The Great Green Diamond

In Short

The Great Green Diamond is a classic "dime novel" detective story from the early 20th century. It follows the recovery of a sacred Abyssinian jewel stolen from a temple, a quest that entangles the virtuous detective Burt Cromwell with a cast of low-life dive-keepers, hardened thieves, and a vengeful priest. Fast-paced and sensational, the book represents the popular pulp fiction of its era, prioritizing breathless action and moral clarity over complex psychological depth, providing a vivid snapshot of early twentieth-century genre entertainment.

The Story

The narrative centers on the "Eye of Jobu," a legendary diamond stolen from an Abyssinian temple by the explorer Henry Stolburst. The theft ignites a ruthless pursuit by a priest named Ajeeb, who travels to New York with his henchmen to reclaim the stone and punish those responsible. Stolburst, having fallen into the clutches of Ajeeb’s associates, suffers brutal torture, including the loss of an ear, while the diamond itself passes through several sets of corrupt hands, most notably those of the "fence" Monte Murphy, and the opportunistic thieves Enoch Cook and Dick Kidd.

Burt Cromwell, an astute and principled detective, initiates an investigation to save the explorer and recover the stolen gem. His progress is constantly hampered by local criminals like the violent dive-keeper Mike Quick and the dangerous bully Bull Blair. As the hunt intensifies, allegiances shift; Enoch Cook, fearing for his own safety and hoping for leniency, eventually aligns himself with Cromwell, acting as a reluctant informant to navigate the treacherous criminal underworld of the city.

Violence escalates as the various factions collide. Monte Murphy is stabbed to death in a power struggle, an act for which Mike Quick is eventually blamed. Bull Blair manages to evade capture for a time by performing a daring escape from a third-story window, only to be caught later. Meanwhile, the Abyssinian priest Ajeeb and his assistant Billy Barry maintain a grip on their prisoners until a final, bloody confrontation leaves the henchman Deth dead and the surviving captives able to flee.

The story moves toward a grim resolution for the antagonists. Dick Kidd meets his end after a violent encounter with a French man named Jacquet, whose wife Kidd had previously murdered. Mike Quick dies of pneumonia while awaiting execution for murder, and Bull Blair is imprisoned for two decades. After the dust settles, Stolburst—now physically scarred—returns the diamond to King John of Abyssinia, finally ending the curse. Cromwell emerges as the heroic victor, having successfully navigated the chaos and dismantled the criminal network. The surviving minor characters drift into obscurity, with Enoch Cook eventually perishing in a drunken brawl in Chicago, leaving Cromwell as the sole, steady figure of justice remaining at the conclusion of the drama.

How It Unfolds

The theft comes to light The narrative introduces the cursed Eye of Jobu and the immediate arrival of Ajeeb in New York to hunt down the thief, Stolburst. The detective Burt Cromwell begins his investigation, quickly realizing that the explorer has been abducted and subjected to horrific treatment by his pursuers.

The diamond changes hands The focus shifts to the criminal underworld, where the diamond is treated as a high-stakes bargaining chip between thieves. The stone is stolen from the original thieves, Cook and Kidd, by the fence Monte Murphy, setting off a series of double-crosses.

The hunt intensifies Cromwell systematically tracks down the men involved, engaging in physical skirmishes with toughs like Mike Quick. As the pressure mounts, the criminals turn on one another, leading to Murphy’s murder and the subsequent flight of the remaining conspirators.

The rescue and reckoning Cromwell manages to intercept the remnants of the criminal gang and secure the release of the captives. The story concludes with the legal and moral resolution of all parties, including the deaths or imprisonments of the villains and the restoration of the stolen artifact.

The People

Burt Cromwell serves as the story’s moral anchor, a professional detective who pursues the truth with singular focus. He wants justice and the rescue of Stolburst, and his persistence ensures he outlasts the criminals who attempt to thwart him.

Henry Stolburst is the catalyst for the conflict, an explorer whose "grasping avarice" in stealing the diamond invites the wrath of the Abyssinian priests. He is physically and mentally broken by his ordeal, eventually seeking redemption through the restoration of the relic.

Enoch Cook is a morally compromised thief who acts as the story's bridge between the law and the underworld. Driven by fear and a desire to escape the gallows, he eventually assists Cromwell, though he remains a man of shifting loyalties.

Ajeeb is the vengeful priest who views the diamond's theft as a sacred insult. He is a man of rigid, terrifying resolve who views human life as expendable in the service of his deity, Jobu.

Mike Quick is a brutal, short-tempered dive-keeper who embodies the menace of the city’s criminal fringe. He is ultimately defeated by his own violent impulses, dying in prison after his role in the murder of Monte Murphy is exposed.

In Its Own Voice

Describing the harshness of the antagonists, the text notes:

“Ashah,” she said, “does not go forth except to kill.”

The detective warns a criminal about his inevitable fate:

“I hope for your sake,” said the detective, “that this man may recover. Bad as you are, I should not like to have you die on the gallows.”

One character dismisses the detective's morality:

“You have no pity to expend upon anybody,” he said.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book explores the destructive power of greed. Whether it is the explorer’s theft of a sacred object, the fence’s desire to hoard stolen wealth, or the thief’s hope for a fifty-thousand-dollar payout, the diamond acts as a corrupting force that strips away the humanity of those who touch it. The text argues that such obsession leads inevitably to violence and ruin. Furthermore, it frames the detective as a necessary instrument of order in a world defined by "vandalism" and chaos. The story functions as a morality play where the "heathen" vengeance of the priests and the cold-blooded crimes of the city’s underworld are both ultimately checked by the detective’s unwavering, if somewhat detached, commitment to his duty.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the brisk, uncompromising pace of early twentieth-century pulp fiction will find this a fascinating relic. It reads like a rapid-fire serialized drama, where characters are defined by their immediate actions rather than lengthy internal monologues. The prose is functional and utilitarian, designed to keep the reader hooked through constant shifts in location and frequent, often brutal, confrontations.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the stark, period-specific attitudes contained within the text. The depiction of the Abyssinian characters relies on exoticized, stereotypical tropes common to the era’s literature, and the moral landscape is painted in strictly black-and-white terms. The dialogue is peppered with the slang of the time—using terms like "bungers" for black eyes or "crib" for a hideout—which can feel jarring yet provides a genuine sense of historical flavor. The story does not strive for nuance; it delivers a straightforward tale of crime, punishment, and the relentless pursuit of justice. If you appreciate historical genre fiction and are willing to engage with the limitations of its time, the story offers a compelling, if occasionally unsettling, window into the anxieties and entertainment values of the early 1900s.