Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE DIAMOND ROBBERY. Device at Two Clever Swindlers. In March, 1850, there arrived at Con stantinople, by the Austrian Lloyd’s steamer Vorwarts, a nobleman styling himself Count Steffano Perregi. He took a suit of rooms at Mesirie’s fashionable hotel in Pera, and by his lavish style of living soon became the centre of attraction. He said that he was a colonel of the Austrian Imperial Guards and a member of the Diet. Ho had wimi> *rs Turkey on private eovem- mciit attiii'3, ana was xurnieheu with numerous introductions to tbe different foreign ambassadors and merchant princes. A month after liis arrival, he headed a subscription list with the sum of £5,000, piasteres, in aid "of Madame Sophie Cartonagg, the widow of the late M- Cartenagg, formerly banker of Ber lin, who, by the sudden death of her linsband, found herself, in a strange land, with her three young children, destitute of support.” In some such manner ran the heading of the subscrip tion list. Count I'errngi humanely took upon himself the task of soliciting the sab- scriptions, and, incredible as it may seem, collected the sum of £5,000 in about twenty days ! One morning Perragi suddenly disap peared. Suspicions having arisen, the n “ce authorities were instructed to out M’me Cartenagg. Bat, alas for human credulity I the police swore, by the beard of Mohammed, that Ma dame was a myth, and the Crescent City knew her not! Done, by Jove I Done to the tune of £5,0001 Thus ends the first act in this strange drama. Now for the second act. Not far from the Cafe de Paris stands the shop of MM. Degrant Brothers, diamond brok ers to his imperial majesty the snitan. Opposite to this extensive depot of pre cious stones stood the pharmacy of Dr. Jacob ValpSBs. Five minutes’ walk from these two establishments stands the Hotel de l’Europe. In the latter place, M’me Estelle Deorest and her sickly Bon, Albert, had hired a magnificent suite of rooms for the winter. She was a quite melancholy sort of a lady, and about thirty. All her thoughts seemed cen tered in her boy. But oh ! how sur passingly lovely she was I They say that the waiters of the Europe made qaite a handsome thing out of her by allowing sundry "sparks” to peep at madame through the key-hole, as she sat in her elegant morning costume at breakfust. She paid her bills regularly, saw no visitors, and received no letters. 'So much for madame. M. Degranti junior (the jeweler), was a rather fast young fellow, very rich, and very fond of horses. The elder brother, at this time, was absent in Paris. Dr. Jacob Valpass was a man of thirty-two, and considered very clever. His fathor had left him some consider able property, but, a? he was passion ately devoted to his profession, he still continued in practice. We have now sufficiently described the four principal actors in the drama. It was after ten o’clock one night, and Dr. Valpass sat in his study. A S erson requested to see him. A tall, eeply veiled lady entered. Dr. Yal- pass politely offered her a chair, and asked her the natare of her business. With a deep sigh, she threw back her veil, and the doctor’s weaker human half surveyed that dazzling beauty in bewilderment. She told her story in a quiet, brief manner. She had an only son on whom she doted passionately. He was subject to fits of monomania. And, most extraordinary os it might seem, his desires to lay in the fact that nothing bnt diamonds placed about him would satisfy his oravings. She had consulted the best medical men in jbiurope, aud they prescribed change of OCClltJ. SuC had traveled a great deni. January, 1852. Dr. Valpass was put ting on his gloves preparatory to enter ing his carriage, when he saw his affi anced bride rushing madly toward him. He ran out and met her. “ What is tae matter, Estelle 1 ” "Oh, he is worse I Ob, come to him! come to him!” cried the frantic mother. " One moment; step into the cariage; I will be with yon immediately.” He crossed over to the establishment of Messrs. Digranti. " Let me havo that diamond nock iaco, tkctiC uraeeiecs, ihia broach and these rings. Qaick, Dogiunti ’ I am in a hnrry. I only want them for an honr.’ "But doctor, these arc worth mil lions, and ” returned the jeweler, rather at a loss what to do. “ Give me pen, ink and paper. Here is my note of hand for the articles. How much aro they worth ? ” " At a rough calculation, five mil lions of. francs.” " Verv well; here you are. Now, quiok, the articles.” Ten minutes after the doctor and the madame reached the hotel, and found Albert in the arms of two domestics. The medioal man took charge of the yelling boy and dismissed the servants. He drew forth his treasures and placed them about the boy. It was wonderful! The boy danced with glee, clapped his hands, and gradually became pacified. He then slowly left the room with down cast head. The enraptured mother flung herself into the arms of her savior, and, with tears in her beautiful eyes, thanked him from her haart. Then fol lowed one long, delicious kiss, and the doctor was in the seventh heaven of happiness! Madame exoused herself for a moment and left Valpass. Half an hour elapsed; an hour; then the doctor beoame fidge t y. He ap- proaohed the door; it was locked. For another-hour did the dootor remain quietly in the room; then a suspicion flashed like lightning across his brain. He thundered at the door, the servants came running up, the door was forced open, madame’s sleeping room visited; bnt lo I the birds had flown! Two years after Valpass reoeived the following note: "I tlrmk you for all your kindness. And