and downs and
mishaps- theft, arson, murder and all
the crimes on tho statute books have
come to my knowledge | propose to
write n book about these adventures
sooner or later, and | assure ysti il will
contain entertaining and startling read
ing matter Jewellers Circular