Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-12-01
THIRTY YEARS AGO.
FATE OF THE FIRST PRINTING PRESS
IN CALIFORNIA.
Sacramento Not Then Station on the
Road to Paradise-Some Local
Incidents.

writing from Msttapan, Mass, 10 the SUN
tanned by reading its "reminiscences of thirty
years ago. Referring TO some incidents
mentioned therein, he adds few of his own
personal recollections. They were not in
tended for publication but we take the lib
erty of using them, as Mr.. CONFESS was 8
prominent citizen of California in those DAYS,
and knows whereof he writes. Hesays: 1T
was Governor Weller who addressed Col
onel E. J. Lewis, Esq., who was, 1 think, a
member of his staff and the occasion was
about as follows: The State had some guns
at Shasta, and there being rumor that
they were TO be seized by some parties, the
Governor ordered Colonel E. J. Lewis.
Esq, TO go and take possession of the arms
If such and such a state of facts existed
and he then added the well-remembered
phrase, otherwise, otherwise which
made laugh throughout the State. By
the way, Weller was somewhat famous for
his phraseology. On an occasion when
Governor, he made a nomination for
State Office, to the Senate, which he
learned would be rejected, so he
nomination, and saying that he
had made it under a misrepresentation
of material facts" This, too, became a
phrase Of much notoriely. l wish to add
on the subject of the first discovery of gold
at Coloma a word. In 1855 the people of
Georgetown sent out an expedition to look
for a Common roadway over the Serras
from that town. Most of the men of that
party are now gone. Sherman Day, long
known in the State as an abe civil engi-
neer, was at the head of the party, and
Peter Wsimer of Coloma was taken along
as guide, he protesting to know the d.
vide which led up to the mountains and
the route over into the valley of the lake.
But he proved to be no mountaineer at all,
and led the party into serious mistakes, so
that we Il was of the party came near
starvation. During the trip l remember
well his telling the story of the discovery of
gold al the mill-race and the boiling in lye,
by Mrs Weimer, of the oxidized piece, with
a view of determining its quality, and that
the piece was then in the possession of
his wife. He did not claim the discov-
cry to ce his, save that they were
mutually concerned in the whole affair
and which was true. There is now much
said about Marshall. He was weak
Drained man, not up to the average-a dull
and uneducated man-snd in all his late
life superstitious, and given over to a
species Of spiritualism. As late as 1858,
with little party of about three persons,
he went into the mountains northeast Of
Georgetown, being directed, as he pro-
fessed. by spirit direction, TO rich diggings.
They drew their supplies of provisions
from the town, and pursued mysterious
modes to avoid discovery. There was a
very sharp, idle fellow, named Lucas, with
the party, who, thought, was engaged in
making counterfeit money. | had no
doubt such was the fact. After a time, of
course, they broke up and left that part of
the country"
IT. a. Wolfe, writing from Nevada
City 20 the UNION, SAID, concerning the old
California Star press: You have referred
to me as probably being able to give some
clue to the fate of the old pioneer press on
which the Star was printed in 1878. |
have lost sight of it for several years. The
4 old press was brought to Sacramento, to-
gether with most of the material of the old
Star and Californian offices, and was used
in printing the Placer Times. 1t remained
in that office after that paper was united
with the Transcript, and was used as job
press. The last time l saw it was about
July l, 1851, when 1 left Sacramento for
Nevada it was then in the basement of
Merritts building, on the corner of Second
y
script was removed to San Francisco the
material was left with Mr.. Wheeler, one
of the proprietors of the State Journal, who
advertised them for sale, and if the press
had not previously been sold by Pickering
& Co., ! think it must have been
sent either. to Auburn or Diamond Springs,
as papers were established in those places
in 1852 A portion of the material of both
the old pioneer offices was sold by Picker
ing and Lawrence to W. B. Ever, who es-
tablished The Nevada Journal, and was used
for a long time in that office: Among the
articles we're an old font of long primer,
which had been worn down to the second
nick, but which Ever purchased for as
good as new; quantity of the leads
manufactured by DIR. Semple and Joe
Dockrell in Monterey, and wooden COM
posing. stick, which, from its primitive APP
pearance, one would suppose might have
been used by Faust or Gutenberg. These
and some other relics of the pioneer offices
were preserved in the Nevada Journal office
up to July, 1856, when they were all de-
stroyed by fire. The press on which the
Star was printed may be found. but. with
that exception. l Judge not vesuge of
either OF the pioneer offices is now in ex-
istence."
Sacramento in those days had the
reputation of being very fast place, and
that reputation had reached the East. A
Young man in Philadelphia was about
coming here, and called upon his clergy
man to bid him farewell, and correspond
ent tells the following story of the inter-
view
And you are going to that degenerate
place Sacramento, are your" asked the
minister
"Yes. sir; but don't expect to be in
fluenced BY any extraneous pressure of any
kind, responded the earnest young Chris
tian.
well. I'm glad to see you so confident.
1 hope the Lord will guide you. But do
you know of the temptations which are
said to exist there?'
NO, not particularly
"Well believe l do. You'll find wan
ton women in the guise OF Paris, tempting
the very elect and rare wines and ardent
drinks; and you'll find gay company, and
midnight hrswling, and gambling, and
dissipation of all kinds"
"Still, sir, I hope to combat them all sue
cessfuliy."
~ hope you will, my dear Christian
brother; l hope you will was the reply.
"And let me give you this much for your
consolation, in case you should fall from
grace The tempter is worse than the sin,
and the greater the temptation the more
merit LQSIS IL III ISSlSlluS H. AAC hhah " "A
goes to Heaven by way of Sacramento Is
sure to have twice as high place in eternal
glory as he who reaches Paradise through
the quiet portals of Philadelphia or Con-
necticut."
"a couple of weeks ago there was
published in this column an account of q
duel in Shasta county between Judge Mil
Ter and man namei Gallagher. 1t will
be remembered by those who have read
closely the accounts of the Terry-Broderick
duel that when Benham, Terry's second,
received the gold coin from his principals
pocket be threw it upon the ground. Re-
memberins this incident, and being of a
rather unitarian turn of mind, Judge Mil
Ter, when be passed his loose change-some
$50 in gold-over to VIM. A. Nunnslly,
who was present as the mutual friend OF
both parties, very quietly remarked; Now,
Bill. don't make d-n fool OF yourself,
like Benham, and throw that money
away -,
~. ". Wallack and wife were hold
ing the boards at the Boston Museum.
Eliza Logan had Just left the stage to en-
bark on the sea of matrimoDy, and the