New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-02-02
The First Geld Fs.,A In California.

A correspondent Of tho San Franoisc
J Bulletin gives the following interesting
story of the first discovery of gold in Cali
fornia, as told him by Mrs. Winner, VIII
has in her possession the identical piec
which caused euch q revolution in tn,
history of the Pacific coast:
| 1--WE arrived here in November, l SAG, "sait
| Mrs. WINNER, with q party Of fourteen
| families, across the plains from Missouri
| On arriving at Satters Fort, Sacramento
| we found Fremont in need OF more men
My husband enlisted before we had got thu
oxen unyoked, and left me aud our sever
children at the fort in the care Of Commits
sary Curtain. We drew our ratiOns like
common soldiers for four months. Captain
Sutter arranged a room for US in the fort
| As soon as Mr.. WINNER returned from
Santa Clara, where he had been stationed
during the winter, he joined three Others
and went over the mountains to what il
now called Bonner Lake, to fetch over the
effects of the Bonner family, after that
terrible winter Of suffering that You have
heard about.
"In June, 1874, they loaded all our house
hold plumber for Battle Creek, up on the
Sacramento, to put up q sawmiIl, but they
changed their plans and went to COlOma
Captain Suffer and j. w. Marshall were
equal partners and were the head of the
expedition. After seven Gays of travel,
blazing trees, we arrived at sundO Wn q
mile above the town. Next morning Mr.
WINNER went out to select site for the
mill, and q site for the house. He was to
oversee the Indians, be handyman about,
and was to be cook. We had from fifteen
to twenty men employed. We soon had q
log hOuse-a good log house-and a log
heap 10 cook by
They had been working on the mill-race,
dam and mill about six months, when, one
morning along the last days of December or
the first week of January, 1913, after an
absence Of several days to the fort THAT
was our San Francisco in them days. Mr..
Marshall toOk'M Winner and went down
to see what had been done while he was
away. The water was entirely shut off,
and as they walked along, talking and ex-
aiming the work. just ahead of them, on a
little rough muddy rock, lay something
looking bright. like gold. They both saw
it. but Mr.. Marshal was the first to stoOp to
pick it up, and, as he looked at it, doubted
its being gold.
"Our little son Martin was along with
them, and Mr.. Marshall gave it to him to
bring up to me. He came in hurry and
said: Here mother, here's something Mr..
Marshall and pa found, and they want you
tarnish.' l said, This is gold, and l will
throw it into my lye kettle, which had
just tried with feather, and if it is gold
it will be gold when it comes out l
finished off my soap that day and set it off
to cool, and it staid there until next morn
ing. At the breakfast table one Of the
work hands raised up his head from eating
and said, 4 heard something about gold be.
ing discovered, what aboutitP Mr.. Marshall
tDvN 90 a1- n 4 l. -
in my soap kettle. Mr.. Marshall said it was
there if it had not gone back to California
"A plank was brought for me to lay my
soap upon, and cut it in chunks. At the
bottom of the pot was q double handful of
potash, which lifted in my two hands, and
there was my gold as bright as it could be.
Mr.. Marshall still commended it was not
gold. but whether he was afraid his men
would leave him or he really thought SO l
don't know. Mr.. WINNER remarked that
it looked like gold, weighed heavy and
promised not to leave till the mill was
finished. Not being sure it was gold. Mr..
urged Mr. Marshall to go to the
fort and have it tested. He did so, and
George Mckinstrv, an assayer, pronounced
it gold. Captain Suffer came right up with
MIR. Marshall, and called all the Indians
together. and agreed with them to certain
boundaries that they claimed, and on the
right of discovery demanded thirty per
cent Of all gold taken out. They, in pay
ment, we're to give the Indians certain
glasses, shirts, beads and other trinkets."
"Mrs. WINNER, will you be kind enough
to tell me- how you came in possession of
the piece of gold''
Eyes; it was just this way: One day Mr. |
Marshall was packing up to go away. He |
had gathered together good deal of dust |
IN this thirty per cent arrangement, and |
had it buried under the floor. In overhaul. !
ng his traps, he said to me in the presence |
If Elish Packwood, Jenny. will give you
his piece CT gold. l always intended to
nave ring made from it for my mother.
,ut l will give it to YOU took it, and l |
rave had it in my possession from that day |
o this"
"You have not the exact date of the dis
overy of the goldl" asked.
ono, but it was somewhere about the
holidays, for l know that Captain Suffer
ad sent up to me dozen bottles of old
for the men and six for me. At
ret / could not find them-at last we
curse the men had big Christmas, and
fter they had drunk up their six bottles
hey wanted mine. and they got them"
The piece of gold must describe. Its
alue is between 81 and IS. 1t looks like
pardon the comparison) piece of spruce
UNI just out OF the mouth of school girl.
kept the color. 1t is rather fat, full of
just as the teeth make in a
iece of nice gum. There are one or two
ugh points on the edge, which, with
tile stretch OF the imagination, give the
Dpearance of mans head with helmet
}; then, turn it another way, and. as Mrs.
thinner said, sit looks like some kind of
lrmint or other" 1t can be easily linden.
fed by any one who has ever seen it