The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-30
| transporting a
Fortune
By WILLARD MALTBIE

How / found the celebrated impera-
tor diamond does not pertain especial
" to this story. but where | found il
Is important for my effort To Set il
away from the region where il had
lain ever since lump of pure carbon
was crystallized and became gem as
big as a walnut is what | am going tn
tell you about When | wis young
ster l 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 iii
the mines for five years aud couldn't
very well do that without slearning
something about diamonds
One Sunday | was out on tramp
and. stopping TO rest. noticed near me
stone that 1t struck me looked like
diamond in the rough took it up to
examine it and found it exactly like
the uncut stones l had dug up for the
diamond company. only | had never
seen one half the size. l was good
deal upset. for if the thing was Il dia-
mond l was rich
But. as ! have said. it WAS the get
ting away with it that I'm going TO tell
about. 1t was diamond. sure enough.
and one of the big ones of the world
While WAS looking at it Jim Stivers
came up. and | was fool enough to let
him see it. He knew right off that it
was worth the biggest part of u mil
lion dollars. and Il stone like that is
great temptation for any one. He
congratulated NE on my find and be-
gan at once to plot to get it from me-
Jim had more sense than | in this
He didn't tell any one about my hav
ing ii except three men whom he used
to get. it away from me He knew /
would go TO Rio with it. and his plan
was to have me waylaid and the stone
captured.
OF course | didn't know Just what
be would do. but df4know that once
| 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 Il part The plan / adopted
was this: | found a countryman who
was going down with a load of wood
and told him would go with him. He
said he WIS agreeable. and | slept the
night before We started near his
wagon. which walls already loaded
During the night | took one of the
logS-one that | would recognize easily
and. boring ii big hole in it under !;
piece of loose bark. put my diamond il
it Then. plugging up the hole. lei
down the bark. first putting little
glue between it and the wood To hold
it in place. Then threw the log back
on to the load
We started early in the morning. Il nc
I. not wishing to be identified with til,
woodman. N times kept in his real
and 1T times in advance of him. Al
though | hadn't tod any one | wa.
going on the trip. | found the road
picketed passed Il man who looked
at ME Searchin@ly. and it wasn't ions
| before. hearing footsteps behind ME.
|, turned and saw him coming with TIVE
others They caught up with me. anG
one of them who knew me- by sight
said. THAT'S the man." and. address
ing me. added:
Young Teller. the diamond compan,
has missed u valuable uncut stone
and. having been informed that ii is il
your possession. has sent rs TO de
mand it of you Please hand it out.
Il haven't any diamond" | replied
I'm as poor as poverty and don't know
: where | shall get Il bite to eat
They didn't waste any words. bn
two of them held me while the thirt
went through N.Y. pockets. my hair
| my beard-indeed. every part of me
Then he took off my clothes. IeaviEs
NE stark naked. and examined ever.
seam. every inch Of cloth. even hold
TO the light.
Il reckon he has either sent il 81
ahead or left it behind 10 come later.
| said the man who had done the search
ing All would have gone well haf
not the woodcutter'S wagon com
numbering down the road anu be hs,.
to ask me in Il familiar way what M
appearing iii my birthday clotkp
meant The men pricked up their est.r
at this and asked him if he knew ne
and he told them that we were fellow
| travellers.
He got thorough searching for hi:
pains. the men thinking that he Wa
carrying the gem for me. Then the,
examined the horses. the harness.. tn
wagon. looking even into the hubs o
! the wheels One of them siIggeste'
| that what they were looking fer Nigh
| be between the logs Of wood. AM
| they threw every log OF on TO the road
/ carefully watching for the diamond
| between them.
| But if was of no use. The stone wa
| not to he found.
They didn't ike 10 give ii mp: but
| believing rh;'t had conveyed fhs
! treasure by sc-le other method the,
| finally concluded to do SO They ta
| instructions from StiverS not to hur
| me- If they could get tie diamon
they were To do SO. but they were no