The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-07-02
GENERAL JOHN A. SUFFER-.
EventfuI Career OF One OF California;
Oldest Pioneers.
San Francisco Chronicle,


One by one the slow inevitable hand OF
Death In being lad on the members Of the
hardy band of pioneers who wrought out
for themselves aud for mankind the con-
quest and civilization Of the California will
ueruess.
General John A. Sutter, VIII Was among
the ,irst Of that band, Is the last who has
goue 10 'iu his comrades in that shadowy
land. A native Of Baden. on the frontier
Of Switz. z.rlani. born in 1903 he was at go
years OF aye u L'sutenant in the French
army, and serv tor several years in tho
war between France and Spain. In 1884,
after having served for short period ia the
Swiss army he came to America. Stop.
ping FOR wbil- ia 1t. Louis, he pushed on
To Westprrt, Missouri, where he engaged
IN the cattle trade brt~esn that place aud
Santa F-, New Mexico. At the latter
place he heard such Inscriptions Of the Pa
cltc coast as led him to- resolve on visiting
IL, and accordingly, in 1888. he fitted Out
an exp. ditiOn 10 cIOss the plains. Abnut
1889 he settled aud founded u colony some
distance up the
SACRAMENTO RIvBR.
| Building \ tort tor tile pr"t-ctiOn OF his
settlement aud naming tho place New Hell
vet,a. Here he engaged in agr,cultur" aud
extensively in stock raising. beside tradiuR
! in furs ro such AN extent as to make him n
| formidable com petitOr to tue Hudson =
Bay Company. HIS unconcealed American
| =, III thies drew On him, after while, the
| distIust at the NJ xican antLoIirits. who
offered him 800. 0O0 in cash aud the Mis-
sion lands "i San J"se tor bis pOss. ssi"ps,
all uf which he drclined. During this tim
he rendered important srIv'c. to the Uni
Ted States. and notably 10 lS41. TO the -x
plori"g expedition Of Admiral Wilkes.
The P.ac"ck. n vessel h longing to tho FL
pediti"n, was lost on The Columbia r,and
part of the expedition force, sent Ovei-
land in consequence. reached Suffers fort
in a c,,nditiOn Of extreme distress, and
were relieved with pr'ncely hospitality.
Later on he gave equally ueeded and EQUAL
ly generous relief to Colonel Fremont and
his exploring party. When the war with
Mexico came on, his aid and sympathy Ell
atled Fremont to form a battalion from
those in Suffers employ, aud the testi-
mony Of
| GENERAL SHERMAN
Ia I" that TO him (Suttei) moIe than any
single person are W. indebted for the con.
| quest Of California with all its treasures y
Iu the early days OF that excitement which
follow ed the discovery Of gold in Suffers
mill race. he furnished, without question OF
reward, huudrrds Of the destitute adven.
tnrers with food, shelter. clothing aud as
sistance to begin their new and often pros.
porous careers. Strange are the vicissi
tudes Of life. We find him in his old age
living In a state Of extreme poverty. asking
a small pension Of that country which be
helped to enrich with uncounted treasures
For several years he was the recipient OF q
small allowance from the S'ate Of Califor
mia but this was cut of after time, aDC
rec ntly he applied to Congress for $5O. .0Oe
~ a compensation for the loss OF his 80
b,ante ranch and for the expenditures h'
made for the rrliei Of the early settlers o
California. In his declining years he re
sided at Litiz Pa, with his wife and some
of bis grandchildren. until his death. Viii Il
occurred at Washington on friday. in tn
77th year of bis age. The fatal diseas
vas inf ANIMATION Of the kidneys, will
which he had hem sick for about week
His remains will be buried in Lancaster
county, Pa, where his wiie resides.