The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-11-08
| transporting a
Fortune
BY WILLARD MALTBIE.

lain ever since q lump of pure carbon
was crystallized and became gem as
| big as a walnut is what am going to
tell you about. When | was young
ster ran away from home and a few
weeks later found myself in the prov
ince of Minas Geraes, in Brazil, where
the diamond mines are / worked In
the mines for FIVE years and couldn't
very well do that without learning
something about diamonds.
One Sunday I was out on a tramp
and. stopping to rest. noticed near me
stone that 1t struck me looked like q
diamond in the rough. took it up to
examine it and found 1t exactly like
the uncut stones ! had dug up for the
diamond company. only had never
seen one half the size. was a good
deal upset. for If the thing was a dia-
mond was rich
| But. as / have said. 1t was the get
ting away with 1t that I'm going to tell
about. 1t was diamond. sure enough,
/ and one OF the big ones of the world
While was locking at it Jim Stivers
came up, and / was fool enough to let
him see it. He knew right off that 1t
was worth the biggest part of a mil
| lion dollars. and a stone like that Is
a great temptation for any one. He
congratulated me on my find and be-
gan at once to plot to get 1t from me.
Jim had more sense than / in this
He didn't tell any one about my hav-
ing 1t except three men whom he used
to get it away from me- He knew 1
would go to Rio with 1t, and his plan
was to have me wayiaid and the stone
captured.
OF course / didn't know Just what
he would do. but | did know that once
l got out of the region of law and or
der-in other words. Off by myself
somebody would try for my property.
| concluded to endeayor TO fool who
ever suspected ! had it with me by
playing part. The plan | adopted
was this: found a countryman who
was going down with load OF wood
and told him would go with him. He
said he was agreeable. and / slept the
night before we started near his
wagon. which was already loaded.
During the night took one of the
logs-one that would recognize easily
and. boring a big hole In ii under a
piece of loose bark. put my diamond in
It. Then. plugging up the hole, / let
down the bark, first putting little
glue between ii and the wood to hold
1t in place. Then threw the log back
on TO the load.
We started early In the morning. and
!. not wishing to be identified with the
woodman, at times kept In his rear
and at times in advance Of him. AL
though | hadn't told any one ! was
going on the trip. | found the road
picketed. | passed a man who looked
at me searchingly. and 1t wasn't long |
before. hearing footsteps behind me.
turned and saw him coming with two
others. They caught up with me, and
one of them. who knew me by sight, |
said That's the man." and. address
ing me. added:
Young Teller. the diamond company !
has missed a valuable uncut stone
and, having been informed that il Is in |
your possession, has sent us to de
mand it of you. Please hand it out"
II haven't any diamond | replied. |
I'm as poor as poverty and don't know |
where shall get bite to eat"
They didn't waste any words. but |
two of them held me while the third |
went through my pockets. my hair,
my beard-indeed. every part of me. /
Then he took off my clothes. leaving |
me stark naked, and examined every /
seam. every inch OF cloth. even hold
ing them up and looking through them
to the light
II reckon he has either sent 1t on
ahead or left it behind to come later"
said the man who had done the search
ing. All would have gone well had
not the woodcutter's wagon come
numbering down the road and he had
to ask me in familiar way what my
appearing in my birthday clothes
meant The men prieked up their ears
at this and asked him IL he knew me.
and he told them that we were fellow
travellers.
He got thorough searching for his
pains, the men thinking that he was
the gem for me. Then they
examined the horses. the harness. the
wagon, looking even into the hubs of
the wheels. One of them suggested
that what they were looking for might
be between the logs of wood. and
they threw every log off on to the road.
carefully watching for the diamond
between them
But 1t was of no use. The stone was
not to be found.
They didn't like to give 1t up: but,
believing that | had conveyed the
treasure by some other method. they
finally concluded to do so. They had
from Stiyess not to hurt
me. IL they could get the diamond
they were to do so, but they were not
to commit murder or make case
against those implicated in the at
robbery. SO was allowed
20 proceed.
When we reached Rio took the log
IN which had hidden the diamond of
he. load. paid the woodman for ii and.
putting it on my shoulder. went away
With 1t
sailed for Amsterdam. that might
ret nv stone cut. ana when it was in