The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-07-06
An Eventfal Life.

A short time before his last illness General
Sutter was present at a social reunion in
Washington city, where he gave the following
sketch of his life:
was born in Switzerland in the year 1902;
l attended the military school at Thun;
was classmate of Louis Napoleon, after
wards Emperor of France; emigrated to the
United Stated in the year 1884, and proceeded
to Missouri, where engaged in farming; my
spirit of adventure led me 10 make expedi-
tions to New Mexico, and in 1888, in COM
pany with six trusty companions, crossed
the plains and mountains to the Pacific Ocean.
In one sense 1 am pathfinder. then
sailed for the Sandwich Islands, and there
purchased vessel, on which put valuable
cargo for Sitka, where the Russian authorities
received me in great style, and the Princess
MenshinoH, wife of the governor, did me
especial honor. Thence proceeded to SAL
Francisco, where arrived with my vessel al
most wreck. After proceeding to Monterey
l soon returned, and purchasing some small
craft l assembled the Sacramento river OH an
exploring expedition. l soon selected the
site at the junction of the American and Sac
| ramentO rivers as a suitable place to locate.
| 1t was here l constructed what was known AS
Suffers Fort, at place called New Helvetia.
| soon accumulated large supplies and came
|
When a question arose as to the British or
American forces taking possession of the ter
ritory of California, promptly pulled down
the Mexican flag, and hosting the Stars and
Stripes, defed the British General Seymour to
dispute the right of my claiming the territory
on behalf of the United States. At Colsma,
forty miles from my fort and farm, con.
structed my saw-mill. When the emigrants
commenced t1ocsing in from across the plains
N..lc I>ol g.
was the means of sending organized relief
parties, ANIMALS and provisions, to relieve
them. When Marshall discovered the gold
cautioned my hands at the mill to keep tht
discovery secret for a while, and they did fo
few days. But had a man and his family
hired there. He worked at the mill and TIN
women did the cooking. Soon after it wa
known that there was gold there, and, i'll fact
all the hands had some, one of my whit
teamsters came up with load of provisions
The women told him there was gold there
, and he didn't believe it, but they gave hir
! some. Well, man named Smith, nephe,
of the Mormon prophet, kept store in or
! of my out-houses at the farm, so when thi
: teamster got back he went to Smith and &C
; a bottle of brandy and offered him pay III gol
j., he had got at the mill. Smith came to IN
y and asked if it were gold, and / had to te
: him !; and whew! the news spread all owe
the country. People poured IN from every
: where. All my hands left me. l couldn
. hire anybody, no matter what l offered, t
= = save my crop. Emigrants came along an
turned their stock on my wheat, and it W:
y destroyed The people were wild. The
& didn't think wheat or anything else was wort
: having but gold. l made my Sandwich Is
Il anders go to work, but they spent all the gol
!" they got at the whiskey shops that folowe
;. the disgers everywhere. If that gold disco
q cry had come few years later I'd have bee
\, a millionaire. But il broke me up, tor fiji
a ally lost my land grant, and the Supren
~ Court decided the grant wasn't good becau
~ it was not signed at the Mexican capital.
-. was mere technically, but l lost it. III
~ government got 81 25 all acre for it, and tha
" what I'm asking for now. When the war TOT
place out there gave up my fort and all Il
arms to the government and it is nothing b
fair that the government should give me t
money my land brought.