Alfred Rubery, being a British subject in good standing, brought the libel suit against the London Times. As my intimate and close companion for nine months, covering the various incidents involved, he admitted that whatever involved me involved himself as well. Although the earth was ransacked for evidence to connect us with the fraud, the defense absolutely failed to sustain the newspaper’s charges. Not only that, but the proof I had gathered, as described in a previous chapter showing the secret bond between Baron Grant and the financial writer, was thoroughly exposed, ending in the ruin of both. Samson was dismissed in disgrace by the London Times. Enough was shown of Baron Grant’s methods to involve him in lawsuits innumerable that stripped him of his fortune in the end. He did business under assumed names long after, but never with his old success. Heavy damages were awarded Rubery--the sum, if I remember right, was £10,000. Years afterwards he moved to Australia, and as I never heard from him after, I presume that, like the other actors in the diamond field drama, he is dead. In fact, of all who were in any material way connected with the historic incident--and there were many--I alone survive. For myself, I felt crushed beneath the burden of vague suspicion, became disgusted with life in general and with business in particular, and formed a determination to retire permanently from active affairs at once. With this end in view, I offered my extensive California holdings on a dead market and accepted bargain prices. My controlling interest in the Montgomery Street Land Company I sold to Messrs. Ralston and Sharon, so that they owned share and share alike. I sold a great acreage of tule land to George D. Roberts, part of which comprises what is known as Roberts Island, not far from the city of Stockton. A large estate around Honey Lake I disposed of to various purchasers. Scattering investments in San Francisco were cleaned up in a summary way. I would hardly care to know what all these properties are worth to-day. [Illustration: MRS. A. HARPENDING At age of 30, before leaving San Francisco] In four months after the diamond fraud was exposed I had converted into cash everything tangible I possessed on the Pacific Coast. Although the sacrifice I made was enormous, I realized more than a million and a quarter dollars, which was as good or better than $5,000,000 to-day--a fortune ample to supply the most extensive and up-to-date wants of modern times.