DIAMOND SALESMEN ARE GUARDED.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11805, 14 December 1912, Page 3 (Supplement)

DIAMOND SALESMEN ARE GUARDED.

The detectives in the employ of the Jewellers' Association have on their listtwo set< of names that by no stretch of imagination could be classified as sharing any similarity of qualities. One is made up entirely of diamond thieves, big and little men in the profession, with minute descriptions of their faces and figures. The other list is composed of the names of drummers and travelling representatives of the .big diamond and jeweller houses. The query naturally arises: Why associate theso two together, eminently honest men with recognised thieves and burglars "i ■ The reasons arc not far to seek, says Harper's Weekly, if we consider the hazards the big diamond iiouses" and tho.r drummers are exposed to nearly every day and night of tlie year. A diamond saleman, when he starts out on the road, may carry with him £50,000 worth of precious stones tucked, away in some-inside pocket—a small or largo fortune occupying no more space than that of an ordinary wallet. No bodyguard of detectives accompanies him, and ho must sleep in strange hotels and on the railroad tra'.ns with his precious

burden always with liim. If a thief could knock him on the head some night and steal the diamonds the booty could quickly bo" converted into hard cash.

Very few diamond drummers have ever run away, and none who belong to tho first-class trade within the recollection of men in the business. This record for honesty: may. be. due io the watchfulness of the houses and the, detectives of the Jewellers' Association, or to the qualifications demanded of a, good diamond salesman. Hut nearly all of - tlicm have been followed by thieves, and a few of them have been robbed:. To-day, if a diamond drummer has reasons to believe that lie is being shadowed by a tb.ef he generally steps into the nearest telegraph office and wires a description of the suspect to the home house, which in turn immediately consults the officials of the Jewellers' Association. Within half an hour, if tho description fits some notorious diamond thief j a detective is on his track. A diamond drummer knows that every possible safeguard is thrown about him. He never knows when detectives are watching. The sljadow he may have mistaken for a theif on li's track may bo a detective. Every night he must telegraph or write to his .employers, reporting where he is staying and where he expects to be the following day. The diamond house thus knows pretty accurately the location of its high-priced men at all tiroes. Thisi is done as much to protect the-drum-mer as for any other reason. The detectives know all the diamond drummers as well as all the thieves and suspects. This information is an invaluable aid in times of emergencies. It helps them to hunt down their man quickly, whether ho be a thief or a drummer. There is another' sort of shadowing and espionage carried on as a direct result of this work. If a diamond drummer becomes a habitue of gambling houses and race tracks, or appears to be living a fast life far beyond the means of his salary affords, his employers soon learn of the matter through the detectives.

The Jewellers' Association has detectives in nearly all large cities, and it is pretty well informed of the movements of diamond drummers wlio carry unusually valuable samples of precious stones. A Maiden Lane diamond drummer will sometimes start out with half a million dollars worth of stones. His movements are important to others than the house which employs him. Many diamond thieves will dog the footsteps of such a drummer for weeks, waiting for the favorable opportunity to relieve him of his treasures. Some night in the sleeping-car or on a dark road or in a narrow alley the chance may come for a knock-out blow and a quick "getaway." Contrary to the descriptions of fiction wr.ters, the diamond drummer! rarely carries his stones in the lining of his coat or hat or conceals them m false soles of his shoes. They arc invariably wrapped in tissue-paper and stowed away in long leather wallets that fit deep iu vest pockets. They are always where they can be easily reached, and it may bo assumed that when in a crowd tiie drummer has them in mind. But a diamond drummer avoids crowds and dark lonely roads at night time. They prefer to ride in special carriages or other conveyances at such times, and at night the little packet of diamonds always reposes in the hotel's safe. But on the road the diamonds must be kept under the pillow at night, and many times the salesman spends sleepless nights 011 tliis account.