Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-05-17
MYSTERY OF A LOST DIAMOND
Valuable Gem Sewed Up In Mans
Body Costs a Surgeon $1,000.

Body Costs a Surgeon $4,000.
Thomas Radius of Curvedale. has
never been a man of means. and up
to last week was never worth more
than $50 at any one time.
Last week, however. it was some
what different He had been ailing for
some time, and a month ago he was
taken down with appendicitis and be-
came so sick that an operation was
determined upon to relieve him. He
had no means and was under the care
of City Physician Diaymeeter and at
the time the operation was performed
DR.. V. X. Pereneas, an eminent ply
sician of New York. and cousin Of
DR.. Diaymeeter, was paying the lat
ter visit, and volunteered to aid in
the surgical work, not, however, TAX
ing the prominent part in it. Radius
was insane at the time, and had very
poor surroundings for so delicate a
piece of work, but the operation was
carried through successfully in spite Of
difficulties. the appendix was removed,
and the patient Immediately improved
and soon recovered.
But to the very great emDarrass-
ment of both doctors the operation was
no sooner completed that DR.. Pereneas
missed a large and beautiful diamond
setting out of a ring which he wore.
and, after king a long and unSuc-
cessful search for it they came at last
to the conclusion that, possibly, 1t had
dropped into the incision in Radius's
body when the appendix was being
taken out, and had later been sewed
up in him.
Nothing could be done about it.
however until his health was restored,
so that he might be examined by
means Of X-rays. and then, indeed, 1t
was shown that the solution Of the
mystery in regard to the disappearance
Of the diamond had been found, for
the jewel was clearly shown to be To-
Gated and encysted in his body close
to the point where the useless and
dangerous appendix had been cut off.
when this discovery was made, for,
to say nothing of the intrinsic value
of the stone, which was $4,000, it was
an heirloom in his family, and very
highly priced by him for this reason.
He at once suggested that another
be performed, offering to stand all the
expense thereof and to pay 500 in ad-
dition for the pain and discomfort, but
he soon found that he was up against
new and serious obstruction, for the
| thought that he had a diamond in his
insides was a very interesting one to
Radius and he promptly refused to be
operated upon at all unless he were
paid the sum of $4,000 for the priv
| ilege he thus accorded to the eastern
doctor.
This seemed regular outrage to
most people, but Radius cared nothing
at all for public opinion, and held out
stubbornly for his price Lawyers
were consulted. and they decided that
an operation could not be performed,
even under a writ Of replevin and the
diamond levied upon under the writ
by the sheriff, with the aid of a sur
geon; that the constitutional guaran-
ties upheld him in retaining the jewel
in his abdominal cavity if he saw fit
to do so.
There was. therefore. nothing for 1t
but to pay him the money. the $4,000,
and to send to another city for sur
geOn to do the work, for he naturally
refused to let Pereneas or any one Sc
lected by him use knife on his per-
son.
The money was paid, the diamond
easily recovered and Radius. to the
amazement of all. Immediately invest
ed the $4,000 in nice little tract Of
land with a house on ii and will make
| his home there.-Lesuer. Mimi, cor
respondent St Louis Republic.