The Washington herald., 1922-01-26
Perlous Pearls.

NV
w conditions, the conference of Washington,
the German rcparations and prohibition have gons
to the composing room, of our best-known
journalistic pens arc wont to turn to things Of
the lighter vein. Some of them wax cxpansivcly
humorous others pungcnty witty, few incline to
1ugubrious comedy.
Witness this cffusion in the Kansas City Star
ancnt the supposedly fatal rope Of pearls that
belonged to Catherine OF Russia and lately figured
in the affairs of the Dodge family:
"Thc fact that it is unlucky to own a million
dollar string of pearls is known to almost every
body, and for that reason almost everybody avoids
them The thing applies to diamonds of un-
usual sizc-like the rajah's diamond-to rubies
worth kings ransom (<ings ransoms are not as
large as they used to be, but the figure of speech
is still employed by the best writers) and to any
moonstone that once served eye for an
Indian idol Very few persons who up on
literature will be found to possess any OF these
stones. They're too wise.
But occasionally the fatal attraction OF these
gems finds victim in some uninformed person,
and the literature Of mystery and crime is further
enriched. OF all the jewels in the world those Of
the late imperial family of Russia ,are without
question the unluckiest. Look what happened to
that family, and then imagine anybody having the
cold drawn to buy, even at bargain Of
100000, the fvc-strand, pearl necklace of the
Romanoffs. The necklace of Great Catherine.
E ,rybody with the slightest bit of imaginaton)
knows that these pearls unlike Catherine, changed
color. On the anniversary OF that fatal night
when the Emperor Paul stranglcd they turn
red This is how the experts are able to identify
them, and why nobody who values life or luck
will touch them. Everybody who has owned them
has died, like Catherine, had bad luck like the
late Emperor Nicholas.
"The complete history OF this famous and fatal
necklace is not yet known, but the most gifted
literary ntcllccts working on it and soon
there will be little excuse for anybody who buys
it in ignorance of the consequences sure to follow.
But it is known that murder, suicide, revolution,
shipwrcck and probably bankruptcy will mark every
change of its ownership. 1t may be that Napoleon
fingered these gems while in Moscow, with some
thought of taking them home 10 Maria. If so it
accounts for his downfall. This much we know
Napoleon had forebodings in Moscow and these
increased on his retreat. Historians have been
able 20 account for his anxiety except by assuming
that the loss of his army disturbed him. This
explanation always has struck thoughtful minds
puerile and it seems much more probable
that the spell of the Romanof necklace had fallen
upon him. If it is true that an American million
aire bought these gems his death within year is
explained. We do not know positively that he
bought them, but we do know he died so that the
story that he bought them is at least plausible.
If he did not buy Great GATHERINGS necklace he
may have bought Anne OF Austria's diamond brooch
which gave the Duke of Buckingham and the three
musketeers so much trouble. Obviously that brooch
or even one of its studs, would introduce consid-
cradle activity into millionaire's life We would
as soon have Wilke Collins moonstone in the
house, the Hope diamond the gttering shoe
buckle that BETRAYED King lanes as he climbed
aboard the ugger after throwing away the Great
Seal on his fight to France
"The lesson of it all will not be lost cautious
persons. They will not buy the Romanoff neck
lace They will be their guard whenever afablc
strangers approach them with string OF pearls
marked down to SI,ooo,ooo.'