The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-08-14
WAS THE DIAMOND
STOLEN OR N0T2


ber," said an elderly New Yorker the
other day but there is enc grave in
the world that have had strong
desire all my life to break open and
peer into.
i have had this desire since | was
a very small boy at home in my native
place. a little town in England Ny
grandmother told me a story once
which have never forgotten and
which inspired the desire.
There was in the town a rich old
lady who. upon her deathbed. in 1920
or whereabouts, directed that she
should be buried with her diamond
ring. She also stipulated that her
remains should be inelosed in metal
easket.
My grandmother knew all about it,
because she worked for the old lady
aud because she remembered that at
ter the old lady's death the whole
household was sadly put to il to carry
ont the deeeased's Instructions. After
the body was placed in the casket
with the big diamond ring on the life.
less finger one OF the serving women
was instructed to stand beside the
casktt while the men sealed it up.
"Thc servant was told never for an
instant to take her eyes OF the men
as they did the sealing, and so she
stood there while the men were busy
with their hot irons and solder. The
men worked long time in silence.
but they had plenty of glimpses at
the cleaning diamond. and after a
time one of them turned suddenly to
the woman on guard and said:
Go get us a candle
The woman went before IL entered
her head that il might be a ruse. and
when she got bach with the candle the
sealing up was finished Now. what
bothers me is, did the men take the
ring or is il still in the casket2
..0f course the 'uen insisted and
persisted that they did not touch the
body during the woman's absence. ana
as there was no way of proving their
assertions without unsealing the cas-,
ket no enc knew whether they robbed
the dead or not except the men them
selves. and they died long ego.
Three or four times when / have
been in England and have visited the
old town have sat and chatted with
che present minister of the church In
which the old lady's remains were
placed. know the minister well and
! have often ioled with him about the
diamond ring In the crypt beneath the
chancel Oh his church.
4 have told him that | would get
the tools and that he and would 20
in the church some dark night and un.
/ seal the old casket and satisfy onr
/ selves whether the men did steal the
/ ring or not. OF course he won't listen
/ to such thing. You see il any body
found us two old buffers prowling
about the crypt all by ourselves they
/ would never believe but what We
were after the diamond and were not
| seeking simply to crafty our curiosi
ty.
Il suppose have had a dozen dia
.monds quite as valuable as that the
Old dame wished to be buried with
The old minister Is right, however
for he knows that the scandal tha
would arise II we we're caught woult
never down. So must go to my grave
with the question unanswered, | sup
pose, a question that have been ask
ing myself for, yea, fully SIS years.
There have been times when |
has almost preyed on my mind, time
when | was conyalescent after a Sc
we're illness and. having nothing t
do but think, got thinking about thu
old dame and her diamond 1t is some
thing on the order of the lady or Tn
tiger, You know, only this thing ha
direct personal and family interes
to me.
Our family has argued the ques
1 tion as to whether the ring was stole
or not for the last 50 years. / hay
had brothers of mine whom had nc
heard from in dozen years send IN
letters from some far off point Xix
India or South Africa writing abou
nothing but some new theory they ha
evolved concerning the ring episode {
our grandmother's time.
81 suppose | would give the wort
Of the diamond three or four time
over to unseal that old leaden DO.
just to settle the business. Now fin
my own children. pretty well grow
up, too have begun to debate tn
question, but am pretty well resigl
ed to its never being solved In m
day.
u have a lingering suspicion, hoy
ever, that one Of these sons of mir
! VIII, with his American resourcefu
| ness. find a way some day to get dow
: IN that crypt with first class m
! chanic or two and with camera an
a flashlight apparatus. | am quiet
watching the old family spirit develc
in my boys, and | can see them wor
ing themselves up to the same pitt
: that ! was In over the business 20 OF
2 years ago
Z Then they won't have the san
. sentiment about not offending trat