The union Democrat., 1870-04-30

GoLD-FINDER MARSHALL AND HIS ExpERI-
EEcEs.-The Grass Valley Union of April
10Th has the following:
Sunday night James W. Marshall lectured
at hamilton Hall. detailing his early expert
ence on the Pacific coast. His audience was
net large one, as it should have been, ow-
ing we suppose to the night, and also to the
fact that the true state of the case was not
understood. Sunday nights lecture was Mr..
Marshal's first effort before any audience,
and as he made no pretensions to the use of
the set phrases of speecL. his effort should
not be criticized. 1t is sufficient tc say that
his story is ar exceedingly interesting one,
and that "a he becomes accustomed to facing
large audiences he will be better patrnnized.
Mr.. Marshall came to California in 1916, was
with the Bear Flag party, and was in sever
al Of the fights which took place between the
settlers and the native Californians. lie af-
terward became partner of John A. Sutter
in the mill at Coloma, and was at work at the
mill business in 1913, when gold was found.
Mr.. Mashall is we'll fortified with affidavits
from we'll known citizens to prove all he SAYS
and from one of these made bv most estima-
BILE gentleman row o resident of Placer Coun-
iv. John Winters, we extract the following
particulars to show how MI. Marshall was
treated hy the frs, gold hunters: Mr. Win
ters' affidavit states in substance that on or
about the Goth day of December, lS4S, Alden
S. Bayley and he. Winters, purchased from
Gen. John A. Sutter one-half of the saw mill
business owned By Su.ter & Marshall at Co
Iona. They also bought from Marshall one
third of his interest. Marshall refusing to sell
bis pre-emption rights to the land on which
he had located. claiming that as homestead
These men, Winters & Bayley, paid Sutter
$4,000 for the half interest and Marshall
So 600 for one-third, Of his half. Marshsll's
sale was for mill privileges and for saw logs
growing on his location. In about March,
lS49, gold diggers began to arrive. They
squasted on MarshalPs ground, and although
warned off, refused to leave. Soon after
wards some of the miners at Murderer's Bar,
on. the Middle Fork of the American riv-
er, iil-treated some Indians, and the In
dams in revenge killed four or FIVE white men.
Only two of the white men escaped, and these
went to Coloma and raised company of
whites in order to go to Murderer's Bar to
kill Indians. Instead Of however going to
the Bar, these men hegan to kill Marshall's
friendly Indians. Marshall pratecfed his In
uiahSs Iishiug Uis iste IN SO QOing. ana was
obliged to leave Coloma soon afterwards to
save bis life from mob. After remaining
away awhile he returned to find his lccatien
surveyed off into town lots and in the posses-
sion of others. Soon after his return, men
there believing that Marshall knew more
about the places in which gold could be found
than he chose to tell, threatened to hang him
to tree If he did not 60 with them and point
out the rich placers. Mr. Winters secretly
furnished the old man horse, on which, he
escaped from this second mob. After this !
escape, Marshall was engaged in expensive
litigation, and became financially ruined. |
The vandals took the timber of the mill from
which to make canes, and the miners des-
troyed the data. Neither Marshall, Winters
nor Bayley ever received dollar for their
property. Such is the sworn statement of
John Winters, a gentleman for whose word
we can vouch. The idea of hanging Marshall
because the diggers did not find more gold
was repetition of the conduct Of the Span
iards at the conquest of Mexico.