The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1919-07-17
E9 /1GZEA1

LXW " \ Washington home the superst
80 tious people Of the country shook
their heads with an "Itoldyou-so"
air and invariably they heard
to exclaim; The 'evil-eye' Hope
diamond is active again.
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 it TO say that the Hope
diamond IS sapphire-blue stone of 44A karats;
that it made its appearance in France in 1868;
that II Is believed by the superstitous to have the
EVIL eye that its published history which is
probably largely imaginary would seem to bear
out its evil influence on the fortunes of its many
owners, and that the parents Of the dead boy are
the present owners Of the gem. so far as the
world knows
The "S20OOOO000 baby" was the son Of Mr. and
Mrs. Edward Bca Mclean He was expected TO
inherit a vast fortune from his gmndfathers,
Johh X. Mclean the owner of several newsna-
pers and Thomas f. Walsh, a millionaire mine
operator OF Colorado. He slept in 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
five nurses IN five Of the finest mansions i'm Amer.
lea He had private car which carried him to
Palm Beach, TO California, or wherever he was to
60 He had 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 ana attendants
and corps of doctors and nurses watched over
him - hours in the day. When he was an infant
he took his airings in baby buggy which was a
yeritabIe steel cage locked by special padocks
This was one of the precautions against kidnapers.
Then came moment when the vigilance of his
attendants was relaxed. Slipping away. the boy
West Virginia license and containing three women
came along and ran him down in front of his
home!
1t was In 1868 that Jean Baptiste Taverner a
French traveller appeared In Paris with diamond
of marvellous size and coorng. Some said 1t had
been stolen from its place among the ornaments
of n Hindu idol. More insisted It rad been taken
from the palace Of the Grand Mogus of Delhi.
Wherever IT came from, the story places 1t i'm
medately afterward in the possession of Louis
XIV who placed II among the crown jewels Of
France and permitted it to be worn by Nine, de
Montespan.
Thus the diamond is launched upon a career OF
III fortune and disaster and tragedy.
1t was not long, so runs The story, after Trayer-
ner sold It TO Louis NV for 100000 francs and
II burouy, that Taycnicr was torn 10 pieces by
wild dogs while he was on a hunting expedition.
Nine de- Monlcspan's fan IS part Of history.
She was supplautcd soon by Nine de Maintenon
Al mss time thc Diamond weighed G7ia karats
The story Says that iu the rough it was Of 112
karats. and thot the King sent 1t 10 an Amsterdam
jewoIcr TO be- cut and polished
Along with other court Jewels the diamond do
seconded upon the death of Louis XIV To- Louis NV,
Tradition permits several Of his fayortcs 20 have
worn n, and the lives of am of these ARE sup
posed 70 have ended IN tragedy failure or worse.
Louis XVI came into possession of The stone in
course of time, and through him u Went 10 Marie
Antoucttc who wore II, extending the same priyi-
lcge 40 her friend Princess de- Lambulc. Genuine
history records that Marie Autonotte died on the
guillotnc and that the princess was torn to pieces
! by French mob and her head carried about upon
Il pike
Tho stone was lost sight Of about 1892. Then.
! after span Of 80 years The stone reappeured In
/ 1880 In the meantime the story writer's again
! reduced us size to ~ karats. Wherever the gem
was In those years OF mystery, stories are numer-
Gus today that It still was performing It's mission
Of blighting lives and fortunes.
One OF these accounts attributes 10 Daniel
Eliason jeweler Of London, who rot the stone In
! 1880, story that after It was supposedly stolen
from the royal treasures Of France by a Paris
mob the gem was sold to an Amsterdam jeweler
! william Falls, who recut the stone 10 It's present
dimensions The story goes that Hendrix, n son
| Of william FAILS stole the jewel from his parent
! who died n ruined man. Then this record dis
poses of Hendrix by suicide after which the
stone got into possession of one Francis Beau
lieu to whom the story ascribes a denth by star.
walton. 1t was this man who sold the stone to
| ElasOn.
From GLEASON II passed into The ownership Of
Henry 4 Hope, bunker of London and ne
quircd the name under which it now Is 4, own.
The price s stated 10 be $4,000 1t is NOT clear
that Hope suffered greatly through his possession
Of the diamond nevertheless stories are 70 be