Jerome County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1919-1920, 1919-07-17

" /. !. !. 4 !" b.
HEN Ninson Walsh Mclean ten
years old the $500 900 600 baby"
~A was Killed by casual automobile
10 IN IN front of Friendship the Mclean
NV \ Washington home. the sspersti-
" uous people Of the country shook
their heads with "Itold-youso"
air ana Invariably shey were heard
to excla!m: 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 10 center ahout
tne FAMOUS r"in Suffice il say that the Hone
diamond Is a sapphre-blue stone of Az korots.
'n"' IL made It's appearance in France in 1868:
,h"t u Is believed 10y the superstitlous TO have the
eNi eye; that It's published history. which is
probably largely Imaginary. would seem 70 hear
out Its evil Influence on the fortunes ~ IT,, -
owners. and that the parents OF the dead boy are
'he present owners OF the gem. so far as the
world knows ~
The "s2oOOooOoO baby" was the son OF Mr. and
Mrs Edward Bea Mclean. He WINS exnected 70
inherit vast fortune from his grandfnthers
John II. Mclean the owner of several pe,rsno
pers ana Thomas +. Walsh. a millionaire mine
operator OF Colorado. He slept in a gold crndle
the gift OF King Leopold OF Belgium mariner
with Wnlsh In the famous Camp Bird gold mine
In the San Juan district OF Colorado He had
five nurses In five OF the finest mansions in Amor
lcn lie mad private car. which carried him TO
Palm Beach. 10 California. or wherever he WIS 70
60 He had n half dozen automobiles Of his own.
From the moment OF his birth vinson was IN.
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 nirngs in baby buggy which was n
vertable steel cage locked by special padIocks
This was one Of the precautions against kidnapers.
Then came n moment when the vigilance of his
attendants was relaxed. Slipping Lway, the boy
started across the street. "fivver" bearing
West Virginia license and containing three women
came along and ran him down in front of his
home
IL in lG0s that Jean Baptiste TavernIer.
| French traveller, appeared in Paris with diamond
OF marvellous size aud coloring. Some said II had
been stolen from its place among the ornaments
! OF n Hindu idol. More insisted II Rad been taken
! from the palace OF the Grand Moguls of Delhi.
Wherever IL came from. the story places II i'm
mediately afterward In the possession of Louis
XIV. who placed 1t among the crown jewels of
France and permitted II to be worn by Nine. de
Montespan.
Thus the diamond is launched upon career of
! III fortune and disaster and tragedy.
II was not long. the story, after Traver-
nier sold II TO Louis XIV for 2.5oO0o0 francs and
a barony. that Traverner torn to pieces by
! wild dogs while he on n hunting expedition.
Nine. de Montespans fall IS part of history.
She supplanted soon by Mime. de Maintenon
At this time the diamond weighed 6Tl1 knrats
The story says that in the rough II was OF III
karRts. md that the king sent II TO an Amsterdam
| jeweler TO be cut and polished.
Along with other court jewels the diamond de-
seconded upon the death of Louis XIV TO Louis Nv
Tradition permits several of his favorites TO have
worn &C. and so the lives of all Of these are sup
! posed TO have ended In tragedy, failure or worse
Louis XVI cnme into possession of the stone In
course of time and through him II went TO Marie
Antoinette who wore IT, extending the same priv
lege TO her friend. Princess de Lamballe. Genuine
history records that Marie Antoinette died on the
gulotne and that the princess was torn 10 pieces
by n French mob and her head carried about upon
pike.
Tho stone was lost sight of about lI92 Then
,fter a span of IS years the stone reappeareu IN
1890 In the meantime the story writer's again
reduced its size TO A karnts. Wherever the gem
WINS I'm those years Of mystery stories are nuner
ous todny that Il still performing It's mission
of bllghtng lives and fortunes.
One OF these accounts attributes To pahiei
Elason n iewcler of London. who got The stone IN
1890 n story that after II was supposedly s.o'en
from the royal treasures OF France by Paris
|, | moh tho Gem was sold TO Amsterdam Jeweler
William Fnls who recut the stone TO It's present
, | dimensions The story goes that Hendrix son
; | os wn,iam Fnls stole the jewel from his parent
who died n ruined man. Then this RECORD as
noses OF Hendrix by suicide, after which the
stone got into possession Of one Francis Beau
lion "a whom the story nscribes denth by star
walton II was this man who sold the STONE ~
Elinson.
From eliason IL passed into the ownership OF
Henry n Hone a banker of London. ana nc
ou,red the name under which II now Is N"v"".
rba nr,ce Is stated TO be $65OOO. II IS MOI u.''
,hnt Hone suffered greatly through ms posN.sS'Vn
of the diamonds nevertheless stories are " "e