Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-06-03

easy of demonstration. The news o.
Marshall's discovery spread like wild
fire through the colony and, naturally
enough, carried decentralization with
1t. Mechanics and other laborers de,
serted Sutter and went hunting fol
placers. All building was suspended
and the mills in operation became Q
loss. No labor could be had to plant
mature and garner the crops. In the
fall Of 1s4S the fret newspaper report
of the great discovery was made and
as is well known, the tide Of emigra'
tion shortly afterward set iD west
ward, carrying with 1t the adventur-
Gus spirits OF the United States. The
objective point of the earlier emf.
grants was Suffers fort, and not a
'49er lives who reached that promlse
land and will not testify to the extra
ordinary kindness and hospitality oi
the commander. Suffers domain be.
came the camping ground OF the
throng that took the gold fever first,
and Ii is a matter of record that they
held liberal notions Of the rights OF
property. They drove horses and cat
tie by the herd. one party of five men
disposing in this manner of 100000
worth of these movable articles of
commerce, and in three short years
they had not only stripped him of the
bulk of his personal property, but,
under pretence Of preemption claims.
had appropriated to themselves all his
landsso that tsquatters sovereie nty reign.
ed where Sutter had hitherto been su-
preme and absolute lord, All that was
left him Of his vast possessions was the
legal and equitable title to thirty-three
leagues of land. re .r ..ga. ...
In the mean time the Mexican ma
tion had become involved in diff
Guilty with the United States, The
department Of California became of
immense importance and Mexican
ambassadors were sent to Geneaal
Sutter with an offer to pay him $780,
600 in cash, in addition to valuable
tracts of land further south, for the
establishment of New Helvetia, in
cluding the fort. This advantageous
aud tempting after was refused, sim
ply because the General had about
him many Americans who would
have been at the mercy of Mexican
cut-throats II he had abandoned his
position. In fact his sympathies and
and active cooperation were on the
the side of the United States In the
struggle that followed His fort be-
came the nucleus Of our military op-
egations, so that General Sherman had
ample ground for paylngs a short time
since Of General Sutier that ITO him
more than TO any single person are we
indebted for the conquest of California
and all its Treasures O .a
BY the treaty of Guadalupe. Hidalgo
which celed California TO us, 1t was
expressly stipulated that the owners
OF property therein should retain the
same without being subjected to any
contribution, tax or charge whatever
Our board Of land commissioners, ap-
pointed for the investigation OF land
titles IN California. confirmed Suffers
claim TO the new Helvetia and So
brante tracts The squatters In pos
session appealed to the United States
district court, which affirmed the dc.
cision OF the board. Then they APP
pealed to the United States supreme
court, and that trlbuna! Of last resort
affirmed the grant Of eleven leagues.
but on the merest technicality, re-
versed the two previous decisions ~
to the largest grant OF twenty-five
leagues. Meanwhile, encouraged by
his successes before tho lower tribunal
Gen. Sutter had sold much OF the
large tract, giving warranty deeds,
Aud,pt make good the covenants
therein made, used up the smaller
grant, He managed to save for u
while an estate on the Feather river,
which he hoped would be n resting
place for his wife and children, who
had Joined him In 1862, but In this
project he was also disappointed. AS
the enormous expenses Of q decade OF
litigation increased, he was obliged to
mortgage thla estate, and II has long
eInce been all sold by the sheriff For
the purposes Of educating two grand.
children he moved to Lltz n few years
ago, and there he has since lived In
retirement and rumlnatlon. The old
General, who, II ho had his own,
would be one Of the wealthiest men
on the continent, thinks we are a
great nation, capable OF great things,
and certainly too lmmens6 to be con-
content with anything less than exact
Justice between ourselves and an In
dlvidual who has directly and indl'
rectly been OF lncalculable benefit to