more so beoanse you were the vio- tim! Kisses are dear, yet the only one I ever Bold brought a fair price. It took us nearly two years to mature our plans. How well we had calculated on all things is manifest by onr ultimate success. My husband, Count Steffano Perragi, desjre9 to ba remembered to all his dear friends at Constantinople, and hopes that this second surprise may be of some value to them. Your dia monds brought me five million franc?. Adieu!” There was no signature or date. And this was the last of the "Dia mond Robbery.” The thieves were never captured. A DEVIL TREE. Bismarck and Emigration. but without any H»iiiUi» eGfe her boy. She had been advised to con sult Dr. Valpass, and, as her eon had just recovered from one of those pe riodical fits, she earnestly requested him to visit her at the Hotel de l’En- r °?)r. Valpass took charge of this curi ous case, and soon became very inti mate with Madame Deorest. To be brief, poor Valpass fell deeply in love, and a month after their acquaintance he proposed to her, and was accepted. Thus stood matters in December, 1851, and so closes the second aot. The last scene opens on the 4th day of The Philadelphia Times remarks: It has been stated in the leading papers of Europe that in order to arrest em igration from Germany, Prince Bis marck has been offering imperial lands for sale in small lots at low prices. This, it was hoped, would stop the tide by showing the working classes of Ger many they could live as well there as in the United States. Bat the plan did not succeed. The lands were not taken. Even the agricultural hands that re main at home are not disposed to till the earth when they can find more remunerative employment. A letter was lately received in New York upon this subject from a highly intelligent gentleman in Prussia, in which the writer says that field hands jnst now oan make more by working upon forts and railroads than in using the plow and scythe, and, therefore, the sale of upon I ,an(i is extremely dull and languid. The Horrible Australian Plant that Bata Human Beings—A Frightful Scene. If yon can imagine, says the Sonth Australian Register, a pine apple, eight feet high and thick in proportion-, rest ing upon its base, and denuded of leave you will have a good idea of the trunk nf the tree which, however, was not the color of an anana, bnt was a dark, dingy brown, and appatcntly as hard as iron. From the apex of this fustigated eone (at least two feet in diameter) eight Luge leaves sheer to the ground, like door* swinging back on their hinges. These leaves, which are joined at the top of the trees at regular inter val, were about eleven or twelve feet long, and shaped very much like the leaves of an American agave or century plant. They are two feet through in their thiokest part and three feet wide, tapering to a sharp point that looked very much like a cow’s horn, very con vex on the outer (but not under) surface and on the under (not upper) surfaoe slightly concave. This concave surface was thickly set with strong thorn- hooks like those upon the head of a teazle. These leaves, hanging thus limp and lifeless, dead green in color, had in appearance the massive strength of an oak fiber. The apex of the cone was a round concave fignre like a sma ler plate set within a larger one. This was not a flower but a receptacle, and there exudes into it a clear, treacly liquid honey, sweet and posse seed of violent intoxicating soporific properties. From underneath the rim (so to speak) of the undermost plate, a series of long, hairy, green tendrils stretched out in every direction toward the horizon. These were seven or eight feet long and tapered from four inches to half an inoh in di ameter, yet they stretched out stiffly as iron rods. Above these (from between the upper and under cups) six white almost transparent palpi reared them selves toward the sky, twirling and twisting with marvelons incessant mo tion, yet constantly reaching upward. Thin as reeds and frail as quills, appar ently, they were yet five or six feet tall, and were so constantly and vigorously in motion, with such a snbtle, sinuous, silent throbbing against the air, with their suggestions of serpents flayed, yet danoing on their tails. My observations on this occasion were suddenly interrupted by the na tives who had been shrieking aronnd the tree with their shrill voices, and chanting what Hendriok told me were propitiatory hymns to the great tree devil. With still wilder shrieks and ohaBts they now surrounded one of the women, and nrged her with the points of their javelins, until slowly, and with despairing face, she climbed up the stalk of the tree, and stood on the summit of the eone, the palpi swirling all about her. " Tsik! Tsik ! ” (Drink ! drink!) cried the men. Stooping, she drank of the viscid fluid in the cup, rising instantly again, with wild frenzy in her face, and convulsive cords in her limbs. Bat she did not jump down, as she seemed to intend to. Oh, no 1 The atrooioua cannibal tree, that had been so inert and dead, came to sudden sav age life. The delicate palpi, with the fury of starved serpents, quivered a moment over her head, then as if in stinct with demoniac intelligence, fastened upon her in sadden coils round and round her neck and arms, and while her awfnl screams and yet more awful laughter rose wildly to be instantly strangled down again into a gurgling moan, tne tendrils, one after another, like great green serpents, with brntal energy and infernal rapidity, rose, protracted them selves, and (Trapped her about in fold after fold, ever tightning with cruel