:
"r-n
JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN
1CI10LAS II, once czar of nil the Rus
sian, may or may not be dead. The
same is true of his czarina, who was
Princess Alix of Hesse. The same is
true of his son, Grand Duke Alexis,
and his four daughters. The evidence
is strong that all the members of the
Russian royal family were put to
death by the Soviets in 1918.
It is true, whatever the fate of the
Russian royal family, that the Sovi
ets are in possession of the Russian
crown jewels. It is officially stated
that this famous collection of gems and precious
stones is to be sold in foreign markets "to help
stabilize the Russian rouble." It is officially stated
also that a "Crown Jewel Committee" is hard at
work appraising the collection of gems and pre
cious stones in the crown collection.
Anyway, the pictures given herewith are repro
ductions of official photographs of articles of jewel
ry, in the collection and the committee at work.
Nicholas II (1SG8-1018?), the last of the Roman
off dynasty, succeeded to the throne in 189G on
the death of his father, Alexander III. His reign
was unfortunate from the beginning. During the
coronation ceremonies at Moscow thousands were
killed and injured in a panic. In the Russo-3ap
anese war (190*5) Russia suffered defeat. Forced
to grant various reforms including parliamenraryf
government, he dissolved the first and second
Dumas. Finally he abdicated both for himself and *
his son and retired to his estate in the Crimea.
He was arrested by the provisional government.
In 1917 he and his family were taken to Tobolsk ;
later they were transferred to Ekaterinburg. The
subsequent fate of the royal family is not officially
known.
Russians have always had a liking for diamonds
and the stones In the Russian crown collection
are world-famous. Big stones are especially valu
able as diamonds rise in value in proportion to
the square of their weight ; thus a stone of three
carats is worth nine times a stone of one carat.
At one time' the finest deep red diamond known
wag in this collection. Other precious stones are
lavishly represented. There are, for example, a
chain of big emeralds and a lavalliere of 225 large
pearls.
Photographs reproduced herewith show four of
the articles of jewelry under appraisement and
give an illuminating idea of the millions of dollars
represented in the collection.
No. 2 Is the "Imperial Russian Crown," famous
the world over. Your guess is as good as any other
guess as to its value in actual United States dol
lars. It is said that every stone in it is without
flaw and that the matching of stones is perfect.
The crown weighs over four pounds and contains
the world's largest ruby together with 50 thirty
carat diamonds, 21 forty-five-carat diamonds and
hundreds of smaller diamonds.
No. 1 is the crown of the late czjirina of Russia.
It is made entirely of diumonds and the matching
of stones is stated to be perfect. Its value In real
money is a matter of conjecture.
No. 4 Is reputed to be the largest and purest
aquamarine in the world. It has been valued at
$500,000. The late czarina wore It occasionally as
a pendant, valuing it as an heirloom that had come
to her through a long line of ancestors.
No. 3 shows Soviet officials at the actual work of
appraising the Russian crown jewels. From left
to right they are: Vladimir Sobolieff, secretary
of the crown jewel committee; Director Trynitzky
of the Hermitage museum at Petrograd; Prof. BJ
A. Ferstmann. an expert who is said to have Just
returned with a ton and a half of precious stones
from an unexplored region in Russia ; M. F*arberg
er, French precious stone expert, and F. Bergashev,
president of the crown Jewel committee. The mem
bers of the committee and the experts are under
the scrutiny of guards, as thie picture shows.
No. 5 Is a scepter designed for Catherine the
Great and set with the famous Orloff diamond.
This diamond weighs 194% carats. It Is supposed
to have got its name from Count Alexis OrlofT
(1736-1808), who was a leader of the revolution
thajt placed Catherine the Great on the Russian
throne in 1762. Count OrlofT is popularly sup
posed to haye strangled Czar Peter III (1728-1762)
with his own hands. By some experts the Orloff
and the even more famous Koh-i-noor are parts of
the Great Mogul diamond, described by Tavernler
as being at the court of Aurungzebe In 1605. The
Koh-i-noor weighs about *04 carats. The legend is
that it once weighed 793 carats. It has been many
times recut and now is in. the possession of the
royal family of Great Britain.
Other famous diamonds include the Regent In
the national French jewels. It is sometimes known
as the Pitt diamond, since the duke of Orleans, in
1717 regent of France, bought it from Pitt for
$648,000. The largest diamond known Is the Cul
linan diamond, found In 1005 in the Transvaal.
Its original weight was 3,253 carats (about 1 1-3
lbs.) and It was cut into nine stones, the largest.,
of which weighs 516 carats ? the largest diamond
in existence.
