Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-11-03
THE FIRST GOLD.
AN 0LD-TIMER DISCUSSES THE CUES
TON OF DISCOVERY.
Alleged Gold Finds Prior to that at
Coloma-What Various Writers Say
on the Subject.


on the subject.
In view of the controversy now in pro-
gress as to who was the real discoverer of
gold in California, pioneer citizen of Sac
ramento, j. A. Laufkotter, writes to the
SUNDAY UNION, saying; 1 think it not in
appropriate to give in condensed form
the different versions of writers on the SUBJ
ject of the discovery of gold in this State,
in order that the people may make COM
parsons and form their own opinions as to
who was the real discoverer of the first gold
found in California.
First William NJ. Boggs, of Sonoms,
says that in 1S47 "Uncle" Billy Moore and
his family left Missouri, and arrived in
California in September; that in crossing
the Yuba river the children found Jumps
of gold and brought them to their mother,
who supposed the Jumps to be of some kind
of base metal, and made the children throw
them away. These were Jumps of gold,
and if that mother had only kept them in
| her possession she would have been the
discoverer of the first gold in California.
| Second-Henry Fowler, of Napa, writes
| that Captain Greenville Swift in 1874 washed
out gold in small quantities and kept it in
goose. quilts Now, so far as my expert
ence goes, when was digging gold in New
Mexico in 1886 there was sometimes found
| small piece worth from 81 to 81.
The editor of a well-known journal once
wrote: After all, Marshalps discovery
1
moral merit in it. Men really are entitled
to no consideration for what costs no effort.
Marshalls merit as discoverer was SIM
ply that of luck, just as blind pigeon can
| find a pea" These are the most sensible
words have yet read on the subject.
| Third-There is conclusive evidence that
| gold placer mines were worked in Califor-
MIA in 1912. The Bee once said: I'VE are
indebted to Capt. John Mullan, State Agent
at Washington, D. c., for the following
copy from the archives of the General Land
Office, showing that placer gold mining
was carried on in California as early as
| 1912, six years before the discovery of gold
| by MARSHALL Here follows the petition
of Francisco Lopez, Manuel Gotta and Do
mingo Bermudez residents of the port OF
Santa Barbara. They send samples of
gold in order that the Governor might issue
|
II Gold mines had been worked for an in
definite time in New Mexico, and it GER
tainly must have struck some person that
it might be found still further West.
| Fourth-Henry G. Gardiner writes to
| New York paper as follows: Gold was
discovered in February, 1S4S, by Marshall
and another man. Weimer. The water
was shut off, and Weimer and Marshall
went down in the race to ascertain where it
was to be dug deeper. A point about fifty
yards below the mill they concluded was
| the place which INSTRUCTED the flow OF
water. Here Marshall said to Weimer:
What is that which shines at the toe of
your boot?' Weimer then picked up the
shining piece and they both thought it a
piece of brass. On that day Mrs. Weimer
was making soap, and for this purpose had
made I've with wood ashes. To test the
metal found Mrs. Weimer boiled it for sew
| eral hours in this lye, and when she re-
moved it from the I've it was as black as
| ink. These facts were stated to me by
Marshall, Weimer and Mrs. Weimer. l
went with Marshall to Weimer's house to
see the piece of gold found in California,
and then and there the whole history OF
| the discovery was talked over by the three
persons who participated in the discovery.
Mrs. Weimer then showed the piece of
gold. Its weight was 81. This discovery
was made in February. 1S45, and Marshall
carried it to Monterey to ascertain if it were
| gold; this was the nearest place where the
means to make the test could be had"
Now follows these stories. After Mar
shalls return from Monterey, Colonel SUIT
ter said: 81 was in bed, and it was about 2
o'clock at night. l heard some one ride
| up to the fort, then a bang on the gate
| then pounding on the door of my room,
and when / opened the door in rushed
Marshall shouting, 1t is gold it is gold '
There were no other men present besides
Marshall and Weimer."
We have here two partners in the dis
covery, and how they could be separated
is mystery, but this mystery is easily
solved. Weimer was foreigner, and so
was Suffer, and the idea of two foreigners
| one to be the first settler and the other the
discoverer of the first gold in California
revolted against the ambition of the Amer
leans living here at that time. who had
| great influence over Suffer, and conse-
| qnently Weimer was let out of the part
nershIp. The weight of the piece was ST.
According to this statement il was mug
get. Marshall certainly could not show
speck of gold on the toe of Weimer's boot.
Marshall had to go to Monterey to have it
tested, and, according to this version, the
secret proceedings in the fort took place
after MarshalPs return from Monterey, at
which Weimer was present.
Fifth-John Kane, New Yorker, wrote
to the Bee, Directing to j. W. Marshall hav-
ing all the credit for the discovery of the
precious metal, and asserting that Captain
Suffer is deserving of the lions share of
the praise. This is only matter of indi-
vidual preference.) Then he refers to Mr..
| r. 1o+k al.
first piece of gold discovered in California
in her possession. In 1854 the writer of
this paid visit to the Weimer family in
Coloma, in company with Mr.. Hill. Our
only object was to get look at the original
specimen, and the lady informed me that
was only one of hundreds who had visited
her for a similar purpose. 1t seemed to
please her to have people call on her.
now give her version of the discovery:
She said that Marshall and her husband
went out from the cabin one Sunday morn
ing to visit the water-course, or tail-race.
They were walking in the road and one OF
the men saw the glittering specimen, picked
it up and brought it to their cabin. Neither
of the two men knew what it was, but she
exclaimed, as soon as she saw it, that it
was gold, but the men only laughed al
her. She then convinced them that she
was right by testing the metal with soap
suds. Her husband was going to the fori
to give the important news to Suffer- but
as he (Weimer) was Superintendent of the
laborers, he thought it best to let Marshall
go.
Such is the history of the discovery o.
gold, as given to the writer of this by 8
lady who could have no object in coloring
the story S. e remarked to us at the time
that she had b, EN- offered 5000 for the spec
linen. 1 asked her why she did not &C
cept the offer, an. she said that she would
not part with the specimen for money, but
that if the State of California desired it as
momento for its collection of historical
relics, it could have it. l think that re-
! mark speaks volumes for the lady.
This is the correct version of the first dis
covery, or the nugget found in the river
which was first in the possession of the
Weimers. This version was considered
from the beginning as the correct one, and
so it vas considered in 1S4S in st. Louis
and so it was told here in early times. This
writer admits that Weimer was the first
discoveref. There is no more proof neces-
sary. as the specimen was in the possession
OF Mrs. Weimer. We have read often in
the papers in early times that the State
was negotiating for this identical specimen,
but Marshall, as the accepted genuine dis
coverer, spoiled the bargain.
| Siyfb-Tha Nav York Herald rlro1eDts