Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1885-08-27
JAMES w. MARSHALL DEAD.
The Man Who Discovered Gold In Califor.
nia,--A Life Ended in Poverty,

The Man Who Discovered Gold in Califor-
nia,--A Life Ended in Poverty.
James W. Marshall, the discoverer of
gold in California, died August 10, at his
home in Kelsey. He was seventy four
years old and died a poverty stricken. dis;
appointed man. ~ n
! When Marshall was young man of
twenty-one he was smitten with the
Western fever" and bought farm in
Kansas. The climate did not agree with
him and soon after he packed up and
Joined train of one hundred wagons,
bound for that, at that time, almost un.
known land, California. Marshall and
few of his companions entered the ser
vice of General Sutter and engaged as a
volunteer in the somewhat remarkable
campaign waged by General Fremont
against the Mexicans, who sought to pre-
vent the entrance of body of Americans
into Mexico, and which was known as
the Bear Flag war. After the treaty of
March, 1S47, recognizing the independ-
find that all his p5ssgshall- returned to
for the most port of cattle, had been
stolen during his absence. He then start
ed in the lumber business with General
Sutter at Coloma, Amador county, and at
this time he made his famous discovery.
1t was ON the 18th of January, 1S48,
that Marshall was experimenting the
building Oh the mill-race. After shutting
off the water at the head of the race he
walked 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 down
at the mass of debris. AT this 5uncturt
that lay lodged in crevfce 81 on aAnfae'off rfe ~
soft granite. He stopped and picked ur
the substance. 1t was heavy, Of pecu
liar color and different from anything he
had seen in the stream before. He re-
| fected as to what kind of mineral the
specimen could be and finally concluded
that it was either mica, sulphurets Of cop
per-or gold. 1t was too heavy for mica
was not brittle, as are sulphurets, and,
remembering that gold is malleable, he
placed the nugget on flat stone and be-
gan striking it with another. The sub
stance did not crack or flake off, but
simply flattened under the blows, and
Marshall was satisfied that he had indeed
made an important discovery, He col
lected few ounces of the precious metal
and at once went to Suffers Fort to in
form General Sutter of his "find.
General Sutter has given an interesting
account Of this interview and the exciting
events that followed. After the discov
cry had become known, in spite of the
efforts of Sutter and Marshall to keep il
secret, the country was invaded by peo
pie of all classes, who cared nothing fol
law, property or anything. General Sut
ter has told of how his own land wa'
seized by squatters and his property con
fiscated and Marshall, it seems, Jared ever
worse. The land about the mill which
he was building when he made his grea
discovery was, Of course, the first to b'
seized by the sqratters, who marked i
off into claims and town lots, which they
distributed among themselves, as the,
did his work oxen and horses and every
thing else that he had called his own. 81
he was forced 10 become prospect0r fo
the precious metal, but had poor success
in finding it. The squatters added In
suit to injury by preslming that he knew
the whereabout Of ricE deposits OF golt
and refused to give information to then
and prosecuted him on these false sup
positions. To add to his troubles his It'll
to the land he had purchased prior to hi
great discovery was questioned and h
lost it all His latter years were passe'
in great poverty, relieved but little by
small grant from the State Of California