After King reported the evidence, an investigation was made. The
investigation revealed that Arnold and Slack punched holes into the ground,
dropped jewels in each hole, and then covered the holes with dirt. Rain then
destroyed all evidence of tampering.
They also sprinkled diamond and emerald dust over the anthills and pressed
gems into rock crevices. however, by the tiem the discovery was made, Arnold
and Slack were long gone.
Slack dropped entirely out of sight; it seems that he was used only for
"atmosphere." Arnold returned to his home in Elizabethtown. So, with Arnold
and Slack gone, the blame was shifted to Harpending's shoulders. he
consistently claimed though, that he was innocent and that he had lost over
$400,000 in the scheme.
In 1873, Harpending, at age 31*, returned from San Francisco to Princeton
with his wife, Ira Anna, and his children, Lucille and Mary Genevieve. In 1874,
Gertrude was born. When Harpending, at age 31, moved back to Princeton, his
account was worth $1.5 million. He bought an 800 acre tract of land which he
built a $100,000 mansion.
The house was built to form a "T." Living rooms, parlors, and bedrooms
formed the top and the kitchen and pantries formed the "upright leg." A porch
wrapped around the house and the second floor was converted to a chapel. Plus,
to make the ohuse even more extravagant, each bedroom had a lavatory and running
water, and the house had a gas heating and lighting system.
The house had also had amazing exterior features such as a swimming pool,
fish ponds, three fountains and a green house.
However, Harpending and his family lived in their beautiful home for only
three years. During that time two of his children sickened and died. Plus,
Harpending still faced many accusations. Although there were several trials,
Harpending was never charged with a crime (in the swindle).
In 1876, Harpending, his wife and remaining daughter mysteriously left
Princeton, the mansion, and many stories for the townspeople to tell for years.
to come.
--Laura Wurts
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Asbury Harpending, Jr., ...at the age of 16, ...set out to find
his fortune and made his way down the Mississippi River. When he left the only
things he had with him were a revolver and $5 in gold coins.
On the ferry boat he was on, going to Florida, he bought a crate of various
fruits which he sold for a profit. Food was scarce, so he made several
thousands of dellars selling them! A friend of his that was also on the ship
advised him to invest his money in a mining company in California.
By the age of 17 he had made $60,000, and by the age of 20 he had made
$250,000 more (in cash) and had a mine that was worth at least a million more.
In 1871, Harpending had settled in London and was running a newspaper and
floating mining securities. He was only 32 and had already made a fortune.
however, back in San Francisco, Cal., two prospectors deposited precious gems,
such as rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and diamonds into the San Francisco Bank...
...Harpending was soon asked to get involved in the searching for the rest of
these gems since he was such a great miner. He and several others were taken,
blindfolded, to the place where the jewels had been found. There they found
large amounts of diamonds. Soon they were pronounced of great value by Charles
Lewis Tiffany, of Tiffany and Company. Then the diamond field was bought from
them for a large amount of money...
...Asbury Harpending came back to Princeton (because there wasn't much proof
he was in on the trouble) with his wife and five children...
...They built a large house ...about five miles south of Princeton. ...It
was the first house in this part of western Kentucky to have an installed bath
tub. It is said that the house also had an underground tunnel underneath it.
...It was said that they used the underground tunnel to get away, and also
that when the authorities came to arrest them after they found out who they
were, that they had gone, but there was a meal on the table-- STILL WARM!
--Rhiannon Cooper
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The Asbury Harpending episode in Caldwell County history was a
favorite essay topic for Caldwell County Middle School students involved in the
school's junior historical society. These exerpts from a recent essay project
offer other nuggets of information and different viewpoints about Asbury
Harpending and the scandalous diamond swindle scandal that tainted his life.
...While members of this ordeal were successful and excited, Arnold and Slack
laid back, did no digging and appeared bored with the whole thing.
...Later William C. Ralston (the had of the Bank of California) and his
fellow people decided to get rid of Arnold and Slack agreed to leave, willing to
give up their discovery. This would normally appear suspicious, but everyone
was too occupied with their own greed to notice.
...Ralston eventually over-ruled Harpending who owned at least half of the
project. Harpending remained in the background.
...He (the German cook) searched for his own diamonds, and when, in
excitement, he showed King his treasure, King noticed marks of a lapidary's
tool. It was now obvious that the field was salted. They believe Arnold and
Slack salted the mine by first buying fake diamonds in England. It was
confirmed that these had been purchased there.
...Ralston's exploiting company discontinued work and he and Harpending
assumed responsibility. Once they paid waht was required of them, Harpendig
left California. He was made to be the villain of it all, but he claims he lost
four hundred thousand dollars.
...Harpending returned to Caldwell County and lived Millville**, the land
that had been deeded to him by his father.
...Asbury then left the state to be a broker on Wall Street.
In 1876, he deeded Millville Farms to his sister. He had left Caldwell
County, never to return. He wrote a book about the hoax in 1913. Asbury
Harpending was 83 years old when he died in 1923 in New York.
...The old Harpending house...was torn down a few years ago after being
vacant for twentry years. It was said that the spirit of a young woman was seen
in the window of the room which Asbury's eldest sister died.*** No one was ever
brave enough to enter the house because they believed that the spirit of a
Harpending family member comes from the spirit land to revisit the old house.
...Asbury Harpending claimed until the day he died that he was tricked in the
Great Diamond Hoax.
--Sarah Hurley
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...Before (age) twenty, he (Harpending) had accumualed a figure
of $2,000,000 (in) abortive attempts to aid the Confederacy.
...In 1860, he was the guiding spirit and principle financial backer of a
conspiracy to overthrow the federal government in California and establish the
republic of the Pacific.
...Three years later he spent several years in prison for attempting, with
two other men, to fit out a pioneer in San Francisco and capture shipments of gold that regularly left the port. His money dropped from $2,000,000 to $8.50.
--Melissa Mullen
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...His fortune went to $8.50, but he soon made a lucky strike in
the mines and became a millionare. at the age of thirty-two in London floating
American mining securites, he was running a financial newspaper.
--James Grove
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NOTES: *-The numbers really don't add up there, but I'm strictly
typing what the article says.
**-Perhaps "lived on Millville"?
***-Perhaps "eldest sister died in"?
