DIAMOND TRAGEDY

Feilding Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 29, 28 August 1905, Page 4

DIAMOND TRAGEDY

A story of a " deal " in diarnoarta which involvcfl corruption and the incide of a bij»b official be.' just littn told in thu Kitnburley (South Africa) Courts. A registered diamond buyer named David McGill waj charged with oon travening tbo Diamond Trade Act. The evidence showed that he received a parcel of diamonds, 332 carats, from Edward Damant, an unlicensed dealer, and a further allegation was that he failed to forward bis diamond register to the chief of the Detective Department within the specified time. Damant, b -.verer, was the chief clerk in the Detective department, and he appears to have been engaged in a system of fraud. It was clearly shown that while McGill Bent in correot official returns after trauaac- j lions with Damaut, the latter placed false copies of such returns in the office of the department. While inquiries were being insti tuted, Damant committed suicide by shooting himself. In a letter which be left be made an appeal to Captain Jenner, the chief of the department, on behalf of McGill. "He is in no way to blame," he wrote, " as he was led to believe that you knew all about the sales, and that everything was in order. . . . I got £654 from him yesterday to pay for another parcel of 154 carats, which is in the safe. This amount should be returned to him." Tbougb the Magistrates committed McGill for trial, tbe Crown Prose cutor, says the Cape Times, hRs declined tn nroceed aeaini-t him.