swiftness and savage tenacity of ana- and tongues, each one obtained enough of the liquid to send him mad and frantic. Making No Money. While the eastern cotton manufactur ers are suffering seriously from the gen eral depression of business, the mills here and at Augusta, Columbus and other southern points are also feeling its effects to a very noticeable degree. The Augusta factory, which has been paying regularly since the war dividends of “twenty per cent., and whose stook has sold for more than $200 per share, 1 has been compelled to rcuuuc He divi dend first to sixteen per cent., then to twelve per cent., and on Wednesday of last week the board could only authorize a dividend of eight per cent. Its gross earnings for the past six months are stated in the report at $56,000, while its expense account, taxes, interests, re pairs, and dividends amount to $67,000. It is trne the company has a surplus of $234,000 invested in a new mill, which really represents the profits made by the corporation since it has been doing business, in addition to the enormous dividends directly paid to the stockhold ers, and it is equally as true that, with a capital stock of $600,000, the company has a property which is valued at $838,- 000. These figures show that the cor poration is in a prosperous condition, but they also show that it has not found much profit in manufacturing during the past twelve months. Graniteville factory, which has been paying quar terly dividends of four per cent., has reduced them to two per cent. This factory is also in a flourishing condition, as its recent reports have shown, but it cannot pay dividends which it does not earn. The Langley factory, the young est of three, but one which has been most skillfully and successfully managed since it commenced operations, takes tie ball by the horns and laconically announces that " No dividend has been declared by the Langley Manufacturing company for the past quarter as cotton manufacturing has been unprofitable,” —Nashville Union and American. Not nniil ail theso improvements aro completed can it be seen whether the men of Germany prefer government lots od the Bismarck plan to the ad vantages obtained under the homestead law of the United States. One thing is certain, that at the present time the sale of imperial lots in Germany is not brisk. —There is nothing like ’em. A worthy Athol lady fed a tramp, the other day, after winch be asked if he might go to bed long enough for her to wash and iron his shirt. oondas fastening upon their prey. It was the barbarity of the Laocoon without its b :auty- -this strange horri ble murder. And now the great leaves rose slowly aud stiffly, like the arms of a derrick, erected themselves in the air, approached one another, and closed about the dead and hampered victim with silent foree of a hydraulic press and the ruthless purpose of a thumb screw. A moment more, and while I could see the basis of these great levers pressing more tightly toward each other from their interstices, there trickled down the stalk of the tree great streams of vicid honey-like fluid, mingled hor ribly with the blood and oozing vicera of the victim. At sight of this the hordes oroand me, yelling madly, bounded forward, crowded to the tree, clasped it, and with cups, leaves, hands, Making Camphor Gum. Vice-Consul Allen, in his report of the trade of Tamsny and Kelnng, quoted in Nature, describes the distill ation of the champhor of commerce from Cinnamonum camphora, Fr., Nees et Eb., as a most hazardous trade, the distillers having to be constantly on the alert for fear of attack by the abo rigines, who are naturally opposed to the continual encroachments into their territory for the purpose of cutting down the trees for extraotiDg the cam phor. No young trees are planted to replace those ont down, nor do the offi cials take any cognizance of the diminu tion which is being surely effected in the supply of a valuable commercial article. The stills are described as being of a very simple construction, and are bnilt up in a shed in such a manner that they can be moved as the Chinese advance into the interior. A long wooden trongb, coated with clay and half filled with water, is placed over eight or ten furnaces; on the trough boards pierced with holes aie fitted, and on these boards are placed jars containing the camphor-wood chips, the whole being surmounted by inverted earthenware pots, and the joints made air-tight by filling them njp with temp. W hen the furnaces ore lit the steam passes through the pierced boards, and saturating tbe ohips, causes the sublimated camphor to settle in crystals on the inside of the pots, from which it is scraped off and afterwards refined. Daring the summer months the camphor often loses as much as twenty per cent, on its way from the producing districts to the port of ship ment. Boston Brown Bread.—Scald thor oughly three pints of corn meal, add a half pint of molasses and water or milk enough to make a thin batter; into this stir a quail of sifted rye meal (not rye flour) in which two tuaRnnnnfnls of yeast powder have been mixed, add salt, and do not have the dough very stiff. Put in a pudding pan with a tight cover; set into a kettle of boiling water and boil three hours, renewing the water as fast as it wastes and keeping it constantly at 212 deg. If yeast is used to raise the bread instead of yeast powder or soda and oream' tartar, the dough must set till it begins to rise. Sour milk or buttermilk and soda may be used instead of yeast. Thus boiled or steamed, it has no crust, and is a most delicious dish for a hungry man.