Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-18
-n.IIis COLD DISCOVERY.
- Told by = Man Who was There
The s'V4S .x.,s aoIdt It's Cold"

.-v Told by = Man Who was There
The s'O- N.,It's Colds It's Cold"
,nos Gardner, in a letter to the
=, - York Sun Of Aug. a. says; y see q
tss = ~ the death of James W. Marshall,
noacss ,soovered gold in California, pub
TDo Si .bis morning In the Sun. i became
l In,uD"sinted with Marshall at Coloma'
sc9uAi-r pew him intimately, and was
CO. TOD with him in business at that
sss0''~ ~,hich is on the south fork OF the
p ls0e,, river. Marshall was native
AnslIe-, arsav. Gold was discovered in
Of Ne" % 1873, by Marshall and
FsbFaal'' man named Welmer.
snoils' forgotten Weimer's first
la'0 Marshall and Weimer
Dsne. Coi Sutter q saw mill at Coloma,
bun lUi fnished it in February, lo4e.
ana uSe s,ockholder in company which
SD os that saw mill. The mill had
now O,uacted at the head of 2 bar where
been el bends around 1t in the form OF
the nv, Nv II The mill race had been cut
the le.S S tho bar, and when the mill was
tbToukn !, vas found that the race was
stsl Iso,,ow. and for this reason the wheel
ioo IN sn', mill was partially under water.
o. Ile liter natl1 was shut of, and Mar.
the, "" "T Weimer went down into
snsn go CO. to ascertain where it was to
tue laI Seaner. A point about fifty yards
Do uue The mill. they concluded was
Del below which INSTRUCTED the flow of
Tue pc" Here Marshall said to Weimer:
T AISsat "a mat which shines just at the
" nS voIr bootY' Weimer then picked up
ios u Obi IG piece, and they both thought
lle o See If brass. They began to con-
- . r-o now it was possible for piece of
eo'ut N Get into the race. From the TACT
oIse9 brass had been used in the con-
Ia .I.otjon N the mill, and that the piece
sIlr1 had been worn smooth. they con-
l1 3a1od That it was not brass, and might
nToId on that day Mrs. Weimer was
~ gTrT soap. and for this purpose had
lnaJe I've by teaching wood ashes.
T IlaO test the metal found Mrs.
q iCoiner boiled it several hours
" This I've, and when she removed it
.ron tbe I've it was as black as ink. These
81 s,c1o we're stated to me by Marshall,
q Waioer. and Mrs. Weimer. went with
Fl Worsbal TO Weimer's house to see the
s. arst niece Of gold found in California, and
NJ hen and there the whole history OF the
8 discovery was talked over by all three OF
81 The rarsons who participated III the dis
.ovdrv Mrs. Weimer then showed the
Tisce Of gold. Its weight was 81, or, the
Iano of the ounce being SIC, in other
r r'~S az pennvweights. The form of
s ,so niece was that Of a long, irregular
rrmnEln seed. l. was still black as when
Il tsta5 ont of the I've, except at one end,
81 where the incrustatlon FORMED by Che I'VE
Il had been removed.
This discovery was made in February,
tsg The day | do not remember. As
eoon AZ this I've test had been made Mar
sSaTl and Weimer went into the mill race
81 and with wooden bowls washed out some
tWo or three ounces Of gold, and Marshall
q married it TO Monterey to ascertain II 1t
& were gold. This was the nearest place
s where the means TO make the test could
n be had
Col. Suffer resided at his fort, near what
IN now The city Of Sacramento. He was
a swiss and classmate of Napoleon Ill.
3 One evening when going down the Sacra-
nento river in a steamboat, Col. Suffer
bd me the story of MarshalPs return
s. nom Monterey. Col. Suffer said: 81 was
81 IN bed and it was about O'Clock at night.
heard some one ride up to the fort, the
horse running at the top of his speed.
Then banging at the gate; then l heard
tbe clank of the spurs on the brick floors
Of the fort; then q pounding at the door of
nv room. and when | opened the door in
rushed Marshall, shouting: It's gold
81 it's gold"
At the time Marshall and Weimer built
The mill at COloma the labor used was In
dian labor. There were no other white
men besides Marshall and Weimer. Mar
shall was unmarried and had no children.
think Weimer had, but do not distinctly
lsmember.
When Marshall returned from Monterey
CoOma he brought with him about 800
ndians and took them to Weber Greek,
htsnt about six miles from Coloma.
here with his Indians ne washed out a
Ege amount of gold. His part was suffi-
tAttO buy from Suffer the saw mill at
8oma. In lS49 Marshall and John Winter
CEnec the mill together, and they also
lFned Winters Hotel. They sold the
gmber at $500 a thousand, and the de-
land was greater than the mill could
supply paid at the hotel 800 week
Vsfd, without a room. Marshall was
zen worth more than 100000, but his
eler0slty was without limit. He gave
0al who asked of him. He had no bust
less qualifications, and when sharp busi-
own OF ColOma, Marshall was soon traded
s9l all bis property. His money he
sd lent where it would never be return
y or had been given away.
tlsh Marshall became a prospectOr for
O.Q zines. Several times | fitted him
~ WIN mules, men and provisions to go
lospectng, He knew the country better
sau any other man at that time, and led
y way 10 many rich placer mines; but
never found any that were rich enough
UNI Often has he left mines where
coul0 lake out SIX or seven ounces per
y 10 each man to seek an El Dorado
aS,e hundreds Of thousands could be
s saoe in week.
~nee 1852 | have known nothing of
S'a si but concur in the opinion that
u, d qsgrace 10 the State OF California
Vss. sue has suffered Marshall TO die in
sc.,,. 10 suffer first and Marshall next
AAill0rDia ruoe&