The age-herald., 1902-01-20
$500 DIAMOND
 IS RECOVERED Stone Was Lost in Baltimore by Mrs. Vaughan of Selma WAS FOUND BY LITTLE BOY Thinking 1t Glass the Valuable Stone Was Thrown Around for Sew
 era Weeks--Jeweler Sow
 it and Notified Police.
WAS FOUND BY LITTLE BOY

Selma January 1s.-(SpeciaL) )-Mrs. Gray Vaughan of this city will soon re- cover a valuable diamond lost several months ago near Johns- Hopkins Universi- ty. Baltimore. The police of that city say the tracing of the gem affords one of the most int teresting cases in the history of that department.
 In September last Mr and Mrs. Gray Vaughan of this city were in Baltimore, where Mir. Vaughan underwent treat ment at the famous Johns Hopkins Hos pital One day after having taken ko- dak picture of the institution and re- turned to her apartments, which were about a block from the Hospital Mrs. Vaughan found to her consternation that the handsome solitaire diamond which she wore as a ring and which was gift from her husband had come unscrewed and was missing. Hardly an hour before she discovered the loss of the gem she had unscrewed the setting from the ring to clean 1t, and a search was instituted be- tween the hospital and the apartments. In this search Drs. S. G. Gay and M. Mclean Pitts of this city, who were In Baltimore at the time. assisted. but the handsome setting valued at the lowest estimate $500 could not be found.
 The police were notified of the loss, and MT. Vaughan offered a reward of $50 for the return of the stone. The weeks went by and nothing was heard of the matter and MT. and Mrs. Vaughan came to the conclusion that they would never see the jewel again. On MT. Vaughan's return to Selma from San Antonio a few days ago he found a letter from the police de- pertinent in Baltimore, stating that dia- mond answering the description of the one lost by Mrs. Vaughan had been found and was in possession of the authorities, and asking that he come on and identify the stone MT. Vaughan has written. giv- ing the description furnished by the jew eler. and hopes that he will not have to go for the jewel, but that it will be sent him.
 How 1t Was Found.
 It was on Christmas eve in Baltimore, that James Conrad, a 13-year-old boy, was playing pitching buttons with a num- Der of boys of his own age. in the vicini- ty of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Just as he stopped to pick up one of his but tons that had rolled into the gutter he spied bright object and called to his companions to look what he had found.
 Huh" the rest of the boys grunted, tits nothing but glass
 James put the trinket in his pocket with
 
 told his sister Rosie that he would sell it to her for cent. Rosie said she wouldn't give him anything for it, as it was only glass, For several days the piece of glass" was shifted about the room. When the table was cleared it was thrown to the floor, and when the floor was swept indulgent mother laid 1t on the mantle.
 One day Rosie noticed that the thing had a qftarhad tO if and tho idea came to her to screw 1t on her clothing, and when her mother agreed with the plan, 1t finally occurred to the girl that perhaps she had better not, as the girls who worked in the factory with her would laugh. One morning. however, another girl friend persuaded her to wear the gem and she went to her work at the fac tory with the piece of glass sewed on the front of her dress. As soon as she went in the factory one of her fellow workers called out, "Oh look at that sparkler," and the stone was plucked from the gird's dress by another girl and thrown around from one to another. teasing Rosie, who begged that it be given back to her Finally the girl se- cured her property.
 Carried 1t to Jewelry Store.
 That evening one of the girls wiser
 
 stone might be worth something, and after much persuasion and hesitation Rosie was induced to go into Persohn's jewelry store. Once In the store she carelessly tossed the stone upon the counter and asked if it was worth any thing. MT. Persohn examined the trinket and to his amazement he found that it was a real diamond and was worth at the lowest estimate $500 He told the girl so and gave the diamond back to her. but he sent one of his clerks to fol- low her and find where she lived. He then notified the police authorities and Detective Dougherty went to the Conrad home and the stone was turned over to him.
 The records of the department were searched and the conclusion was soon that the stone was none other than the one lost by Mrs. Vaughan, and MT. Vaughan was accordingly notified.
 The stone is what is known as a mere cut diamond and is rectangular in shape about 1axss inches. It weighs five carats and there is hardly another to match it in the country
 MT Vaughan considers himself exceed ingly lucky in recovering the gem and be appropriated for the most part to the Conrad boy and girl He has already received three letters claiming the re- ward. and has decided that the best thing he can do is to pay the amount offered to the police department for the return of the stone.