The Elk Mountain pilot. [volume] (Irwin, (Ruby Camp), Gunnison County, Colo.) 1880-19??, 1919-07-17
"a HlLV

Il years old, the "$2OOOOOOOO baby"
J: ;
was killed by casual automobile
"~ in front of Friendship, the Mclean
~ \ Washington home the supersti-
~ tious people of the country shook
i their heads with an 'I-told-yOu-so"
air and invariably they were heard
to excaim: 1.-THE 'evil-eye Hope
diamond is active againT
Presumably almost everybody has heard Of the
Hope diamond and OF the long history of mystery,
misfortune. shattered hopes. blasted fortunes and
violent deaths which is declared to center about
the famous gem. Suffice 1t to say that the Hope
diamond is sapphire-blue stone of 44A karats;
that 1t made its appearance in France in 166S;
that 1t Is believed by the superstitous have the
'evil eye" that its published history which is
probably lnrgeIy Imaginary would seem to bear
out Its evil influence on the fortunes of its many
owners and that the parents of the dead boy
the present owners of the gem, SO far as the
world knows.
The S2ooo0o.OOO baby" the son of Mr. and
Mrs. Edward Beal Mclean. He was expected to
inherit vast fortune from his grandfathers,
John X. Mclean. the owner of several newspa.
pers and Thomas F. Walsh. n millionaire mine
operator of Colorado He slept in a gold cradle.
the gift of King Leopold of Belgium a partner
with Walsh in the famous Camp Bird gold mine
In the San Juan district OF Colorado. He had
hve nurses in five of the finest mansions In Amer
lea He had a private car. which carried him to
Palm Beach. to California. or wherever he was to
CO. He had a half dozen automobiles of his own.
From the moment of his birth vinson was fa.
nous as the most carefully guarded baby on earth
small army of guards. detectives and attendants
and corps OF doctors and nurses watched over
him "a hours In the day. When he was an infant
he took his airings In baby buggy which n
veritable steel cage locked by special padlocks.
This WINS one Of the precautions against kidnapers.
Then came a moment when the vigilance of his
attendants was relaxed. Slipping away, the boy
started across the street. "fivver" bearing a
West Virginia license ana containing three women
came along and ran him down in front Of his
home!
1t In 106S that Jean Baptiste Tavernier, n
French traveller, appeared In Paris with diamond
OF marvellous size and coloring. Some said 1t had
been stolen from Its place among the ornaments
of Hindu idol. More insisted IT lad been taken
from the palace OF the Grand Moguls of Delhi.
Wherever 1t came from, the story places 1t i'm
mediately afterward In the possession of Louis
XIV. who placed 1t among the crown Jewels of
France and permitted 1t to be worn by Nine. de
Montespan.
Thus the diamond is launched upon career Of
IN fortune and disaster and tragedy.
1t not long, runs the story, after Traver
nicr sold 1t Louis NV for 100000 francs and
n barony, that Travernier torn to pieces by
wild dogs while he was n hunting expedition.
Nine de Montespan's fall is part of history.
She was supplanted soon by Nine. de MaintenOn.
At this time the diamond weighed 67h karats.
The story says that in the rough 1t WIS of 112
karats, and that the king sent 1t to an Amsterdam
Jeweler to be cut and polished.
Along with other jewels the diamond de-
seconded upon the death of Louis XIV to Louis XIV.
Tradition permits several of his favortes to have
worn 1t. and so the lives of all Of these sup
posed to have ended in tragedy, failure worse.
Louis XVI came Into possession of the stone In
course of time and through him II went to Marie
Antoinette. who wore it, extending the privi-
lego to her friend, Princess de Lamballe. Genuine
history records that Marie Antoinette died on the