Until recently the largest diamond known to be
in this country was the Hope blue diamond, 44H
carats. Mrs. K. B. McLean of Washington, D. CM
wife of the newspaper publisher, bought It tn 1900
for $180,000. Recently, however, an unknown Amer
ican is reported to- have bought the Florentinlan
diamond. It was the largest solitaire In the col
lection of the Austrian crown Jewels. Its history
dates back to Charles the Brave in 1476 and It is
said to be tto fourth largest diamond in the world.
GOOD MDS BILL
PASSES house!
> I
VOTE FOLLOWS TWO HOURS OF
ARGUMENT ON NEW
BONO ISSUE.
? ? ? ? .
OTHER BILLS INTRODUCED
Mothers' Aid Bill Offered in Both
Branches of the General
Assembly.
Raleigh.
1 Laudifig the administration of the
State Highway Commission and fight
ing down heated opposition which
.reached a climax in the final tilt be
tween Representative Burgwyn, of
Northampton, and Representative Ru
fus A. Doughton, of Alleghany, guided
the 15 million dollar good roads bill
through the second reading by a vote
of 87 to 14, '
Mr. Burgwyn, after two hours had
passed in debate, arose to defend his
position against the bill by predicting
that an advalorem tax would fall on
the people under the system by which
these bonds were being issued, and
he said he did not want to see the peo- ,
pie taxed further. He laid stress on
J the position rf the fancier as to taxa
? tion, and asko-.d why the eastern part
! of the state, or certain sections there
' of, had not benefited from the pre
! vious bond issue of 50 millions oi dol
i Jars for good roads
j Mr. Bowie opposed the stand taken
! by Mr. Burgwyn and stated that it.j
was not a question of taxation inas
i much as the law on which the bonds
j were issued made them tax-exempt
i unless held in the state of North Caro
I lina and that there was practically
no chance whatever for taxation re
curring on the people of the state by
a failure of the bonds to properly func
tion.
Two local bills were the only other
measures to get through the house
on third reading in the longest ses
sion since the opening of the general
[ assembly.
Tho senate passed the bill fostered
j by the optometrical association which
provided that an applicant for a state
Jirense should have at least two years
In an op*ometrical ooliege, and restrict j
prescriptions of classes or lenses to
; lieensed ontometrists and oculists,
| with certain exceptions.
The bill to incorporate the towns of
I Kinds' Mountain and East Kings Moun- J
| tain into one city was recommended
1 favorably bv the house committee on
counties, cities and towns.
A bill mak'*ne an annual stat eappro
priation of $50,000 a year to be used in
matching appropriations from the sev
eral counties for the support of needy
children who have worthy mothers but
have bee deprived of the support of
their fathers and the general educa
tion bill introduced simultaneously in
both branches of the Oneral Assem
bly. featured the new offerings of legis
lation in the Senate.
The mothers' aid bill, which is simi
lar to laws already in force in forty
two states, has the support of the j
Board of Welfare, all the fraternal and
civic organizations in the State and
the State Press Association.
The act makes the county juvenile
court the unit for the administration
of the law. with supervisory powers
lodged in the State Board of Welfare.
Any board of county commissioners
k may make appropriation fo rany case
recommended by the county juvenile
court where the recommendation Is
approved bv the State Board of Wel
fare and the State will bear one-half
of the expense up to the limit of the
appropriation, with the fund of $50,000
apportioned arr^ong the counties on a
per capita bar&s as far as practicable.
Support under the act is limited to
needy mothers of children under four
teen who are morally and physically
fitted to care for their children. The
allowance is limited to S15 a month
for the first, child. $10 a month for the
second child and $5 a month for each
additional child.
The Senate committed the bill au
thorizing the county board of commis
sioners to establish county orphan
ages. which passed its second reading
to the commit toe on public welfare to
be considered in connection with the
mothers' bill. Senator Charles IT. Har-r
rls. of Wake, made the motion to com
mit the bill and stated that Mrs. Kate
Burr Johnson. Commissioner of Public
Welfare wished to be heard by the
committee in opposition to the bill.
Fn vorable committee report, it was
learned w'M bo made on the bill to
empower tho superintendents, boards
of controls and doctors of state charit
able and penal institutions to make
sureiral operations upon Inmates re
garded by them as a menace to society.
Increase Shown In State Budvet.
Mr. Everett made known the fact
that the State's budget as prepared by
the commission will total $19,000,000,
an increase over that of two years ago.
This budget allows for the approxi
mately $2,500,000 surplus in the state
treasury.
The budget commission's recom
mendations of two years ago were
for about $1,000,000 In excess of the
probable income as indicated at that
time, whereas the income of the state
actually created the surplus.
Make Annual Gu*rci lnsr,ert., ~
United States army on.,
ed by headquarters 0f
corps area, will spend
i-uary and the early pan L
North Carolina inspect in. ?
al Guard, according to :i> .. , -,f'\
dera issued by Adjutant
Van B. Metts. Officers of ? ?. '<M
National Guard will he d"s:L-,r^|i
ter to take part in the
The itinerary follows:
February 5, 1923, Monday, s:
corps and departments, s *
pany 120th infantry, Rnh j-;, ffV.j
February 6, Tuesday, h? 1
department and combat u , '
A.'r. Youngsvllle.
