The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-08
CALIFORNIA GOLD.
AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY OF
THE FIRST NUGGET.

| Mrs. Winner, who, with her husband,
now in San Francisco with the expectation c
getting some relief from the Society of Pic
neers, gives this account of the cold piec
which was first discovered at Coioma. w
quote from the Bul.etin's report:
eve arrived here" said Mrs. WINNER
November 1916, with party of fourtee,
families, across the plains from Missouri. Or
arriving at Suffers Fort, Sacramento, w
found Fremont in need of more men. M,
husband enlisted before we had got the oxei
unyoked, and left me and our seven children
at the fort in care of Commissary Currn
| We drew our rations like common soldiers TO
four months. Capt. Suffer arranged room
| for US in the fort.
AS soon as WINNER returned from Santa
Clara, where he had been stationed during
the winter, he joined three others, and Went
over the mountains to what is now called
Bonner Lake, to fetch over the effects of the
Bonner family, after that terrible winter Of
suffering that you have all heard about. In
June, 1S47, they loaded all our household
goods for Battle Greek, upon the Sacramento,
to put up saw mill, but they changed their
plans, and went to Coloma. Capt. Suffer
and J. W. Marshall were equal partners, and
were the head OF the expedition. After seven
days OF travel, blazing trees, we arrived at
shutdown about mile above the town. Next
morning WINNER went out to select site
for the mill, and site for the house. He
was to oversee the Indians, be handy man
about, and was to be cook. We had from
fifteen to twenty men employed"
"But you had some help from the Indians,
didn't you?" asked.
"Oh! no, except to scratch out the pots
and sweep out the dirt floors. We soon had
log house-a good log house-and log
heap to 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, 1S47-
4S, after an absence of several days to the
fort (that was our San Francisco in those
days., Marshall took WINNER and went down
to see what had been done while he YVES away.
The water was entirely shut of, end as they
walked along, talking and examining the
work, just ahead Of them, on a little rough,
muddy rock lay something looking bright,
like gold. They both saw it, but Marshall
was the first to stoop and pick it up, and, as
he looked at it, doubted its being gold. Our
little son Martin was along with them,
and Marshall gave it to him to bring up
to me. He came in hurry, and said:
Here, mother, here's something Marshall and
pa found, and they want you to put it into
saleratus water to see if it will tarnish 1
said, This is gold, and I will throw it into
my lye kettle, which 1 had tried with
feather, and if it is gold, it will be gold when
it comes out l finished off my soap that
lay and set it off to cool, and it staid there
i'll next morning. At the breakfast table one
,f the work hands raised his head from eat
ng and said, I heard something about gold
being discovered; what about it. Marshall
old him to ask Jenny, and I told him it was
n my soap kettle. Marshall said it was there
f it had not gone back to California. A plank |
vas brought for me to lay my soap OF to, and |
cut it in chunks, but it was not to be found. |
Vt the bottom of the pot was double
handful Of potash, which I lifted in |
ny two hands, and there was my
old as bright as it could be.
Marshall still contended it was not gold,
Tut whether he was afraid mis- men would
cave him. or he really thought so, don't
now. WINNER remarked that it looked like
old, weighed heavy, and would do to make
money out of. The men promised not to
ave till the mill was finished. Not being
urs ii was gold, WINNER urged Marshall to
0 to the fort and have it tested He diG So
nd George McKinstry, an assayer, pro-
ounced it gold. Captain Suffer came right
p with Marshall and called all the Indians
ogether, and agreed with them to certain
oundaries that they claimed, ana On The
ght of discovery demanded thirty per cent
the gold taken out. They, in payment,
ere to give the Indians certain number of
pocket looking glasses, shirts,
eads, and other trinkets."
" Mrs. WINNER, will you be kind enough
tell me how you came in possession Of this
iece of gold?'
Yes; it was just this way: One day Mar
lall was packing up to 60 away. He had
sthered together good deal of dust on his
llrty per cent arrangement, and had it buried
lder the floor. In overhauling his traps he
id to me, in the presence of Elisha Pack
ood, Jenny, l will give you this piece of
I'D. always intended to have ring made
On it for my mother, but will give it to
~ took it, and have had it in my pos v
ssion from that day to this" .
~ You have not the exact date of the discov-
y of the gold?" I asked.
"No, but it was somewhere about the holi-
Iys, for know that Capt. Suffer had sent
} to me dozen bottles of brandy-six for
e men and six for me. At first could not
Id them-at last we found them in barrel
dried peas. OF course the men had big =
and after they had drunk up their
( bottles they wanted mine, and they got
en-"
The piece of gold I must describe. It's n
lue is between four and five dollars. It a
oks like pardon the comparison) piece of o
ruce-gum just out of the mouth of a school p
], except the color. 1t is rather fiat, full of
donations just as the teeth make in piece n
nice gum. There are one or two rough a,
ints on the edge, which, with a little stretch n
the imagination, gives the appearance of a \
ms head with helmet on ; then turn it q
other way, and, as Mrs. Winner said, sit as
ks like some kind of varmint or other"
IAN be easily identified by any one who has 81
r seen It before. Several persons who had 8.
seen it for years, readily recognized it te
ong them are Col Gift, Samuel Brannan,
Gwin and many other well-known citi- :
IS.
IAEELEss ENGLISH - People who think n
mselves precise in their language will L
ase read and consider the following: o.
1oI1 |