The Diamond Hoax: a Bonanza That Never Was

It began late in 1870 with two weather-beaten prospectors, cousins, originally from Kentucky, named Philip Arnold and John Slack. They appeared at the San Francisco office of George D. Roberts, a financier and businessman who, some said, was a man willing to move swiftly—perhaps too swiftly—when opportunities arose. They were carrying a leather bag containing something valuable, they said, which they’d been unable to deposit at the Bank of California due to the late hour. They wanted to find a safe place for it.

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-WiscoDave