February 7, Wednesday, r
117 F. A., Louisburg.
February 8, Thursday, rv, r '1V 1
infantry^ Henderson. *
February 9, Friday. , i
infantry, Warrenton.
February 10, Saturday. ff ; <
Bn., 120th Inf., Oxford
February 12, Monday, r lt. <
Infantry, Durham.
February 13, Tuesday, .V
115, Edenton.
February 14, Wednted.
117 F. A., New Bern.
February 15, Thursday, II |
120th Inf., 421st Co., C. A i
mington.
Inspecting officer for V
Tohn C. Fairfax. 1
February 12, Monday, ('?>..
Art., Raeford.
February 13, Tuesday, Co !.
Inf., Parkton.
February 14, Wednesday, <'
120th Inf., Wilson.
February 15, Thursday, Co I
Inf., Plymouth.
February 1, Friday, Bat. A
A., Med. Bet., 117th F. A. Cold
Inspecting officer for 1*. S A ,
jor C. T. Marsh. *
February 19, Monday, Co. K -j
Inf., Concord.
February 20. Tuesday. Co. K
Inf., Mt. Gilead.
February 22, Thursday, Co. G . 1
Inf., Winston-Salem.
February 23, Friday, Co. A., l'U i."
N. Wilkesboro.
February 24. Saturday, Hq < >
120th *Inf., Reidsville.
February 26, Monday, 2bn Ho
120th Inf., Greensboro.
February 27, Tuesday, Med
120th Inf., Burlington.
| February 27, Tuesday, Med. !
j l?oth Inf., Graham. j
Inspecting officer for I". S. A . 1 i- ?
tain Roy C. Hilton. 3
March 8, Thursday, Troop D . > il
Oav., Andrews. f
March 9. Friday, Co. II . 12o*h !?', i
Waynesville. fl
March 10, Saturday, 30th SiVntl *
?
Co., Canton.
March 12, Monday. Troop F . '
Cav., Vet. Co., So. 10r>, AshevilV *
March 13. Tuesday, Bat. C.. 1 ? " * i '
F. A., Hendersonville, *
Infecting officer for the T S A. j
1st Lieut. F. E. Betholet. i
March 10, Friday, Troop O.. lr,0,h
Cfv?.-.; Hq. and Hq. Det., }09th r.iv.
Hickory.
March 16. Friday, Troop E., 1 h
Ca.; Hed. Det., 109th Cav., Lir><- 'n
ton.
March 17, Saturday, Howitzer Co*
120th Inf., Gastonia.
Inspecting officer for the TJ. S. A,
J st Lieut. H. C. Wolfe.
The inspection will include a phy
sical inventory of all federal property
and supplies in the hands of each or
ganization, it was stated, and the in
i ventory will be made by the T " n 1 1 ? ? i
States army inspecting officer. Th?
officers are required to give credit for
only such property as is submitted
for their personal examination, ami
they are not required to institute a
search for property.
Attendance upon the inspection is
compulsory, according to the general
order sent out, and absentees will 1)4
dealt with in accordance with the law.
December Fire Loss New Record.
Shot out of all bounds by the two
million dollar conflagration at New
Bern, official figures for Decembers
fire loss confirm earlier estimates and
put the loss for the Str.te at $3,I?lG.7o3.
The summary of official reports of
fires in the State for December shown
that aside from - the abnormal loss
of $2,000,000 by the New Bern con
flagration of December 1, there was
a further loss at other points of $1.
116,703, from a total of 173 fires with
property at risk of $5,496,293, on which
insurance was carried to the extent
of $2,396,273.
"The main loss came from fifteen
fires, since the entire loss from the
other 158 fires amounted to but little
over $400,000.
Aside from New Bern, Charlotte
heads the list with two fires, totaling
$300,000, the next largest being Gates
ville and Spray with another $300,000.
Dwellings, as usu?l, headed the list
of property destroyed or damaged,
the total outside the New Bern fire
being 109, of which 97 were in towns
and 12 in the country. The combined
damage, however, was but $54,000,
while the value of. the same was $473, ?
000 and the insurance $223,000.
Charters are Granted,
The secretary of state has issued
the following charters:
Beaufort Realty corporation, New
Bern, general real estate business;
capital stock, $100,000; p*id in $ir>,
000; O. W. Lane, W. B. Blades, J. S.
Miller, all of New Bern, principal in
corporators.
C. H. Turner Foundry company,
Statesvllle, general foundry business;
capital stock, $100,000; C. H. Turner,
D. C. Ritchie, W. L. Williams, all of
Statftsville. Drinclpel incorporators.