, 1886-10-02
THE GRAVE OF SUFFER-.
The Burying-Ground at LititH-Diso"v-
cry of Gold In California

The Burying-Ground at Litits-Diso"
cry of Gold In California
In n corner of the old Moravian bury
i%ng-ground at Lititz, eight miles from
Lancaster, there is a stone which is al
ways the first to catch the eye of the
visitor. All the other graves are ex-
actly like each other. Little parallelo-
grams of earth about two feet by four
and raised about eight inches above the
general surface mark the resting places
of the dead. There are no winding
walks nor open bits of lawn to soften the
look of prime precision and economy OF
space which ~pervades the place. The
graves are ranged in straight lines with
painful accuracy and they are so close
together that the dead can touch fra
ternal elbows at the resurrection.
The graves are precisely the same size.
whether of man or woman, elder or in
FAINT, and on each lies a fiat square slab
of marble, about the size of a family
Bible. One stone is just like another,
except in the inscriptions and the dis
tinctions time and weather and the moss
nave made. On many the names and
pious texts and dates running far back
toward the beginning of the last century
can still be traced. On many Others the
inscriptions are as ~illegible and formless
as the features of the dead beneath.
There is no difficulty, however, in
identifying the solitary grave in the
corner. The mound above it is twice as
big as any of the others n a large
marble also covers it entirely. The in
scription tells that he who sleeps here
was Born February %, 1903, at Kan
dern Baden. Died June IS, 1880. at
Washington, ID. c. Requiescat in Pacem."
There is a long story of an eventful
life between those two dates. The name
inscribed above them is the name of
Gen. John Augustus Suffer, whose mill
race on the bank of the Sacramento was
the source of all the mighty stream of
gold that has flowed from California
Once in possession Of land now worth
500, 900. 900 he lived the last sixteen
years Of his life dependent on an allow
anc from the state Of California He
made ~millionaires and died a pensioner.
He was always a wanderer. Born in
Baden in 1903, he graduated from the
military college at Berne at the age Of
20 and enlisted in the Swiss Guard of
the French army. the successors of that
famous band of mercenaries who were so
faithfully butchered in the marble halls
Of Versailles thirty years before. After
seven years service he changed his col
ors and entered the Swiss army, where
he served four years. Then he put Off
his uniform and shortly came to this
country. In 1888, with six companions,
he went across the plains to Oregon and
down the Columbia river to Vancouver,
whence he sailed to the Sandwich Stands.
There he got an interest in a trading YES
sci, with which he sailed to Sitka and
the Sea islands up toward Behring's sea.
Turning southwark after some profitable
trading he arrived in the bay of San
Francisco July 9, 1853. The appearance
of the country pleased him and he de-
cided to remain.
He made n settlement some distance
up the Sacramento river, built a grist-
mill, n tani.ery and n fort, founded a
colony and called it, for the sake of hav-
ing an Alpine murmur in his ears, New
Helvetia. His restless energy was still
unsatisfied. He tool a commission as
captain in the Mexican service, and
afterward served as n magistrate under
the same government. He took no act
i've part in the war against this coun-
try, and after the annexation he was Al
calde. Indian COMMISSIONS and member
of the California constitutional conven-
vention.
In 1913 came the discovery that en-
riched the world and impoverished him.
Marshall, n laborer digging put a new
race to Suffers mill, picked a curious
lump of something yellow, which
Suffer at once recognized as gold. The
mill race was never finished. The
laborer turned his pick to a more am
bilious purpose and set out to dig him
self a fortune. The miller bought him
self n shovel and went forth to take toll
of the yellow sand. The stream that
was to turn the mill wheel became sud
denly worth more than any grist that it
could grind. The sequel is well known.
The rushing tide of Argonauts over
whelmed the little colony of New
Helvetia and washed away Suffers inn
perfect title to his land.
He made a brave fight and a long one.
He aid claim to thirty-three square
leagues of land, including that on which
h cities of Sacramento and Marysville
now stand. After long delay the COM
missioner of public lands allowed the
claim and after more delay the supreme
court of the United states reversed the
decision. Then Gen. Suffer carried his
claim before congress, to 20 through the
tedious experience of most people who
take claims there. He was still prose-
cutting IL III ISL. when he happened to
come to Lititz to drink the wholesome
waters of its spring, The quiet of the
place and the peaceful life of its people
appealed to the restless old man, who
was beginning to get tired of his long
battle, and he made his home there
until / get my claim through" he said.
He was at Washington, still getting
his claim through, when death overlook
him. in 1880. His Moravian neighbors
made room for him in a corner OF their
burying-ground. although, as he was
not n member Of their congrega-
ton, he could not be buried
with the trombone. When a Mo
rnvian dies, at whatever hour of the
day or night, a man the tower
of the quaint. squat church and blows a
doleful signal on the trombone. The
trombone player also marches at the
head OF the funeral procession, playing
solemn music. Lancaster Pa.) Cor.
Philadelphia Times.
origin of "Neighbor."
The f~oliowinV exnlanation Of tha ori.