The morning call., 1891-02-15
GOLD-HUNTERS
OF CALIFORNIA.
Interesting "reminiscences Of Early Days
Of the State.
What the Discovery of Treasure Did for the
State = Its First Public Mention.
Major Merritt Marshall.

In the February Century are number of
articles bearing upon the discovery of gold
in this State, and correcting some erroneous
Impressions that have obtained favor in the
public mind and have come TO be regarded
as fixed facts. John S. Hittell, CALIFORNIA;
historian, speaking of
CALIFORNIA; GOLD TREASURE,
Says: Never in any other country has
change in the political dominion been fol-
lowed so promptly by so marvellous an in
crease of wealth and population, of pro-
ductive Industry and general intelligence.
Never did province repay new masters
more literally for their trouble in its acqui-
sition, nor did any other conquered terri
tory ever receive greater benefits from con-
quest. The most notable instances in
history of triumphant invasons rewarded
with great sums of precious metal
were those of Babylonia by Cyrus, of
Persia by Alexander, of Mexico by Cortez,
and of Peru by Pizarro al! populous
empires with wealth accumulated through
centuries of prosperity. Yet not one of
them yielded to its conquerors within
generation so much treasure as did desolate
California to the Americans"
GOLD DISCOVERY.
The various societies of California Pio-
neers are accustomed to celebrate the 10Th
of January as the date of the discovery of
gold by j. w. Marshall at Coloma, but that
1t Is all error is shown by Mr.. Hittell, who
publishes fac-simile of an entry made
Mormon named Blgler. taken from a diary
kept by him ut the time. Referring to this
Mr.. Hi:tell says: "The first record of the
discovery, and tie only one made on the day
of its occurrence. was in the diary of Henry
w. Biger, one of the Mormon laborers at
the mill. he was an American by birth,
then young man, and now respected citi-
zen Of ST. George, Utah. He was in the
habit OF keeping a regular record of
his notable observations and experiences,
selecting topics for remark with creditable
judgment His journal kept during his
service in the Mormon Battalion and his
subsequent stay in California is one of the
valuable historical documents OF the State.
On the oath of January, in the evening"
Bigler wrote in his diary, This day some
kind OF mettle was found i'll the tail-race
that looks like goaid.'
Nothing was said in public about the
date of the discovery until 1856, eight years
after the event, when Marshall published a
letter in which he said that he found gold at
Coloma about the 18Th of January, 1913.
Neither then nor at any subsequent time
did he claim that his recollection OF the day
was aided by written memorandum. In
1857 he published statement that the dis
covery was made on the 18th, 18th or Goth.
His biography, prepared under his direc-
ton, and printed IN 1870 fixed the 10Th
as the precise day. As years elapsed
he became more exact, perhaps under
the influence OF public opinion, which from
1856 to 1886 accepted the 18th as the day.
On the 9th Of September, 1885, at the annual
celebration OF tie admission of the State into
the Union, ldelivered an address on the
gold discovery to the Pioneer Society of San
Francisco, and sent copy of it in print to
Mr.. Bigler, of whom | had heard as one of
the survivors Of the Coloma party, and re-
queSted him to correct my errors if he
found any. He replied that. according to
at my solicitation he copied the entries
of his book from that day to the
middle of May; and then l began an
Investigation which made me familiar
with the diaries cf Azariah Smith. sur
vivOI OF the Mormon Battalion and one Of
mill-builders at COlOma. and with the diary
Of Suffer. These three diaries agreed sub
stantially with one another, and with Mar
shalps statement that four days after the
discovery he took specimens of the gold to
Suffers Fort. Smith made his entries Oh
Sunday as rule; and on the Both of Janu-
airy he wrote that in the preceding week
gold lad been found at the mill. and that
Marshall had gone to New Heivetia to have
1t tested. This was probably written in the
morning. for Bigler's entry, made on the
same day, mentions that the test was sue
cessful. implying that Marshall had re-
turned.
"Sutter's diary reports that on the 2Sth of
January Marshall arrived at the fort on
i'm DOrtant business without mentioning the
60 Id. The agreement of the three diaries
with MarsbalPs statement that he went 10
New Helvetia four days after the discovery,
the superior value OF documentary evidence
as COMPARED with vague recollections,
dimned by years of intervening events and
the uncertainty of Marshall in reference to
the date. lett no room for doubt that The oath
was the true day, which gave to the public
for the first time in January, 1886"
FIRST PUBLIC MENTION OF THE DISCOVERY.
Speaking of the manner in which the dis
coyery of gold was made known to the pub
lie our historian says:
"In the spring of 1913 San Francisco. a
village of about 200 inhabitants, had two
newspapers, the Californian and the Cali
fOrnia Star, both weeklies. The first printed
mention OF the gold discovery was IL short
paragraph in the former, under date of the
18th of March, stating that gold mine had
been found at Suffers Mil, and that pack
age of the metal worth thirty dollars had
been received at New Helvetia Five
weeks later the Star announced that its
editor, e. G. kemble, was about to take
trip into the country, and on his return
would report his observations. lie went
to Coloma and either saw nothing or
understood nothing of what he saw, for he
preserved absolute silence in his paper about
his trip. On the 10Th of May, after a num-
Der Of men had left San Francisco for the
mines, he came out with the opinion that
the mines were sham and that the
people who had gone to them were 'surerl-
atiyely silly The increasing production
of the mines soon overwhelmed the doubters
and before the middle of June the whole
Territory resounded with the cry of gold!
Gold! GOLD!!p as it was printed in one
of the local newspapers. Nearly all the men
hurried off to the mines. Workshops, stores,
dwellings, wives and even fields of ripe
grain were left for time to take care of
themselves.
MARSHALL DIED IN POVERTY.
Mr.. Hittell tells sad tale of the last DAYS
of the man whose name is linked with the
discovery of gold in this State. Speaking
of Marshall, he says:
First, as to the men at Coloma in Jauu-
airy, 1S4S, Marshall was not enriched. His
lumber was soon in demand at $500 1000
feet OF board measure, or twenty-fold more
than he had expected when he commenced
his work; but not many months elapsed be-
fore ali the good timber trees near Coloma
had been cut down by the miners, and then
the mill had to stop. He turned his atten-
ton to mining, but was not successful.
When he had money he did not know how
TO keep it. When he had good claim he
did not stick TO it. When friends tried to
help him he frequently refused their offers
with snarl. He imagined offenses where
none were Intended. Accompanied of plots
against his life in a community where nearly
everybody acknowledged obligation to him.
He was irrltated by the superior popularity
and prosperity of Suffer, by the fact that to
Suffer the main credit of the gold discovery
was gwen by many newspapers and iHfluen-