GEMS OF EVIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16918, 18 December 1922, Page 3

GEMS OF EVIL.

THE SHAH'S HOODO DIAMOND.

LONG LIST OF TRAGEDIES. (By STUART MARTIN in “ Pearson’s Weekly.”) In one of the rooms of a London diamond. merchant there is a peculiar stone of pale yellow about an inch leng. That diamond was worn by the Shah of Persia, during his visit to this country some time ago But it will never go back to Persia, for the Shah brought it here to sell. It is a. diamond which has a strange history, and one which is known throughout the East as peculiarly sinister. ” If your Majesty sells this diamond you shall live for more than a hundred years." was the advice of the Imam Riza given to tho Shah before he left home to pay his respects to King George. “ You shall shave close to death, on the way to see the white king, hut you shall escape if you make a vow to part- with the Yellow Devil and if you keep your vow.” The Imam' Riza is one of tho twelve

Leaders by Divine Right ” who. an descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. are the only True spiritual guides of the Persian Empire. How these men can peer into the future is their own secret, but they can do so ; and the Shah took tho trip to England knowing that he would shave death.” yet not knowing where that operation would take place. SHAH’S NARROW ESCAPE. It may still be remembered that it was in Italy, near Genoa, that tho accident happened which almost rid Persia of her ruler. The train in which the Shah was travelling smashed into one standing in a siding. There were twelve persons killed, a large number injured, but thfc Shah and his suite V'ere saved without a scratch. Outside. Teheran there is now rising to the glory of the Prophet a mosque to commemorate his escape, and tho Imam Riza has been appointed the special mullah, or priest, to the Shah and bis household. The coming oi" this yellow stone to England is one of the most romantic incidents in the diamond history of tho world, for it required more than usual determination on the part of the Shah to dispose of it. Since time immemorial the yellow stone has figured in Moslem processions at Meshed. The sacred city and glory of the Shia. world. Under a golden dome the yellow stone lay for centuries, the curse of the sect to wlrich it belonged. A FATAL STONE. It was this stone which the Prophet Muhammad carried when lie went to war. He wore it in his turban. Ho took it with him whenever lie wished to conquer any Arab or wandering tribe. It was la.id on the- altar of his shrine in Mecca until his son-in-law, Ali, tried to claim the Caliphate. On that day the yellow stone was found on the floor of the shrine—true indication that Ali would fall. Ali fell, poisoned by subtle powder which had been laid on the stone; tho poison entered his blood as lie touched the stone with his fingers, one of which was scratched. His son Husain wag also slain when he wore the stone on the plain of Kerbola. Every year in the month of Mohurrum there pass the Shah’s palace long processions of men and women crying aloud ; tl O Husain ! O Husain !”

The processions arc headed by fanatics, who beat their breasts and call fer vengeance on the slayers of Husain, son of Ali. And every year a sort of I'assion Play is performed, showing tho death of Ali, and so great is the emotion shown that the actor who takes the part of the assassin is often himself killed by the mob.

THE COMING OF THE GERMAN, dust before the month of Mohurrum in the year 1913, Imam Riza sought an audience of the Shah concerning ibc stone.

lour Majesty,” he began. 11 tlie wisdom of the ancients is come to pass, and the words of the Prophet are being fulfilled. For centuries wo have lain under the curse of the Yellow Devil, which is the name given to the Yellow Diamond of the Prophet which lay on the shrine at Mecca. It was foretold that one day a Frank would come and lay hands on the stone, and his coming would remove tho curse. The Frank i has come.” Who us he?” asked the Shah. te He is the general of the Kaiser’s ainiy' —Frankenstein. He is an envoy who has been asking your Ministers to enter into league with the Kaiser so that they could build a railway to Baghdad and oust England from the East. He seeks an audience of your Majesty, but l have deied it to him.” “ What has he to do with the Yellow Diamond and the prophecy?” asked the Shah. This general lias decided to make a pilgrimage to Mecca,” replied the Imam gravely. “I am keeping watch on him.” THE STONE DISAPPEARS. Now, for a. foreigner to enter Mecca is sacrilege to the Muhammadan creed, Net- it will he- remembered, that at the time when the Germans were trying to upset the treaty between England and Persia General Frankenstein announced that he was about to make the pilgrimage. j He turned Muhammadan in order to carry out his plan ; but he never came hack. Two months after the German envoys started for the Holy City the Imam Riza again entered the Shah’s palace to seek an interview. “ It has come-,” lie announced calmly. “ The Yellow Devil has been handled by the German. Islam is freed from the curse of the stone.” ‘‘And the General Frankenstein?” asked the Shah. “The. general is dead. The Yellow stone slew him. But it has disappearMore information was not to be had ; but the Imam, alter prayers that day, began to recite to the Shah the long tale of tragedies for which the stone is ; bUcned. ’The List includes every proml- * i*eut Persian for generations before trie stone was laid on the shrine. The Shah knew that he could never get more information of how the Germans had removed the stone, or what had become of it, for the Mullah Riza was a great holy man and would not tell even if he could.

