The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1888-09-04
THE GRAVE OF SUFFER-.
The Burying-Ground at Lititz-Discovery OF
Gold in California.

The Burying-Ground at Lititz-Discovery Of
Gold in California.
In corner of the old Moravian bury
ing 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 exactly
like each other. Little paralIelograms of
earth about two feet by four and raised
about eight inches above the general
snrface mark the resting places of the
dead. There are no winding walks nor
open bits of slawn to soften the look of
prlm 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 fraternal elbows
at the resurrection.
The graves are precisely the same size,
whether of man or woman, elder or in
FAINT, and on each lies q fat square slab
of marble, about the size of family
Bible. One stone is Just like another,
except IN the inscriptions and the dis
tlnctions time and weather and the moss
have made. On many the names and
plous texts and dates running far back
toward the beginning of the last century
can still be traced. On many others the
| inscriptions are illegible and formless as
the features of the dead beneath.
There is no difficulty, however, in
identifying the solitary grave in the cor
ner. The mound above it is twice as
big as any of the others and a large
marble also covers it entirely. The in
scription tells that he who sleeps here
was Born February %, 1903, at Kandern
Baden. Died June Is, 1880, at Wash
ington, d. G. Requiescat in Pacem."
There is a long story of an eventfu
life between those two dates. The namt
inscribed above them is the name oi
Gen. John Augustus Sutter, 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 lend now worth
500, 10000 he lived the last sixteeI
years. of his life dependent on an allow
ance from the state of California. Ht
made millionaires and died penSioner.
He was always a wanderer. Born II
Baden in 1903, he graduated from tn
military college at Berne at the age o
20 and enlisted in the Swiss Guard of thu
French army, the successors of that lam
GUS band of mercenaries who were st
faithfully butchered IN the marble hall
of Versailles thirty years before. Aftel
seven years servics he changed his color
. end entered the Swiss army, where h
served four years. Then he put off hi
uniform and shortly came to this country
In 1888, with six companions, he wen
across the plains to Oregon and dow
Columbia river to Vancouver, whence b
sailed to the Sandwich islands. Their
be got an interest in q trading vessel
, with which he sailed to Sitka and th
Seal islands up toward Behring's sea
! Turning southwark after some protitabl
trading he arrived in the bay OF Sal
Francisco July 2, 1889. The appearance
of the country pleased him and he dc
cided to remain.
He made settlement some distanc
up the Sacramento river, built a grlsi
mill, tannery and a fort, founded
colony and called it, for the sake of hay
ing an Alpine murmur in his ears, Me-
Helvetia. His restless energy was sti
unsatisfed. He took a commission a
captain in the MEXICAN service, and aftel
ward served as a magistrate under th
same government. He took no activ
part in the war against this country, an
{ after the annexation he was Alcaldt
Indian commissioner and member @
the California constitutional convention
In 1S4S came the discovery that ell
riched the world and impoverished hin
Marshall, laborer digging out ne
race to Suffers mill, picked a curiou
= lump of something yellow, which Suite
at once recognized as gold. The mil
race was never finibhed. The lahore
= turned his pick to a more ambitious pun
pose and set out to dig himself q fortune
The miller bought himself shovel an
went forth to take toll of the yello1
? sand. The stream that was to turn tn
mill wheel became suddenly worth NOR
than any grist that it could grind. Th
J sequel is well known. The rushing It'd
of Areonauts overwhelmed the littl
colony of.New Helvetia and washed ava
Suffers imperfect title to his land.
He made brave fight and long one
He laid claim to thirty three squar
leagues of land, including that on whic
the cities of Sacramento and Marysvill
now stand. After long delay the CON
missioner of public lands allowed tn
claim and after more delay the suprem
! court of the United States reversed tn
decision. Then Gen. Sutter carried hi
claim before congress, TO go through to
: tedious experience of most people VIII
take claims there. He was still prose
cutting it in 1871, when he happened +
come to Lititz to drink the Wholesom
waters of its spring. The quiet of tn
place and the peaceful life of its peopl
appealed to the restless old man, VIII
was beginning to get tired of his Ion
battle, and he made his home there
until | get my claim through" he sait
) He was at Washington, still getting hi
claim through when death overlook hin
in 1880. HIS Moravian neighbors mad
room for him in corner of their bury
ing-ground, although, as he was not
member of their congregation, he coul
not be buried with the trombone. Whe
;, Moravian dies, at whatever hour of th
day or night, a man mounts the tower {
the quaint, squat church and blows
doleful signal on the trombone. I'll
, trombone player also marches at the hea
of the funeral procession, playing solem
Il music.-LGncdSter (Pd.) Cor. Phildde
n llbiU Times