Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-02-17
A Diamond Transaction
tOriginal.l

bureaucrat in the empire had been
swept away.
Why, count" said one of the party,
do you wish our allies such misfor-
tune! 1t is not many years ago that
you were hand in glove with one of
the cars suit"
The count smiled a 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 if 1 let you into
the secret"
Every man drew closer, eager with
curiosity.
Just before the cars visit to Paris
when the treaty was signed" the count
continued, Il had chance to buy a
large diamond from South Africa for
much less than it was worth Whether
the man who offered it to me came by
1t honestly l don't know to this day.
lie claimed that he was in great straits
for ready money. | mortgaged my es-
tates that had been in the family for
centuries to buy it and made the deal.
Soon after bought the stone along
came the car. 1t occurred to me that
l might sell my diamond to his males
ty. In this club l met among others
Of his suit, Prince Dalgourki He was
bloated aristocrat who had lived like
the rest of the Russian royalties, by
plumber. 1t did not take me long to
interest him in my diamond matter
indeed, he grasped it at once with
great avidity. l took the gem to his
rooms for his inspection. He told me
that he would speak to the car about
it and the next day sent me note to
bring the diamond to his rooms again,
when lapidary appointed by his mai
esty would inspect it.
'The lapidary was there when 1 ar
rived and, taking out his glasses, COM
menced to examine the stone. Instead
of being one of the principal diamond
merchants of Paris he was rather a
disreputable person. l kept my eye OH
the stone, not losing sight of it for a
moment, till / heard a crash directly
behind me, when l instinctively turn
ed. A cabinet containing bric-a-brac
had fallen forward. l turned again to
the diamond. did not see it, but did
see the lapidary standing, a revolver in
each hand, with his back to the door.
'EXcellencies,' he said, follow me
at your peril He covered us with his
weapons, backing into the hall, where
he was out Of sight. l made a motion
to follow, but the prince held me, say
ing: Your life, m'sieu! 1t is worth
more to you than a mine Of diamonds
almost from the first l detected in
the robbery plan to transfer the dia-
mOnd from my possession to that Of
Prince Dalgourki. Had it not been
necessary for him to overturn the
cabinet to attract my attention from
the diamond 1 might have been de-
ceived. AS it 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-
parture. The stolen gem did not ap-
pear. l resolved to recover it or die in
an attempt. Instead of putting the
police OF Paris to work on the case l
went myself to st. Petersburg. Dis
guising myself as a diamond merchant,
l went about the gem stores of the
capital looking for an extra large dia-
mond suitable for royalty. 1t was
not long before 1 got on the track of
a stone which answered the description
Of the one 1 had lost.
$50 unblushing was Dalgourki, so sure
of his position, that he was attending
to the sale of the gem himself. A dia-
mOnd broker told me that the owner
would not let it out of his sight, and
if cared to see it l must so to his
Dalgourki. My disguise was complete,
and he did not recognize me. told him
that | was but an agent and if he
would give me a price / would tele-
graph my royal master and get an i'm
mediate reply He gave me figures
90 per cent above what the article was
worth, and / retired
MdU0 several VISlIS TO his nome
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 sover-
eign desiring that he should not be
known in the transaction, we were to
be alone.
"fhe diamond was on a table before
us. l took out my wallet and, picking
out a black substance the size Of
pea, threw it into an open CRATE 1t
exploded. Nihilists We're everywhere
in the capital, and the prince turned
white as q sheet He found voice
enough to ask what I was doing. 1
threw in another, which also exploded.
Then, turning to the prince, l drew
from my pocket a powder canister and
said:
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