The Adair County news., 1914-01-14
transporting a
Fortune
By WILLARD MALTBIE

~ u Ills SlOlNs Dul where / IOunQ II
IS important. for my effort to get it
away from the region where It had
lain ever since a lump Of pure carbon
was crystallized and became a gerS as
big as a walnut is what l am going to
tell you about. When l was a 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. I worked il
the mines for five years and couldn't
very we'll do that without learning
something about diamonds.
One Sunday I was out on q tramp
and, stopping 70 rest, noticed near me
a stone that it struck me looked Ike
diamond in the rough. I took II I'D 10
examine it and found It exactly Ike
the uncut stones I had dug up for the
diamond company. only l had never
seen one half the size. was 4 good
deal upset. for if the thing was a dia-
mOnd was rich
But. as l have said. Il was the get,
ting away with it that I'm going to tel
about 1t was a diamond. sure enough.
and one of the big ones Of the world
While I was looking at it Jim Stivers
came UP, and I was fool enough TO let
him see it. He knew right of that e
was worth the biggest part Of mil
Hon dollars. and q stone Ike that is
q 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 I IN this
He didn't tel any one about my hav-
ing it except three men whom be used
to get It away from me. He knew
would go TO Rio with ii, and his plan
was to have me waylaid and the stone
captured.
OF course / didn't know just what
he would do. but l did know that once
got out Of the region Of law and or.
der-in other words, of by myself
somebody would Try for my property.
l concluded to endeavOr to fool who
ever suspected I had it with me by
playing a part. The plan I adopted
was this: l found a cOuntryman who
was going down with Il load Of wood
and told him l would 60 with him. He
said he was agreeable, and I slept the
night before we started near his
wagon, which was already loaded
During the night ! took one of the
loGs-One that I would recognize easily
and. boring a big hole in it under {
piece Of loose bark. put my diamond 81
it, Then, plugging up the hole, 1 lei
down the bark. first putting q little
glue between it and the wood 10 hold
it IL place Then threw the LOG bJc,s
on to the load
We started early in the morning. and
I, 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. i found the road
picEe-eG / passed a man who locked
at me searchingiy. and il wasn't loue
before. hearing footsteps behind me, I
turned and saw him coming with tive
others. They caught UP with me. and
one Of them. who knew me by sight.
sid. That's the man." and, address
i.g NE. added:
Young Teller, the diamond company
has missed a valuable uncut stone
and having been informed that it is II.
yUur possession. has sent U= o. Dc
adnd it OF Won Please hand if out"
Il haven. amy diamond" ! replied.
I'm as poor ass poverty AID don't know
where saa. 20, q bite 10 eut."
They d.du', waste any words but
two of them held me while the third
went through my pockets. Lay hair.
my beard-iudeed. every part Of NE
Then he too: OF mg clothes. leaving
me stark naked, and examined every
seam. every inch of cloth, even hold
ing them UP and boiling through them
10 the light.
II reckon be has either sent IL Ola
ahead or left it behind to come later"
s9.d the man who had done the search
trg All would have gone well had
nst the WOuGcutteT's wagon come
numbering down the road and Re bad
TO ask me in familiar way whJ Ey
appearing in my birthday clothes
meant, The men pricEed up their ears
It this and asked him Il he knew me.
and he told them that we We're fellow
travellers
He got a thorough searching for his
pains. the men thinking that be was
carrying the gem for me. Then they
examined the horses. the harness. the
wagon. looking even into the hubs %
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 it was of no use. Tie stone was
not to be found.
They didn't like to give It up; but.
believing that l had conveyed the
treasure by some other method. they
finally concluded to do so. They had
instructions from Stivers not to hurt
me- II 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