Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1884-10-18
| GOLD IN CALIFORNIA
THE STORY OF IT'S DlscovERER
James Wilson Marshall, The Man VIII
First Discovered the Precious
Metal on the Pacific
Coast.
ISL. Louis Globe-Democrat.l

uiauo al spoon III HlSboFys Ills uouo VII
live in history, and his poverty is re
proach which the citizens of the great ant
fourishing State in which he resides ough
promptly to remove. The foundation,
of CALIFORNIA; wealth as laid by his in
telligence and saracity. In less thar
three years after the time at which b.
discovered gold, what had been previ
ously to his finding the precious meta
wilderness country, was received int,
the sisterhood of the States. Sacrament,
has been concentrating the "admissioi
day" of 1850 with pomp and enthusiasm
and the presence of the Governor ant
other eminent persons. What was said OF
that occasion of the value of Marshalps
discovery, and the honor given his name
will, we trust, be supplemented by thu
substantial recognition of the claims of /,
public benefactor, now in oldage and pos
erty, after worthy life, not only to free
dom from anxiety, but to plenty.
James Wilson Marshall was born il
Hope Township, New Jersey, in 1912 AT
ter receiving plain education he learned
the trade of coach and wagon builder
He was smitten with the sswestern fever
when about twenty -one years old, ant
having travelled in Indiana and Illinois
bought farm on the Platte purchase, nea,
Fort Eeavenworth. His health was poor
throughout the period of his residence a.
that place, and when his doctor said h.
must either die or seek change of air h,
packed up and left 1t was on the Isl
of May, 1874, when he Joined train of on,
hundred wagons bound for that Cat tn,
tlme) almost unknown land, California
The party reached its destination in June
1915, and camped at Cache Creek, abouI
forty miles from where Sacramento nov
stands. From that point its members tool
their several ways. Marshall and few
others went to Suffers fort, Sacramento
County, where he entered the service OF
General Sutter. About year after this,
and after Marshall had begun life in the
stock business on a farm of two leagues in
area, the Mexicans made an attempt to
prevent body OF American emigrants
from entering California. This led to the
Bear Flag War, in which General Suffer,
Marshall, and others assisted as volun-
teers under General Fremont, of the Unite
States military post at Suffer Buttes, in
defense of their countrymen. Fighting
was frequent and severe. Marshall TOOK
part in all the engagements of the cam
paign, which resulted in treaty, signed
March, 1S47, recognizing the independence
of California. Marshall then procured his
discharge and returned to Suffers Fort
Upon his arrival he found that most of the
cattle he had left on his farm had been stol.
en- or had strayed during his absence. He
therefore gave up his farm, and began ar.
rangements to start in the lumber business
at Coloma, Amadoa County, as active
partner with General Suffer, who under.
took to furnish the necessary capital.
Work was begun on the mill in August,
1S47.
On the 18th of January following Mar.
shall was experimenting the building OF
the mill-race. After shutting off the
water at the head of the race he walkeL
down the ditch to see what sand and
gravel had been removed during the
previous night. He strolled to the lower
end of the race and stood looking at the
mass of debris. At this juncture his eve
caught the glitter offs omething that lay
lodged in crevice on rifle of soft gran.
lite. He stopped and picked up the sub.
stance. 1t was heavy, of peculiar color,
and different from anything he had seen
in the stream before. He reflected as to
what kind of mineral the specimen could
be, and finally concluded that it was
either mica, sulphurets of copper-or
gold. 1t was too heavy for mica, was not
brittle as are sulphurets, and, remember
ing that gold was nalleable, he placed the
nugget on fiat stone and began striking
it with another. The substance did not
crack or fake off, but simply fattened
under the blows, and Marshall was salts.
fed that he had indeed made an import.
ant discovery. In several days he
collected several ounces of the precious
metal, and as he had occasion to visit
Suffers fort in a short time, he took the
specimens with him. He informed Suffer
of his discovery, but the General was in
credulous, and it was not until chemi-
cal experiments had settled the ques
ton beyond all doubt that he
would admit the mineral was
gold. At last all doubts faded, and the
excitement began to spread. The news
few over the country like wildfire, and
those whites who were then in California
went into the quest for gold with great
ardor and energy. Additional revelations
were made daily, and the news of the dis :
coveries was spread. Then came the mad
rush from the East and the old world. It
was furious race for wealth. In 1S40
every sailing vessel and steamer landing
at San Francisco was crowded with ad
venturers. They knew that gold had been
found at Coloma, and maay west thither.
Without inquiry or negotiation they
souatted upon Marshall's land about the
mill, seized his work oxen for food, con.
fiseated his horses, and marked the land
off into town lots and distributed them
among themselves.
Thus robbed of his property, he perforcs
became prospector, but never succeeded
In finding much gold. The neighbors who
had despoiled his possessions added insult
to injury by presuming that he knew the
whereabouts of rich deposits of gold and
refused to give information oil them. and
prosecuted him on these false suppose
tions. To add to his troubles, the title to
the land he had purchased prior to his
great discovery was questioned, and he
lost it all. Poor Marshall still lives at
Coloma. The State has helped him a lit
tie, but only a little, in his hard fight
against poverty, all the more severe by
reason of advanced age.