The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1906-02-28
ons e T-s Ezz-ns Dzn=-z1s -
zsmg u ne Euzznn
Cruuz

Anznzg rke possesses ~ tn
emperor - Rasszz = diamond q
great rzIze. the kssrogT Of whieh
10 a. rozzEric As THAT a the fam
o1s Kokinoor- II = Al irregular
Fzisza IN skape- 81 fhe SIZE and
EezrIy the lenErh - The finger and
l. czIle5 The C-hsb-
Tkis sfone- whieh formerly b.
EoEg-d t0 the S0yhL azs ore Of
fEO ezsrraozs diam0n1s Which
s5orued the fhrone q The Nsdir
chsh and was called ~ the Per
slams -No0n o. the Nogntains. :
Wben Nsdfr was aSsass5nate-5
his treasures we're piIIaged and
bis preef0us Stones were divided
between some soldiers, Wbo cor
eesIed then
Al Armenian named Sbafras.
who lived with bfs brothers IN thu
town Of Bassors- was one dsy az
eOefe-d bv an Afghan who offered
for sale a large diamond uifh 3
hundred other I,5ses-s Of less gaIHe.
for . small SEM Saving b. had
not the necessary funds for fns
T1rrhase. ShzfFas asked the AZ
CHAN 70 call again The diamond
seller was evidently suspicious %
Sbafras. for BE- d DISAPPEARED from
tbe town and could not b. found
Tor years. A. last the elder Of
Shsfras' brOtbers came across
him AT Bagdad. inst after be had
disposed % bis seissS. The puT
laser. who was Hebrew. re-
fused double the amount BE- had
paid for the STONES. 80 the three
brothers e0Hspirfd 10 Kill him
for the possession Of them. When
bis had been accomplished they
followed the .5fghan. poisoned
sim and threw the bodies 81 their
fEO Ticfirns info tie Eupbrates.
Next the brothers disagreed
among Themselves. and the eldest
disposed u the others IN the same
way rhey bad GOT rid Of the he
brew and the African
Shsfras next appeared at the
courts Of Europe Offering the
treat diamond for sale. Gather
inc Of Russia ,Catherine IL had
the man invited 10 conrf and puI
into communication with the
court jeweler. The conditions Of
fered Shafras were: Letters Of no
bility. an annuity Of 10000 rubles.
100000 rubles, payable in tenths
from year to year. Shafras held
out for 100000 rubIes in cash.
Count Pancin, who was minister
at the time. launched the Armeni-
an in a style Of life which obliged
him to contract large debts, and
when he knew that Shafras had
no longer sou with which to
meet them he broke off DegOtia-
tiOns. According 10 the laws Of
the country Shafras could not
leave the empire or even the town
without paying his debts, so his pO-
sitiOn was painfully embarrassing.
The jeweler of the court was pre-
pared TO profit by the Armenian's
but the man was too
sharp for him. He secretly sold
some inferior stones to his cOmpa
patriots, paid his debts and disap-
peared.
1t was fully ten years before he
was again heard from. Then he
reappeared in Astrakhan on his
way to Turkey. Negotiations
were reopened and Catherine be-
came pOssessOr of the stones. The
price paid was the letters of nobil-
ity, 600, 1000 silver rubles and more
than 10000 rubles in assignats.
Shafras, being unable to return
to his native land, settled in AS
trakhan and married. Twenty
years later he was poisoned by one
of his sons.in-law, who gained lit
tie by his death, for the immense
fortune was soon dissipated. Sew
eral OF the grandchildren are now
living in Astrakhan in abject pow
erty.
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