Show This This Diamond Ring Is Hoodoo Jewel Harbinger of Troubles Is IS THERE a curse hoodoo jinx or evil influence that sometimes I a attaches itself to certain jewels This is tile the question which Billie Smith of the Smith Diamond shop would like to have answered S Here is a story as strange as as that of the famous Hope diamond which apparently brought tragedy and bad luck to every possessor of the jewel in the noble Hope family in England A certain private banker who resided in Salt Lake was the first possessor of the diamond which has caused Smith to worry He is said to have secured the jewel in India He failed utterly in business and died suddenly The Smith Diamond company purchased pur- pur purchased pur- pur chased the jewel and Smiths Smith's father dIed soon afterward very sud- sud denly A well mown known local ocal mining man then purchased the dIamond wh which ch was set setin in a curious ring He dropped dead of heart disease There was every evIdence evI evI- dence that he feared the ring and yet It held a curious fascination for hIm He was often seen to turn the rIng with the vel vei on the insIde He put It away at last and did not wear It for sev several ral months One day when he was celebrating a certaIn occasIon in his life he pIa placed red the ring on his fInger He dIed that day WIDOW SELLS RING S According to Mr Smith the wIdow or of the mining man came to the shop later and wanted to dispose of the jewel She said that the ring always remInded her of her husband and for that reason she wanted to dispose of It I Mr Smith at last yielded to her request request re- re quest in spite of the fact that he had learned to dread the presence of the jewel lie He made the purchase and In I order to dispose of the ring as quIckly as possible he placed It In a otis ous place in the window hoping 1 th that lt it would fInd a ready purchaser br The ring g was s a tl jewel dof of the greatest brilliance i and attracted much atten- atten I tion Smith was delighted when wien three days after he had placed the ring on exhibition a man walked Into the store I and asked to look at the article lIe appeared prosperous and displayed documents whIch apparently credIted him with havIng a large sum auth o on deposIt de de- posIt In a local ocal bank Smith sold the ring for 1250 and the man gave hIm a check for that amount Smith dIscovered that the theman theman man had no funds in the bank withIn I Ithe the hour but the mysterIous vIsitor had vanIshed He signed the name of John Lucas to- to the chec check ACCUSED MAN NABBED Lucas was captured capture by the police in neno fleno Nev and h held d for the government govern govern- ment authorities on a charge of being a d deserter from the army HIs Identity was established as the man who had vIctimIzed the Smith diamond shop lie He engaged a 3 lawyer to defend hIm and the lawyer confiscated the unlucky unlucky un- un lucky dIamond Lucas parted with the I ring with suspicIous auspicious readiness and andI I afterwards confessed that he thought it brought hIm bad luck and was the thereal thereal real cause of his arrest lIe was taken to an army prison I from whIch he made good his escape and he Is now oat at large Smith comI corn com I suIt to recover the rIng ring- and i made a personal persona trip to the city to testify In the case lie He received word from hIs lawyer that It was apparent that he had won hIs case and that the ring would be restored to hIm It Is also rumorEd that the lawyer law who holds hods the ring Is Ill i The end of the story is not yet What will vIII happen to SmIth when he agaIn becomEs becomE's possessor of the jewel jewe Truth is than fiction saId Smith as he put away the documents which substantiated hIs story I am glad I won won my case but It makes maltes me nervous to thInk of again becoming I possessor of the hoodoo dIamond I |