A CHAT WITH A DIAMONDCARRIER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2251, 22 April 1897, Page 50

A CHAT WITH A DIAMONDCARRIER.

A Dancerous Secret Trade. A little man, who had evidently jusi preceded me into the diamond merchant's cfiice, was slowly drawing off a pair of dingy gloves. He had the appearance of an unusually • impecunious cily clerk. " Ob," he said, catching sight of me, " how do you do ? Sit down." He spoke in a hrkk, business-like way, quite out of keening with his appearance. " Yes," he said* in a minute or two, " I have been a diamond- carrier for nearly 2G years. The value of the stones carried about by brokers and carriers like myself may astonish ,you. I have in my pocket at the present moment a pocket-book containing jewels to the amount of £135,000. It seems an immenße sum, does it not? Bat before now I have carried over £250,000 WORTH OF DIAMONDS in this pocket-book at one time. " A v diamond-carrier's business," he said, *' consists in takiDg rough stones from England to Antwerp or Amsterdam to be cut or polished. No valuable stones are cut in England. And in my journeys to Holland I • have frequently, carried diamonds worth as ■ much aB £30,000 each. OE course I take over scores of smaller stones every week. Most minute precautions are taken againEt loss during transit. Six months ago a large diamond merchant received from his mine a white, rough diamond, nearly as large as a • pigeon's egg. It was known as THE ' NANAIMOK ' STONE. "Ifc wbb to be cut in Antwerp, and I was fient for to take it there. When the diamond^ cutter had finished with it glass models of it were made exactly similar iv appearance and shape. The merchant who owned the stone was uneasy about its safe return, and cent separately three carriers to bring it back. I was one of them, and in view of my experience the real Btone was entrusted to me, though I did not know this till afterwards. ' The other two each carried away a model of • it with great care. " I arrived in London first and deposited the stone, which was worth £28,000. Soon afterwards the other carriers arrived. The look of astonishment on the face of one of them when ha arrived with his model and, taking it from his pecket, said, 'I have brought the Nanaimon,' was comical to see, for there, lying before him on the merchant's table, was the very diamond he was speaking of.

" This plan for increasing the safety of a diamond in transit was resorted to very generally a few years ago, but it is done now only in the case of stones of extraordinary value. " Send diamonds by post 1 Oh, no ; the postal authorities regard it as a temptation too great for their employees, and refuse to take loose diamonds under any circumstances. " Diamond-carrying," he continued, "is certainly

A HAZARDOUS OCCUPATION. There is always a risk that v/e may be robbed and perhapß killed for the sake of the thousands of pounds' worth of jewels we carry about with ub every day in the week. To dress nnobtrusively, and perhaps a little Bhabbily, so aB in no way to indicate our profession, is our very best safeguard against robbery. There are very few men in the business, and of course these are alert, rescurcefal men, fit to cope with almost any emergency." My informant took from a drawer a large, cheap-looking purse of strong leather. " This," he said, "is my diamond holder. I use it exclusively for carrying finished diamond ornaments to purchasers in foreign c6untries. During the last few years I have carried nearly £liooo,ooo worth of diamonds in that purse. " Attempt to rob me ? Yes, that has happened several times in my experience.- A few years ago there was at large a very dangerous diamond thief named Maton. "At the time I met him I was taking a pink diamond worth £24,000 to New York ; I had also a parcel of pearls worth £7000. •■ Maton, with his usual astuteness, managed to find cut that I was worth robbing. Two days out past Ireland I was pacing the ship's deck, and had my purse with itß £31,000 worth of contents in my irouser pocket. The sea was a bit choppy, and a young man, emerging slowly from the smoke room, politely asked me if I would (ake his arm — he ' felt rather unwell.' "I, of course, did so. As we walked I noticed that my clean-shaven companion was not nearly so young as I had at firat thought him. He appeared to be very ill, and rolled a-good deal in his walk. Suddenly he gave a larch forward, ran his hand hnavily over my trouser pocket, then staggered to the ship's side. "My suspicions were roußed immediately. That night after dinner, and in the presence of. mj clean-shaven companion, I called the

chief steward, and ostentatiously handed to him my diamond purse, with the request that he would lock it in his safe until we reached New York.

"The man I auspected looked on blankly and'said nothing. I learned next day that he was of the same name as me exactly, though my name is not by an? means a common one. This fact served rather to increase than abate my suspicions. When the ship reached New York I went to the steward to obtain my purse, and was a good deal surprised to receive a purse — not the one I had deposited with him, but another of similar appearance.

"The robber Maton — for, of coursa, the clean-shaven man was he — had deposited with the steward a purse very like mine, and had given the same name as I had. When we arrived in New York " he had hurriedly confused the steward into giving him mine in its place." " So jou lost your diamonds ? " I said,

" No," said my informant, with a smile. " You see, I expected a thief so clever as Maton would resort to some trick or other, so, before I handed my purse to the steward, I privately substituted for the real stones — which were worth £31.000— tue glaBS models which are always macie in these cases I

" Yes, I should like to have seen Maton's face when he opened the stolen purse and found how easily I had tricked him ! *

" Another clever attempt at robbery was in the case of

A BUOW^J DIAMOKD.

"You know, a brown diamond of the very largest size is worth very little indeed. " Well, a couple of years ago a big mine in Africa sent over a parcel of * off-col, ured ' brown atones. Among them was a brown stone of unusual size. Two days after the parcel arrived a man called at this office who wished to purchase a brown diamond ; and when he saw the stone I have spoken of he

immediately offered to buy it. After the usual haggling about the price, he offered a sum far above the few pounds which was its value.

" I was present, and being suspiciouß suggested that the merchant should keep the Btone for a day or two and consider tbe matter. We examined the diamond afterwards, and found that there was a slight difference between it and an ordinary brown stone. The result was, I took it to be cut and polished. It waß then found to be

A PINK DIAMOND of the very highest quality, and was worth £700.

" Tbe sorter in the mine in Africa had gaesßed that the diam<and, though brown outside, was of good quality, had purposely thrown it among the brown stones, and then secretly telegraphed to an accomplice to buy it at any cost. By the failure of this little scheme they missed a coup of nearly £700, while I and my partner profited to that amGunt.

" The moat unlucky experience I ever had was with a diamond worth £300. I had two stones exactly alike. One day, while I waß showing them to a friend, there was a sound as of very thin glass breaking, and one of my £300 diamonds was useless ! The action of the air or'something had caused the stone to feather and crack in a hundred places. It was quite milky, and was not worth -a shilling.

" Oh, yes ; this happens occasionally. There is really no accounting for it. It may happen to a stone that has been in use for a hundred years, or to one that has just been polished."