Fergus County argus., 1902-01-22
DIAMOND
ROMANCE
The Report That Diamonds Had Been
Found on Blood Creek is
Entirely False.
WAS A PRosPecroR's DREAM
Tiffany & Co. Of New York Deny Hav.
ing Received Any Diamonds
From Cliff Deyo.

The reported discovery of diamonds
on Blood creek. as published in the
last weeks issue of the Democrat
caused furore of excitement through.
out Montana. which even was extend.
cu To Chicag0 and New York as evinc.
ed by the many kilograms Of inquiry
which were received in Lewlstown
lIom those points.
Cliff Deyo. the author of the report
stated that he had sent a sample of
the stones to Tiffany & Co. of New
York who had pronounced them gen.
ulne diamonds of the first water. Ow.
ing to the late rich finds of mineral in
this section of the state and the won.
derful resources of the country the
residents of Gilt Edge and Maiden
were Inclined to accept the report as
true. and had II not been for the in.
ciemency of the weather a regular old.
fashioned stampede would doubtless
have ensued and as ii was Cliff Deyo
with a party of friends from the vicin.
ity of Maiden and Gilt Edge, started
for the supposed diamond fields i'm.
mediately.
The authenticity of the report was
somewhat doubted in Lewistown and
telegraphic message was sent to
Tiffany & Co. of New York asking
them IF the report that Cliff Deyo
lad sent them diamonds was true"
! The reply was as follows: Report
untrue; no material containing dia.
monds received from Cliff Deyo or
anyone else in Montana: wire fully
about rumors. Signed George T.
kunz."
Mr.. kunz is diamond expert asso.
ciated with Tiffany e. Co. and there.
fore the answer put a different light
CT the matter and IL stamped IL as a
lake OF the purest order The ARGUS
at once instituted inquiries concern.
ins the report and IL was ascertained
that the dispatch was sent to ]. b.
Ritch of the Democrat as SCOOP"
by Arthur T. Wright of the Central
Montana Mines Co. who was told that
Deyo had sent stones that he had
found at Blood creek to Tiffany & Co.
of New York, who pronounced them
genuine and OF first quality
II was learned that w. G.. Norman
was In possession of several stones
OF crystals which had been brought
from the vicinity of Blood creek and
that gentleman was interviewed with
the result that he pronounced the
samples in his possession as quartz
crystals which were so soft that he
had smoothed one of them on an en-.
cry wheel.
T. j. Johns of the Democrat had
several samples carefully put away in
small glass vial which he cheer.
fully showed the ARGUS reporter and
mentioned that one received by him
had been forwarded to Helena through
Mr. Wagner of the Jacquemin jewelry
store In order to have its nature prop.
erly defined. ~
Many prominent firms of New York
and Chicago jewellers sent messages
10 Lewistown jewellers asking for the
particulars OF the discovery and II is
estimated that several hundred dol.
lars must have been squandered in an
effort to obtain information on the
subject.
1 Blood creek is situated in the bad
lands about fifty-five miles to the
northeast OF Lewistown and is I'm the
heart of broken and mountainous
country, where queer formations of
all descriptions are encountered. The
stones which caused all the late ex.
citement are to be found on the ant
mis- which abound throughout that
section. and, as "Bill" Deaton ex.
presses II, you could get a six mule
load OF them If necessary" On a
summers morning while the dew l.
yet on the ground. the rays of old Sol
striking on the crystals laying around
on the ant hills would impress pil.
J grim with the fact that the country
was composed principally Of diamonds
and which on closer examination
prove to be quartz crystals. small and
! OF irregular form.
II While there is a possibility of sap-
phires being found there the finding
OF diamonds was a report which
proves to be entirely false and was no
doubt due to the particular brand of
whisky In which Mr.. Deyo was indulg.
ing at the time he originated the
2 story.
I A telephone message was received
a by David Hilger yesterday afternoon
+ from Andrew Fergus at Armells which
+ stated that the party of diamond seek
d ers had arrived there on their way
hack home, having found nothing Of
h value.