The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-22
AN Inflated GEM.

A recent report that Senior Habib, a
wealthy Spaniard, the owner of the
famous Hope diamond, had been lost
in the wreck of a French steamer near
Singapore, adds another tragedy to the
long list associated with the ownership
of the historic gem.
Since the diamond was first brought
from the east by Jean Baptiste Taver-
nier, the great traveller in 1888, it has
brought misfortune to many people.
Tavernier sold the gem to Louis XIV,
with twenty-fOur other large diamonds,
but his association with the Jewel
marked a turn for the worse il his for
tunes. Tavernier's son involved him in
unfortunate speculatons, and at the H8e
of 81 the discOverer of the Hope dia-
mond sold his estate to pay his debts
and started on a fresh voyage to the
east He died from fever before his
return.
Nine. de MOntespan was the favOrite
of Louis XIV when the Hope diamond
became part Of the crown jewels of
France. The king acceded to her en-
treaties to be allowed to wear the stone,
but her influence declined from about
this time, says the London Express
FOuquet, the famous financier, Dor
rOwed the diamond for one of his costly
fetes. Soon afterward he lost the royal
favor and was imprisoned.
During the regency the diamond re
manned with the rest of the rcgalia.
After Marie 'Antoinette became queen
of France she heard of this wonderful
stone, and wore it at ball at the
| Tuileries. She persisted on the scat
fold, while the Princess de Lambale,
who likewise wore the diamond occa-
l-f, Lii hyr q
After the revolution the diamond dis
appeared for forty years. An AmsteT-
dam cutter named Falls is said TO have
been commissioned to cut the gem, ind
it was stolen from him by his son, who
afterward committed suicide, while the
unhappy diamond cutter was ruined for
| life
The younger Falls is said to have
given the diamond to a FrenChman
named Beaulieu, who brought it TO Lon
/ don. He was in a state of restitution,
and offered it for sale to a dealer named
/ Daniel EIason. The latter paid he
/ price asked, and the next day Beaulieu
/ died of starvation.
EIiason sold the diamond to Henry
| Thomas Hope, whose name was there
| after associated with it. The stone
| became part of the entailed property OF
! Il
| son. He obtained permission to sell the
| diamond, and 1t was sold to Mr.. We'll,
a London diamond merchant, in 1901.
| Mr.. We'll sold it almost Immediately
| to Simon FrankeI, a New York dealer,
/ who became involved in financial diff
| culties.
More than a year ago it passed into
/ the possession Of NJ. COlOt, a French
| dealer, who sold it to Prince KanitOv-
| ski, a Russian. He lent it to LOrena
| Ladue, an actress at the Folles Ber-
| gere. and shot her from a box the first
/ night she wore it.
! The prince proved the diamond to be
| his property, took possession of il, and
| two days later was killed by revolutions
/ lists. The dealer COlot became insane
| and committed suicide a few days aft
/ erwerd.
! Prince Kanitovski SOLD the stone 10
| Simon MonthaTides, a Greek jeweIer
who was afterwards thrown over a
| precipbce, with his wife and two chill
| dren, all of them being killed.
! Abdul Hamid, the ex-suitan of TUr-
key is said to have been the next own
er of the Hope diamond. He gave it to
Abu Sabir, an expert in gems, to be pol
| ished and mounted, and the jeweleI
/ was afterward thrown into prison.
| The diamond was kept in a vault al
| Yiidiz Kiosk, and the keeper of this
vault was found strangled at his post
! Kulub Bey, the eunuch who was in
/ trusted with dictionaries hanged IN the
| streets Of COnstantinOple.
! Senior Habib was the next owner OF
| the diamond, having paid 100000 for it.
| New York Tribune.