The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-01-15
A Diamond Transaction
Iorlginlnll.

tOriginalI
Anumber Of gentlemen were sitting
In a fashionable club III Paris talking
over the revolutionary movement Ii
Russia. Count MaximiIiap dc Bian-
court expressed the wish thar the
movement would not end till every
bureaucrat In the empire had been
swept away.
why. count, said one Of the party.
do YOU wish our allies such misfor-
tuner 1t ID not many years ago that
you were hand in glove with one of
the cars suit"
The count smiled peculiar smile,
''You don't know the Incidents of that
intimacy he said, ''nor does any one
else. have kept them locked up, fear
| ing to give them on account Of the
high standing Of the parties concerned.
Since they are not so powerful as they
/ were, / don't mind IL / let you into
the secret
Every man drew closer eager with
curiosity.
Just before the cars visit to Paris
when the treaty was signed, 7 the count
continued, n had a chance to buy a
large diamond from South Africa for
much less than II was worth. Whether
the man who offered it to me came by
IT honestly don't know to this day.
He claimed that he was In great straits
| for ready money. | nortgaged my cs-
| tates that had been In the family for
centuries to buy 1t and made the deal.
Soon after bought the stone along
came the czar. 1t occurred to me that
| might sell my diamond to his majes-
| ". In this club met among others
Of bis suit, Prince DalgourlSi. He was
bloated aristocrat who had lived like
the rest 0f the Russian royalties, BY
plumber. II did not take me long to
interest him IN my diamond matter
indeed, be grasped 1t at once with
great avidity. took the gem to his
rooms for his inspection He told me
that be would speak to the czar about
It and the next day sent me note to
bring the diamond to bis rooms again,
when q lapidary appointed by his mai
esty would inspect It.
The lapidary was there when / ar
rived and, taking out his glasses CON-
nlenced to examine the stone. Instead
of being one Of the principal diamond
merchants Of Paris he was rather q
disreputable person. kept my eye on
the stone, not losing sight Of it for
moment, till | heard crash directly
behind me, when instinctlveiy turn
ed. a cabinet containing bric-a-brac
had fallen forward, turned again to
the diamond. did not see It, but did
see the lapidary standing, a revolver ii
each hand, with bis back to the door.
'Excellencies.' be said. follow me
at your peril He covered Us with his
weapons, backing into the hall where
be was out Of sight / made motion
70 follow, but the prince held me, say
Ing. Your life. m'sieu! ii ia worth |
more to you than mine OF diamonds
Almost from the first | detected In
the robbery plan 20 transfer the dia-
mond from my possession to that OF
Prince Dalgourki. Had Ii not been |
necessary for him TO overturr the
cabinet to attract my attention from
the diamond I might have been de.
ceived. AS II was. was confident
that the prince either had or would
have my diamond
Il kept track Of diamonds offered for
sale In Paris till after the cars de- I
parture. The stolen gem did not ap-
pear. resolved TO recover It or die IN 1
an attempt Instead Of putting the
police OF Paris to work on the case
went myself to st. Petersburg. Dis
guising myself as diamond merchant.
went about the gem stores of the
capital looking for an extra large dia.
mond suitable for royalty. II was
not long before got on the track Of
stone which answered the description
Of the one had lost.
$50 unblushing was Dalgourki, 90 sure
Of his position, that he was attending
TO the sale Of the gem himself. A dla-
mond broker told me that the owner
would not let 1t out Of bis sight, and
II | cared to see 1t must go to his
house. ] went to a palace and found
Dalgourki My disguise was complete.
and he did not recognize me. told him
that / was but an agent and If he
would give me price | would tele.
graph my royal master and get an im.
mediate reply, he gave me tigures
30 per cent above what the article was
worth, and retired,
II made several visits to his home
and took note Of the room in which he
always received me, Including access
and egress. At last accepted his
terms and made an appointment to
take the stone and pay in accepted
drafts on my sovereign. The soyer-
eign desiring that he should not be
known in the transaction. we were to
be alone.
"The diamond was on table before
us. I took cut my wallet ana. picking
out black substance the size OF a
pea, threw 1t into an open crate. 1t
exploded. Nihilists were everywhere
IN the capital, and the prince turned
white as sheet. He found voice
enough to ask what was doing.
threw In another, which also exploded.
Then, turning TO the prince, drew
from my pocket powder canister and
said:
A ~ " =. A A H. "