the stone reappears The great European War broke out, Persia was wooed by Germany more than ever, but Persia stood firm to her loyalty to England, But one day just before the Armistic was signed the Imam Riza cnce more sought his Shah. “ Your Majesty, the Yellow Devil has come back. ’ ‘ He opened his palm and there was the yellow diamond of Muhammad. The mullah seated hiuLseif before the Shall aud began his new story. “ Tho German general,” he said, “ was never a Muhammadan. He only pretended to -be so that he might get to Mecca.. I let him go, for I knew he would be but fulfilling the prophecy. “ He stole the Yellow Devil. But he was killed by the mob His friends took the stone away, escaping in the turmoil. They travelled to- India-, then to China, and presented it to the Chinese Emperor. The same day revolution broke out in China and the Japanese landed on the coast. Amongst the loot taken from the Pekin palace was this stone. The Germans brought it back with them ,and, by order of the Kaiser, it was presented to the Sultan of Turkey. It was a gift for his share in the war.” The mullah spread his arms wide in explanation, for now he was talking of a Sultan who was also a Muhammadan. ei Your Majesty may remember that trouble lias come upon Turkey. This stone was for many years in the crown of Sultan. Ab-dul Ham-id. It was in his chamber when he was dethroned. Ib was on the neck of his favourite wife, who was murdered by the mob ot Young Turks who broke into the palace of Yildiz. It was in the hand of his young son, Ab-dul-»arrum, who was killed as no tried to escape a few days later. PASSED THROUGH MANY HANDS. ik All these things were remembered by the new Sultan when he received the stone from the Kaiser of Germany He gave it in. fear to Mahmud Pasha his generalon-chief. Need I remind yOur Majesty that Mahmud Pasha was slain by assassins as he crossed the square which leads from Stamboul to Yildia?” “ I remember,” said the Shah. “"What became of it afterwards?” “ It fell into the gutter, and lay in the mud between the stones on the street. It was trampled upon by strangers of all nationalities, by friend and foe. It was picked up by an old beggar woman, who sold it for a paltry sum to a Jew, not knowing the value of the stone. The Jew took it to Salonique, but there, having it valued, he could find no purchaser, for it was so valuable. A Turkish merchant took it to a mosque, to a wise mullah, on behalf of the Jew. to peek for its story.

“■ Mullahs kno-w everything, your Majesty. The Salonique mullah sent word to me, and I travelled to Salonique.” THE MULLAH S ADVICE. Imam Riza stopped and bowed his head to the floor and murmured a prayer. “ I arrived in time to see the city of Salonique in flames. .Fire had broken out and was consuming the face of theearth. 1 wandered for days among the tents of the people as they were spread on the plain of Karabournon, near tlm city, seeking the mullah. “At last I found him. He had hid den the yellow stone in a lizard hole over by Mount Hortiach. He told me that the Jew who owned it had died in the fire. The Turk who had brought it to him had been killed by a falling beam as he tried to escape. He handed the stone to me, and I have brought it -back.” “ Then you will take it back to Mecca?” cried the Shah. But the mullah shook his head “ It cannot go into the shrine again. It has been polluted l>v being handled by strangers.. Christians, and by being thrust into the mud, and because of its adventures. It can never be a part of the sacred shrine again. The Yellow. Devil which claimed so much blood and so many victims cannot longer live here. Nevertheless, T have brought it back with me to receive your commands ; but so long as it remains in vour Majesty’s possession it will bo accursed.” “ What do you suggest, Riza?” “ Your Majesty is going to England. They tell me that they are wealthy in England and do not place much reli ance on our Eastern beliefs. Take the stone to England and sell it. We shall then all be free from it. The people' will cease to have their passion plays and murder each other the prophecy will be fulfilled, and your Majesty will be safe to live a hundred years.” SOLD TO A LONDON DEALER. So it came about that when the Shah came to England be was accompanied by the Imam Riza, who bore the* diamond, and w T ho sold it in Hatton Garden through an agent. The Imam Riza was a very wise man and kuew that the Shall needed several gifts from England, among them being two of the famous new motor-cars, which were sent out with the returning party to the land of the Arabian Nights. And for his wisdom the Imam received from the Shah money to build tho new mosque at Teheran and the benefits, of being famed throughout the land as the saviour of Islam.