The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1919-07-18
SOWWZETNANDN A9OZNZR ONZLeU

found that he suffered financial reverses and other
personal misfOrtunes.
Hope is credited with having given the diamond
10 his daughter at the time she married the sixth
duke of Newcastle in 1861. But apparently it was
the fiction mongers and not she who bequeathed
the gem to her son, Lord Francis Hope, that it
might get sensationally into the life of May Yohe,
the American actress.
This part of the story is mere fiction. 1t is true
that May Yohe married Lord Francis Hope. 1t
is true that she eloped with Capt. Putnam Brad
lee Strong, son of a former mayor Of New York.
Lord Francis obtained a divorce, and the wife
married Captain Strong, only to be divorced Il
second time.
But May Yohe, although she has been quoted as
saying that she wore the Hope diamond only
twice and that her troubles were due to its malign
influence, probably never even saw the stone. Ger
tainly Lord Francis never had possession of IT.
SO, when the story goes on TO say that he sold
it for SlGS,O0O to Joseph Frankel, Il New York
jcWeler, the statement is untrue.
1t is true that Frankel had the gem In New
York. Where and from whom Frankel acquired
the stone never has been made clear, but the
stone went back 10 Paris and into the possession
Of Jacques Colet, who bought it from Frankel.
Colet has been reported as having killed himself
after losing his mind.
Before that tragedy, however, the diamond is
reputcd to have passed into the ownership of
Prince Ivan kanltoWSki, and the legend promptly
disposes of the prince at the hands of Il mob of
Russian revolutionists. Thence the story skins TO
the murder of Mile. Ladue, to whom the Russian
prince had loaned the diamond. A jealous ad.
mirer is charged with this murder.
Next in the legend of the jewel is listed Simon
MoncharideS, Of whose identity there appears to
be uncertainty. But the legend sends him riding
close enough TO q precipice to be thrown over and
killed. Just before his death Moncharides is cred
tied with having sold the diamond to Selin Habib.
a Persian, who acted as agent for the Sultan
Abdul Hamid.
One version Of the next chapter is that 1Iabib
was drowned in q wreck and the diamond lost.
The publication Of this was later explained as q
ruse to throw thieves off the trail. This version
takes the stone TO Constantinople where it cuts q
wide swath in violence, misfortune and death and
finally brings about the end of Abdul Hamid.
BE all that as it may, it appears that instead of
having drowned with the gem in the shipwreck
Habib got back to Paris with 1t. 1t was sold at
auction for $4,000 June "a, 1909.
The gem then passed into possession Of p. G.
Cartier, and the Cartier firm brought it to this
country. In January, 1911, announcement was
made that the stone had been sold to the Mclean
family and that the purchase price was S1SO.OOO.
Mrs. Mclean wore the stone at least once in nuh-
lie, according TO the newspapers.
An authoritative article by Il. Edgar Wilson in
the jewelers. Circular Weekly about the time of
the Mclean purchase states that the "eyil eve
reputation of the Iiope d,amond dates from the
publication OF a sell at.cn@! article in 1901. when