Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-17
GOLD DISCOVERY.
The Disputed Date Established By Docu-
mentary Eyideuoe.
Tho Century.

The various societies of California pioo-
neers are accustomed to celebrate the lstn
OF January as the date OF the discovery OF
gold by ]. w. Marshall at Coloma, but that
IL is on error is shown by Mr.. John =: HIT
tell in the Century for February as follows
Ga fac sinlle of the entry in Biglers dlary
being printed In the magazine as ocular
evidenced:
The frst record of the discovery. and
the only one made on the day of its oc-
currence, was in the diary Of Henry w.
Bgler, one of the Mormon laborers at the
mill. He was an American by birth, then
q young man, and DOW a respected CITIZEN
Of st. George, Utah. he was in the haDit
of keeping q regular record of his notaDle
observations and experiences, seiectlhg
topics for remark with creditable ]uag-
ment. His journal kept during his service
in the Mormon battalion and his suDse-
quent stay in California 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valuable historical documents of the State.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 taii-race
that looks like gOald."
Nothing was SAID in public about the
date of the discovery. until 1886, elgn
years after the event, when Marshall pun
lished a letter in which he said that ne
found gold at Coloma 'iabout the 18TH " OF
".
subsequent time did he claim that his re-
collection was aided by written memo
randum. In 1857 he published statement
that the discovery was made on the 1sth'
18th, OF 18th. His biography, prepared uh,
der his direction and printed in 1870, hxed
the 18th 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 dsy;
n ~ al 81 n
celebration OF the admission OF the state
into the Union, delivered on address on
the gold discovery to the Pioneer Society
of San Francisco, and sent q copy OF u IN
print TO Mr.. Bigler, of whom had heard
as one of the survivors of the Coloma
party. and requested HIM to correct my
errors, II he found any. He replied that;
according to his diary, the gold was found
on the oath. At my solicitation no COPIED
the entries of his book from that day 10
the middle of May: and then / began an
investigation which made me familiar WIZ
the diaries of Azariah Smith, a survivor OF
the Norman battalion and one OF the mill,
builders at Coloma, and with the dairy OF
Suffer. These three diaries agreed SUD
stantially with one another, and with Mar
shalps statement that four days after the
discovery he took specimens OF the gold 10
Suffers Fort. Smith made his entries on
Sunday as O rule; and on the 3Oth OF Jan
uary he wrote that on the preceding week
gold had been found at the mill. and thal
Marshall had gone to New Helvetia TO have
it tested. This was probably written i1
the morning, for Bigler's entry made on
the same day mentions that the test was
successful. implying that Marshall had re-
turned. 49,,
Suffers diary reports that on the 2sth
January Marshall arrived at the fort p" on
important business" without mentioning
the gold. The agreement of the three
diaries with Marshalls statement that az
went to New Helvetia four days after the
discovery, the superior value of docu
mentary evidence as compared with vague
recollections, dimmed by years OF inter
shall in reference TO the date, left no room
for doubt that the oath was the true day
which l gave to the public for the tirs'
time in January, 1886.