Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 242, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1910 — TRILLION DOLLARS IN “GEMS” [ARTICLE]

TRILLION DOLLARS IN “GEMS”

German Arrives at New York With Twelve Bags of Glistening Jewels —They Were Beads. New York. —Herr E. Heyman, a Ger man jeweler, who has just reached New York from Bremen, has the laugh on several of Collector Loeb’s customs sleuths. When Herr Heyman’s liner arrived at its pier he was one of the first to place himself in the hands of the inspectors. The customs man assigned to inspect his belongings suddenly came upon a blue bag that could easily hold two quarts of green peas. The bag was full of brilliants, and the glare of the first handful he fished out almost blinded the customs inspector. “Diamonds!” he called out in excitement. Motioning for assistance more customs men came up and put their hands in the bag. Then an appraiser, hurriedly summoned, took a look at the stones. “Beads! That’s all!” he said. In all about a dozen bags of the glittering brilliants were brought to view. "Suppose they were diamonds, what do you think they would be worth?” a bystander asked Herr Heyman. “About $1,000,000,000,000," he answered. “Yes—Stage money,” murmured the appraiser. Mr. Heyman pal'd S3O duty and left the pier with his glittering beads.