The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-10-16

CIDENTS OF HIS LIFE-HOw HE Ac.
CUxULATED HIS VAST FORTUNE.
The telegraph brings us the sad ne VS.
OF the sudden death of Gen. David D.
Cotton. of San Francisco. The deceas-
ed was man Of ability and force of
character. who from comparative pov-
erty and obscurity had made his way to
the summit, among the capitalists and
railway people Of the Pacific coast.
Gen. Cotton came to Oregon from III
inois in 1850. and pitched his tent in
good old Yamhill. He reached Lafa-
yetts in November Of that year, and
through the aid Of Judge Deady-then
. youDgs lawyer and member elect of
the Oregon leQis!ature-and Ransom
Clarke-who came to the country with
Fremont in 1S43, and settled in Yamhill
in 1844-he obtained school in the
village. as . means Of making . living
during the winter. The school was
one which the same parties had been
instrumental in obtaining for David
Logan few weeks before. Logan,
who by this time felt that he could get
along without the school transferred
the business over to Colton-the latter
to pay Logan q certain pro-
portion Of the tuition at the quarter
when the same should be collected.
and Desdy and Clarke endorsed his note
for the amount.
Cotton taught the school and paid
Logan his money per agreement and
we have no doubt but that this article
will remind some men and matrons Of
the time-near % years ago--when
they learned the rudiments in the old
frame school building at Lafayette,
from the lips of the slender. young.
yellow -haired. fair complexiOned i'm.
migrant from Illinois, who has since
become the San Francisco millionaire
and Pacific railway king. In the
Spring of 1871 Cotton went with q
party from Lafayette, under an origi-
nal character called Yankee Rogers.
aud organized by Willlsm Martin and
Danial Barnes-then merchants in La.
fayette-to what was then called the
Klamath country, to find gold lake
or mountain that some Indian tradition
or invention had located III that region.
This was before the discovery Of gold
at Yreks or Jacksonville. The expedition
was q failure.
The mythical mountain or lake Of
gold constantly eluded the view of the
Quixotic adventures. until at last it
was determined to give up the chase
and return to the green fields Of YAM
hill. But in the meantime the north
ward rolling wave Of gold seekers had
reached the western base of Mt. Shasta,
aud news reached Yankee Rogers camp
of the rich discovery ON Yreks fiat that
have since made the place famous in
the diggins Of the country. Cotton was
10th to return empty handed. and hear
ing Of these rich diggins at Yreka, he
left the Yamhill party and journeyed
thitherward. Here fortune favored
him from the start. He soon became
deputy Shorthand then Sheriff for
two successive terms.
Early in his official career he had
some communistic miners under his
charge who had been committed to
prison for cutting . ditch near Yreka
because the proprietors would not
sell them water at rate fixed by .
mass melting Of miners, who were in
favor OF cheep water. The wster reg.
ulators. indignant at this interference
with their right to regulate the value
of other peoples property and labor.
assembled en- mass to rescue their COM
rades from the clutch of the law. 1t
was q critical moment for the young
community, but the young sheriff was
equal to the occasion. Providing him-
self with good supply Of dosble.bsr-
red shot guns, he met the insurgency
in such . way that they were glad to
retreat and get behind the range Of his
fire. In few years Cotton became
wealthy, and 10 1857 or 8, having out
grown the place. be left Yreka and
settled in San Francisco-the ultimate
goal of successful Pacific coasters.
Since then his career is generally
known. He attached himself to the
Broderick wing Of the democracy, and
was Broderick's second in the duel
with Terry.
Early in the sixties he purchased the
Broderick's property under the A. ].
Butler will on favorable terms, and the
great increase in value which soon fol-
lowed, enlarged his fortune excesding-
". Several years ago he became
equally interested with Stanford.
Crocker. Hopkins and Huntington in
the ownership and management Of tho
Central Pacific. At his death he was
vico president of the company, and
his wealth by millions.
The following particulars - to the
cause OF his death are taken from the
San Francisco Bulletin Of the 9th: On
Monday last. feeling somewhat indis.
posed, he summoned Surgeon Kseuey.
u. s. A.. more o. friend than other
wise, apoloaising when the surgeon re-
sponded for troubling him. a. he want
ed his company more than his profes-
sionsl services. He complained, how.
ever, of somewhat troublesome ct.
tack of hemorrhoids, which he said
was a wholly unusual malady with
him. The surgeon gave him simple
advice and prescription, and the even
ing was spent in . social manner.
Yesterday morning the patient was 90
much worse that moro thorough and
critical examination was made, wnicn
resulted IN the discovery OF an internal
abscess from which considsrable blood
h.d esc.ned into the abdominal cavity.
and thence being taken up again by the
system had poisoned the Who'll: body.
H, r. q. Lane Vas summoned in con-
sultstion with Surgeon Kseney. and an
;na..sa;.ta oneration was determined
-. ~. rrlv ohancc OF saving the