The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-09-04
The Discoyerer of Gold.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAN WHO FOUND
TIE PRECIOUS METAL.

James w. Marshall, aged "a, the
discovercr Of gold in California, who
died recently at his home in Kelsey,
California, was young man Of
twenty. one when he was smitten with
the "Western fever" and bought a
farm in Kansas. The climate did not
agree with him and soon afterIhe pack
ed up and joined train of one hun.
dred wagons, bound for that, at that
time, almost unknown land, California.
Marshall and few of his companions
entered the service of General Sutter
and engaged az volunteer in the
somewhat remarkable campaign waged
by General Fremont against the Mex
leans, who sought to prevent the en-
trance of body of Americans into
Mexico, and which was known as the
Bear Flag war; After the treaty of
March lS47, recognizing the independ-
ence of California, Marshall returned
to find that all his possessions, consist
ing for the most part of cattle, had
been stolen during his absence. He
then started in the lumber business
with General Sutter at Coloma, ANA
dor county, and at this time he had
made his famous discovery.
1t was on the 18th of January, 1S4S,
that Marshall was experimenting the
building of the mill-race. After shut
ting off the water at the head of the
race he walked down the ditch to see
what sand and gravel had been remov-
ed during the previous night. lie
strolled to the lower end of the race
and stood looking down at the mass of
debris. At this juncture his eye caught
the glitter of something that lay lodg-
ed in crevice on rifle of soft gran
itc. He stopped and picked up the
substance. It was heavy, of a pecu-
liar color and different from anything
he had seen in stream before. He re-.
fected as to what kind of mineral the
specimen could be and concluded
that it was either mica, sulphurets of
copper--or gold. 1t was too heavy
for mica was not brittle, as are sui
phurets, and, remembering that gold
is malleable, he placed the nugget on a
flat stone and began striking it with
another. The substance did not cracx
or fake off, out simply tlattened under
the blows and Marshall was satisfied
that he had indeed made an important
discovery. He collected few ounces
of the precious metal and al once went
to Suffers Fort to inform General SUIT
ter of his find General Sutter has
given an interesting account of this
interview and the exciting events that
followed. After the discovery had be-
come known, in spite of the efforts of
Sutter and Marshall to keep it a secret,
the country was invaded by people of
all classes who cared nothing for law,
property or anything General ..Sutter
has told of how his own land was seiz-
ed by squatters and his property con-
fiscated and Marshall, it seems, Jared
even worse. The land about the mill
which he was building when he made
his great discovery, was, of course. the
first to be seized by the squatters, who
marked it off into claims and town
lots, which they distributed among
themselves, as they did his work oxen
and horses and everything elfe that he
had called his own. So he was forced
to become prospector for the pref
ous metal, but had poor success in find
ing,it. The squatters added insult to in
jury by presuming that he knew the
whereabouts of rich deposits OF gold
and refused to give information to
them and prosecuted him on these false
suppositions. To add to his troubles his
title to the land he had purchased prior
to his great discovery was questioned,
and he lost it all. His latter years
were passed in great poverty, relieved
but little by small grant from the
state of California