Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-06
Necklace of Russian Car

A magnificent pearl necklace, once the
gift OF a Russian car, and as ill-omened
as II is beautiful, was sold at auction for
$4,000 on Fifth avenue yesterday TO pre-
vent a possible panic in Wall street.
The great circlet Of precious stones for
which a car paid S135,OOO, became the
property OF ]. Dreicer 4 Son, diamond
dealers, Of No. 9O2 Fifth avenue, and any
American who will give the handsome COM
mission Its owners ask and is willing to
face the "hoodoo'' that has brought dis
aster to every man or woman to whom il
has descended, may become it's possessor.
A year before he died, in 1894, Alexan-
der Ill, father of the present emperor of
Russia, ordered the royal jeweler to
search out the ffty-four finest pearls in
Europe of uniform size and of the first
water and to fashion a necklace for the
wife Of his ambassador to Austria, who
had won his majesty's undying gratitude
by a great diplomatic stroke which had
much to do with rehabilitating Russian
supremacy at a time when it was in sad
decay
When the present emperor succeeded to
his fathers throne he removed the Aus
trian ambassador In disgrace. it is said.
and the diplomat went to Paris, where
the necklace was the envy of all the grand
danes of the Third republic.
But close on the heels of their triumphs
in France the former envoy and his wife
began to feel the pinch OF poverty, and
they sold the crclet to a Paris diariond
merchant for $4,000
An American broker, suddenly made rich
by great Strike" in Wall street, amazed
Paris by his lavish expenditures, which
he capped with the purchase of the neck
lace at a price exceeding 100000.
He brought the pearls to America and
gave them to his wife. At this point for
q time some mystery surrounds the bane-
full gems.
There is a story that, while the woman
wore them at the greatest functions OF
the 400" her husband lost his fortune in
the street and had to take back his gift
| to sell for the necessities of life. But
of this there is no certainty, and wher
next heard of the necklace had passed
into the Jewel collection of the Francis ,
Church estate That was less than five
years ago. - -
| The necklace became the property OF
another Wall street broker, then and unit
two years ago power on change, ana &
man still generally believed to be worth
millions. His fortune began to dwindl,
Immediately; speculations went wrong, the
market wrought steadily against him, until
1t is said that today only his collection o.
Jewels stands between the former prince o.
finance and utter ruin.
In his last desperate effort to gain fund!
the Wall street man took the royal neck
lace to the Fifth Avenue Art Gallerie!
and commissioned the auctioneer to sell II
with his other Jewels. to the highest bid
der. He stipulated only that his nam
should not be divulged.
IF 1t is" he declared, mot only will
be ruined. but there will follow such 1
crash in Wall street as it has not known
in many days and many millions that ma,
be saved would be Jeopardized"
The auctioneer kept his part OF tn
agreement, but few learned OF the tragi
story, and about 100 rich men and wome
gathered in the galleries at S66 Fifth avenu