Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-03-05
GOLD DISCOVERY.
The Disputed Date Established by Doeu
mentary Evidence.

The Disputed Date Established by Doeu-
mentary Evidence.
The various societies Of California
pioneers are accustomed to celebrate
the 10Th of January as the date of tho
discovery of gold by J. w. Marshall at
Coloma, but that it is an error is shown
by Mr.. John S. Hittel in the Century,
as follows Ia fac-simile Of the entry in
Bigler's diary being printed in the mag
azine as ocular evidence):
The first record of the discovery, and
the only one made on the day of its oc-
currence, was in the diary of Henry W.
Bigler, one of the Mormon labOrers at
the mill. lie was an American by birth,
then young man, and now respected
citizen of St. George, q. T. He was In
the hC bit of keeping regular record Of
his notable observations and expert
ences, selecting topics for remark with
creditable Judgment. His journal kept
during his service in the Mormon bat
TALON and his subsequent stay in Cali
fornia Is one of the valuable historical
documents of the State. On the Gath Of
January, in the evening, Bigler wrote
in his diary: This day some kind Of
mettle was found in the tail-race that
looks like gold"
Nothing was said in public about the
date of the discovery until 1886, eight
years after the event when Marshall
published letter in which he said that
he found gold at Coloma "about the
18th" of January, 1s4s. Neither then,
nor at any subsequent time, did he
claim that his recollection Of the day
was aided by a written memorandum
In 1857 he published statement that
the discovery was made on the 18th,
18th or goth His biography, prepared
under his direction, 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 1855
to 1886 accepted the 10th as the
day. On the 9th Of September, 1855, ut
the annual celebration Of the adj
mission of the State into the Union,
delivered an address on the gold dis
covery to the Pioneer society OF San
Francisco, and sent copy Of 1t in print
TO Mr.. Bigler, Of whom I had heard -
one Of the survivors Of the ColomS
party, and requested him TO correct my
errors, If he found any. he replied
that according to his diary the gold was
found on the Gath. At my solicitation
he copied the entries of his book from
that day to the middle Of May; and then
I began an investigation which made
me familiar with the diaries Of AZarish
Smith, a survivor Of the Mormon
battalion and one Of the mill builders
at Coloma, and with the diary Of Suffer-.
These three diaries agreed substantial
" with one another, and with Mar
shalI's statement that four days after
the discovery he took specimens Of tho
rold to Suffers Fort. Smith made his
entries on Sunday as rule; and on the
S0th January he wrote that on the Pre-
ceding week gold had been found 1t the
mill, and that Marshall had gone to
New Helvetia TO have It tested This
was probably written In the morning,
for Bigler's entry made on the same
day mentions that the test was success
full, implying that Marshan had re-
turned
Suffers diary reports that on the 9sth
Januarv Marshall arrived at the fora
sso, important business" without men
tioning the gold. The agreement Of the
three diaries with Marshalrs statement
that he went to New Helvetis four days
after the discovery, the superior value
of documentary evidence as compared
with vague recollections, dimmcd BY
wears of intervening events, and the un-
certainty of Marshall in reference 70
the date, left no room for doubt that the
oath was the true day, which gave 70
the public for the first time in January,
1886.
.r-ne mind OF Anna Dickinson has be-
come deranged and she has been placed
in the DanvilIe insaus asylum ioE sssS
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