Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-06-02

any love that Suffer had for the glory o.
the stars and stripes.
Among those who know enough of the
earlier history of Suffer to prove that, in,
stead of the great military hero so many
| ignorant persons accredit him with having
been, he was simply money-seeking per.
son of limited experience as counter
jumper" in Missouri store, is J. A. Laut
hotter of this city. Mr.. Laufkotter was 6
cotemporary of Suffer, not only in Califor
MIA, but east of the Rocky mountains, anC
his knowledge of the man and of his career
| is of more historical value than volumes
of unfounded romance.
A few days since representative of this
paper called upon Mr.. Laufkotter anC
asked him if he had read the article OIL
Suffer in the local Sunday paper, and he
replied that he had. On being asked if il
was not full of inaccuracies, the old pioneer
said that it was.
You are said to have been an old asso,
ciate of Suffer-" remarked the reporter
and statement from you regarding that
portion of his ife-history connected with
his coming to California, and the motives
that governed his movements would be
of great interest to the people, especially as
there is a widespread belief that much
that has been said and written about him
has been largely drawn from the brains OF
imaginative would be historians"
Yes" said the venerable argonaut, with
a far-awsy look in his eyes that seemed to
gaze on scenes of other days, II know q
great deal about John A. Satter. l knew
him long before either of US came to this
coast-when we were struggling tradesmen
in the then young State of Missouri, and il
you will have the patience TO sit down and
listen, will tell you a few of the things
know, and which l think will quite upset
some OF the alleged history as published in
| the TheniS.
THE writer in the Themis entities his
| article 'Unwritten History" notwithstand-
| ing that the subject has been served up in all
its forms for the qualification of the people
ever since 1919.
The first fabrication is, 'Sutter was a
Captain in the army of France under
| Charles X | have contradicted this as
sertion many times, and my authority is
Leonard, the intimate friend and compan-
| ion of Suffer. He it was who brought Sut,
| ter's family from the old country to Cali
| fornia. A communication from Leonard
| denying Suffers connection with the army
of France l have in my possession at the
present time. never heard Sutter-in all
my association with him-express an opin.
| ion in regard to politics.
ARRIVING in New York, he went at
| once to Missouri. intending to form a
| colony, says the TheniS. He remained
| three months in Cincinnati after leaving
! New York A man who had never han.
| died any implement save the yards stick
would be poor person to lay out plans fol
| colony. The sinking OF the vessel with
his implements on board prevented the
| carrying out of his idea says that paper
Nobody in Missouri ever heard of such a
catastrophe. Suffer was in the habit of ar
rogating to himself the merits of others
In this case the implements he mentions
were mine and his information concerning
them was CLEANED from the men who were
with me for the purpose of starting {
colony. Again the Themis says:
AFTER soiourning time in st. Louis
| there should be added st. Charles) he
went to New Mexico on an exploring ex
cursion.'
This whole sentence is the product of ig
norance. The excursion was only trad
| ing expedition, made with an ox-team
The hunters and trappers and all tina
| follows comes under the same category o
| fables, for he told me in Santa Fe during
his second trip that he had spent the Who'll,
| time of his former trip in Santa Fe in
room, and consequently could not com
| municate with any one, or gain any sucl
| information, which he proved sufficiently
afterwards.
The writer in THenlis next stated tina
| Suffer returned to st. Louis in 1886. Thi
shout read He returned to st. Charlie
in the fall of 1885 This was the head
| quarters of the new German expedition t.
| Santa Fe. Again, the writer middle
things sadly by saying that Suffer left with
| Captain Trip for the Rocky Mountains il
/ u IF tha S1rtt
really a great man if he could do this il
| one summer-make both trading trip t
| Santa Fe and an expedition to the Rock,
| Mountains Suffer himself mention
nothing about Fort Vancouver in his lette
| from Honolulu to his friends. He arrived
safe in Astoria. and after waiting fou
weeks he took passage on schooner ant
left Astoria tor Honolulu on New Year
Day. 1889.
THE local historian who takes you t.
task and who penned the next few lines
| either had on high fever or some othe
affection of the brain. He says: In 1887
1888 and until the middle of 1885, b,
(Sutter) traded between Sitka and tn
Sandwich Islands, and on the I'd day o
July, 1899, passing down the coast iron
Sitks. his vessel was driven into the bay O
San Francisco in distressed condition.
Now, in 1887, Suffer and myself oc
cupied the same quarters and shared tn
same bed for three weeks on his farm nea
| Westport, and till l came on a second tri
TO the Pacific Coast. Some historians sa,
the departure from Westport was in tn
middle OF April, 1888. This is true so ia
as his mere departure from Westport i
concerned, but he spent four weeks with hi
friends, the Delaware Indians, and stsrte
in the middle of May, with Captain Tripr
for Oregon.
Now, about his landing in San Franci; c
on the ID of July, 1889. Those pioneers O
1919 and 1850 ought TO know how long
took to traverse the distance between Mis-
souri and San Francisco. II took M
seven months to come from St. Louis t
Sacramento. l suppose Astoria is abou
an equal distance, and the road was not S
good as that from the East TO California
Suffers first letter says he got safe TO As
toria, and, after waiting four weeks, lei
for Honolulu on New Years Day, 1885
Now, | leave it to anybody to make hi
own calculations as to how long 1t took I
journey from Astoria to Honolulu, fror
Honolulu to Sitka, and from Sitka to Sal
Francisco, taking into consideration tn
kind of sea-faring vessels they had to trave
in at that time, and they certainly wer
not fast sailers. And, besides, the weathe
| WIS very EOuSu uuIlbs every NpNdScs
According to Suffers own statement
he remained eight months in Honolulu
and three months in Sitka. This makes
delay of eleven months, consequently
would arrive in San Francisco about De
cember l. 1889, not taking into account tn
time consumed in making the voyage
from place to place. Now, in order to hav
him reach San Francisco in July of 1873
there would be required great transforms
ton of dates, but this, ! presume
was settled by interested persons
We must charge this inaccurac
of dates, presume, TO his great tour in thi
extensive wild country, during which hi
exploring faculties became so abnormal
excited that he lost a whole years tim
through confusion. But / shall also pre-
duce another proof of the authenticity c
my assertion that Suffer did not arrive il
California in 1889 as the Themis assert;
The first letter from him, by which we re
ceived news OF his whereabouts, was date
at Honolulu in $780, and was sent by
whaling vessel that landed in Boston
!. From Boston the letter was sent to S
Louis, arriving there about the middle {