SCENE OF THE PLANT.
“‘Most certainly not,’ was his reply. ‘Such a thing may be possible, but I doubt it very much.’
“‘What would you say,’ I asked, ‘if a man showed you a diamond and a ruby, and told you they were found side by side?’
“‘I should ask him if he knew the man that put them there; and if he insisted that they were natural deposits, I should change the topic of conversation for fear of saying something to wound his feelings.’
“I left the professor,” continued Sharpley, “and made up my mind to have nothing to do with the speculation, although I confess I was greatly puzzled. Apart from the statement of the geologist, and the discovery of the crystal which first caused my suspicions, everything appeared right enough. The parties were respectable, polite, intelligent, and wanted a good price for their property, or rather for half of it, as they only desired to obtain money to work their claim. They would not reveal the locality of the discovery, as it was upon unsurveyed ground, and they desired the passage of a bill by Congress to confirm their title to it. The mesa, or diamond-bearing ground, was minutely described, and was very much like the diamond-bearing localities of Brazil and India. Professor Janin, a scientist of repute, had been there, and staked his reputation on the genuineness of the discovery. He was sworn to secrecy, in order that there should be no jumping of the claim by the adventurous fellows who abound on the frontier, and to keep off everybody, in fact, until the proper title was secured, and the company was ready to go to work. Several persons who had investigated the matter as extensively as they could, were convinced of its correctness, and were ready to invest.
“Furthermore, the operators were anxious to get the claim to their land, and spent money to get it. General McClellan, Samuel Barlow, and others went into the operation, and you may be sure they don’t risk their money unless things appear pretty certain. McClellan, Barlow, and the rest, whom I will call the New York party for the sake of convenience, offered four hundred thousand dollars for the half interest, and had the money ready to put up. I surely expected the ‘planters’ would take this and clear out, as they would then make a handsome profit on the speculation. But they refused it, and, as they could get no more, they took up their bags of diamonds and went away. This again made the thing look genuine, and I was more puzzled than ever. I began to wish I had put in my money, and it was then that my friend, whose champagne I am drinking, blew me up for dissuading him from investing. I soothed him, and we determined to keep our mouths shut, and wait for what would turn up.
HOW THE NEW YORKERS WERE CAUGHT.
“Well, to shorten up the story, the planters went to San Francisco and got Ralston, and the rest of them to go in. When the company was organized, the New York party began to regret not having taken the thing at half a million, and they felt so bad about it that they asked the Ralston crowd to let them in on the bed rock organization. They urged the time, money, and influence they had used to get the grant from the government, and begged so hard that Ralston’s party finally gave them a chance. They won’t tell how much they lost, but I think there were five of them stuck for about twenty thousand apiece. There were other small fry, but they were not of much account.
“Now, there is another thing that hasn’t come out yet, but I am sure it will one of these days. There is a rich deposit of diamonds on this continent of North America, and some of the stones which have been exhibited came from it. Some of the diamonds used in getting up this plant were bought in London, and came from Brazil and South Africa, but there were others that certainly came from no diamond fields yet known. At least that is what some of the experts say, and if all the parties interested in the purchase of the Arizona mines,—I do not mean those who sold, but those who bought the half interest from the swindlers,—if all these parties were catechized searchingly, I have reason to believe that some of them would or could tell something that would be quite as startling as the original story of diamonds in Arizona. They had already taken steps to secure this new locality before the Arizona swindle was exposed, and had it not been for the sudden death of a gentleman connected with the negotiations, the business would have been completed ere this. The negotiations were hindered by his death, and it may be months before they are completed; but you can certainly look for a revelation some time in 1873 of great interest concerning diamond fields of wonderful wealth.”