Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-07-08
Gen. John Augustus Suffer,
Y1s Marvellous and Romantic Story Of the
Discoesrer of Californian Geld Fields.
New York Times

%, Iohn Augustus Suffer, upon whose
- was first discovered ia Cali
on dtad et Meade's Hotel. in Wash.
49,, -, the 18Th inst, in the seventy
- 80 rasr of his age He had been sui.
$50 'or a week with inflammation OF
.s' r,anevs but his death was quite I'M
an He was in full possession of
anbis faculties up TO the last moment.
rha l,tf.story OF Gen. Suffer Is ro-
,,a,,ca in itself, and forms, To q great tx.
tar, the esrly history OF the State OF Cal
;foynis From poor man, he gained by
h,s energy and perseverance the position
Hr,ha wfalthiest man on the Pacific coast
~ one time. only 10 be impoverishe /
3 srain by the discovery OF gold, which en-
& riohed his state and so mary Of his Tel
q men. and to DIE at last petitioner to
q his Government for the means OF sustain
a inc his family. Few men, even N this
country OF strange experiences, have
nsssed through such varied course OF
adventures as Gen. suffer. la his latter
wears he was an object OF curiosity 10 all
who came within his reach His head
WAS bald, with the exception OF patches
of snowy hair on either side, and his face
was ornsmented with side whlskers,
rather sparse, thin military mustache,
and goatee, all of pure white. The old
gentleman bore his years well, and WAS
always very c1urtly and dignitied, enter
tanning friends and strangers 10 The last
with the same hospitality which charac-
terized him in his earlier and happier
DAYS, and few who have sat at his board,
or listened to his stories Of young Cali.
fornia, will soon forget the patriot who
passed away while begging tor what he
deemed his just rights at the hands OF the
Government.
Gen. Suffer, whose original name was
Suter. was born at kapdern, Baden, Feb.
Is. 1903 In his childhood he evinced an
aptitude for the military profession, and
his ambition was grsti1ed by his parents,
who were undoubtedly well Oft. He was
given liberal education, and sent 10 the
military school at Berne, Switzerland,
where he was graduated in 1929. He
went to France and Joined the army of
Charles X, being commissioned by that
King as General Alter the revolution OF
July, 1880 however, he became weary of
his military life, and, casting his eyes
about for some country In which to seek
adventure and fame, he chose the New
World as offering the best field Tor his
restless spirit, and emigrated TO this coun.
try. He had but little ready money, but
America was but sparsely settled thou. and
hrsins and courage we're more ia demand
here at that time than fortunes. The
Young emigrant settled first in the west.
ern part OF Missouri, but as the popula-
ton OF tina, State increased he moved
further West, always flying before the ad
vance of the pioneers, and determined, as
he said once, IN telling his story to be
the pioneer of pioneers. lie finally, IN
1887. reached what is now New Mexico,
and established himself at Santa Fe,
where he began trading with the Indians.
n His gentle manners and strict honesty III
dealing with them soon won the hearts oil
the savaees, and Gen. Suffer prospered IN
his business with them. lie learned their
b language, took an interest in their vel.
u fare and taught them many useful things.
# The result was that they Confided in the
sAman who trusted in them, and told him
1 aof the wonderful beauty Of the country
Il across the Rocky Mountains, the fertility
4 os its soil, and the mIldness and salubrlty
"A OF its climate. Fired by these reports
81 of his dusky friends, Gen. Suffer finally
n Determined to cross the Rocky Mountnius,
I and in 1888 he passed over into California,
n (which was then under the control of the
4 Mexican Government.
i yer, and from there, spurrcd on by the
i restless spirit of adventure which cha &C
n terlzed him, he sailed to the sandwich
81 Islands He saw little chance to win
q either fame or fortune among the idle and
unambuOus Kanskas, and he soon left
the islands, sailing for Alaska From here
i he engaged in a trading trip down the
Pacific coast, and this voyage eIGed July
hu y. q N a
Bay OF YeIha Buena, now known as the
Bay of San Francisco. He had saved a
"a little money from the wreck, but not
n enough TO enable him to lit out for anoth-
N er trading voyage, and he wisely resolved
III to begin over by engaging in agriculture,
~ and working again with his old friends,
III the Indians. With great difficulty, be.
III cause of his ignorance OF the country and
the natives, he penetrated to the interior
up the Sacramento river, and arriving at
the point where the city OF Sacram ento
now stands, he saw the advantages Of the
location, and pitched his camp at once.
/ He chose q site IN the Sacramento Val
ley, about three miles back from the river,
one OF the most fertile spots in all CalifOr-
MIA, and naming IL New Uelvetis, settled
there with the intention of staying. lie
put In practice his old tactics in his treat
ment OF the Indians: instead OF slaughter.
ing them, he made friends of them. He
taught them the rude arts Of agricrlture,
which were within their comprehension,
and also inuusted them with firearms
and instructed them in their use. In a
remarkably short space of time New
Helgetia was a thriving settlement, and
Gen. Sut,er, by raising large crops for
which there was always a ready market
! in Gerbs Buens, was rapidly becoming a
MgAlthY man