The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-21
NANCY HARRIS, PIONEER.
AN AGED WoMhNs STORIES or THE
GOLD FEVER IN CALIFORNIA.

Discovery OF Gol0-Eenith EASILY Won ana
Lost-Chances to Ne wealthy Itisreusraed.
Los ASoRLEs. CAL, March 1o.-The bill 70.
Gently offered in the Legislatute Of California
at Sacramento to give q pansion of $500 . year
To aged Nancy Harris Of Los Angeles county
will not become . law, but It has turned atten.
ton TO ono Of the most wonderful women Of
Ill. Pacific coast. She lives in q rude. rough
wooden house near the mouth OF the long and
wide San Gabriel canon. twonty'four miles
northwest from Pomona, and twenty-five miller
east from Los Angeles City. She has been an
invalid for several years, and but for her grand
daughters family would DO a subject OF pub-
lie charity. Several women of Pasadena have
NV taken her case in hand. and che will prob
ably he vol provided for during her Remaining
days.
Nancy Harris Is tho widow OF Daniel Harris.
She was the third white woman TO come across
tho plains to California. and she 10 one
OF the fow persons now living who was we'll
acquainted with Jim Marshall, tho frat white
American 10 find gold on the Pacific coast.
II IS also believed that she was the first among
persons now living to come by OK team TO Cali
fornia. Her memory 10 good. and she never
tres OF telling OF the picturesque life In tho
Golden State of California as Sho saw II III her
early womanhnod. She long aso learned to
smoke cigarettes with the Spanish soloras and
senor.tlS. and tho visitor who. brings her u few
packages of cigarette tobacco and a book OF
cigarette papers flor the old lady IL A. dexter-
Gus MS u spanish uuue IN ro!'ine her own eisa',
cttcSl may have an hour OF lnterst'ns ta''s
about n romantic life.
She was born In gloucester Mass. III 49,
AMI her relatives were "haiers ana nsher'"iNs'
In 1877. whcn a girl OF fourteen years "
ftther gave up hsi'ing. ara nearing OF tne pos.
sihilitles of fortune on the frontier OF missouri
aud ullnuis In those DAYS. started for the West.
Chicago vas the OBJECTIVE hoiht. lhey 'r"'-
ellc1 by the Erie Canal to buraio' anu were
three weeks going on q coat from huHalo 10
Chicago VIA the lakes. chicago was At lnat
time a place OF 3.ooo OF a'ooo ihhao''an's' III
lSi0, when Mrs. H"rriss tather became con-
WINGED that Chicago was on the decline. ana
would retroGr"ie into a wild western village
the family removed q 81. Louis. which was
thon a tast-gr1wing city OF some l:,ooo popuin-
tton. There Mrs. Harris was married IN lst2'
She was ~ years old at tho time. and her
young husband Lad received letters from an
uAcl'. VINO WAS n sailor, saying thero was u
fortune to DO made an .he Pacific coast In deal
Ing with the Indians for furs. The young peo-
pie talked over Il project of going to California
almost daily during the first year of their mar
ried life. That was six or seven years before
Marshall found the gold In Suffers millrace,
and no o-e but II few restless traders and dar-
ing missionaries among the Indians ever went
s,r,s, rhs mains from the East To tho Pacific
"o,s,
several moro letters came from the sailor
uucl.. md Young Harris and his wife decided
lat they would risk their lives In travelling
across the praries and mountains to the Pa
cite Ocean. They heard of two young Catholic
''este "''o "eie S's''nS 'e"uI ~ "oio'e
u" plains for Suffers Fort with the Intention
.. being teachers anon the Indians, and n few
.L. i.,,r ,har ,o,nd alan che, . oonn.,v
q. Soung men. fired with q spirit OF adventure
and Il desire to become traders among the
,arish and rho rIisns wsra shou, 70 start
s'a"'sn anu IA Lumhs Nero soout os.At'
from For, Leavsnworth for California. When
t,s party was made up for the Journey In April,
80, ,h,r. . ,,.ntvN,vo mon IVA ,uo -
iHfS' there were t"ents-'wo mon ana TWO "o-
rrL III the party. Mrs. harris saws that Tor
It. hIsoanu W 1oAnuoh InoI. piAh y ~
w.p, bitterly at what they believed was con-
s,r,,i,i,. s,tc,d. nv co,rg on, vItn,, H,,,. h.nd
s"ue't ,nana ru,a ES1 ,So"..na. 30 ns-o. %
OF men among untoiu tnouAAnue OF nerco saw
aE,>.
", w.r, from A,ri, II until Sent. % in
Coltax, CAL" Mrs. Harris says. I'VE hired
Il man a. Fort Leavsnworth. who had been
across Tue plains once. ior our Ruioe. Dc
l l'ssS a1 T "a h TO Er. $500 . ,o,, FOR MS ns. WORK Ss , and d no
49, =
'ni1 q ,,,, .h. p,.,,. p,,..
ouF urst nlshAp was on Inc llAtte hiVer.
whefe a young man hamea lawson Wascap-
tufed % the ihdiahe ana strippea OF MS c.otn'
NIX. ihey iet nim 20 anu theh toiioWeo nlm,
30 that without knowtnR II ne acted as Their
sulue 10 our CAMP. ING reaskitS surIouhaeo
9ur camp ana Iemaineo Al night. put Mhen
nayhGht showed thom our strength they went
tWay. we nan q pioket RuAru eoout the camp
neariY evoTy h.snt we were on the piains. we
va" hteralli nt.iIons OF puuaioee. hahs
t.ihe lAe Ra!iopinR % immense neros 81 the
beasts across the prAirles aounoeo ike distant
ulluri
We tett ohr WAGONS In's sue o: Sait Lake
sLt nniSneu y Ioufnos IN norSon@fn Hno
u.oft our catue. ~ ohe.piASe tne INDIANS
hnEFouhIeu. US; hrn!ea WIN tneir DoWe ena ar
~" nuI my nusoand anS iSuI otner me- tev-
elleu their guns AZ the chlei eho ma9e MIN
oruer ms Indians out o. arfow range. betore
we naa oeen t~o months On tIe piains o:ne1
or, nnr,S usIcoTos dsa,b %.onu sioEnass ous ~ y
3ut party welcome ueatn from siokhesb. eho
hau hau sun ir.gnts ~ tnreateneo aeatn pY
tnc sa.aSos. .nat VIC tVst y sooa parL Oh Iao
natuIa. aiarm thAt one mas "heh enNuoheo W
danKer.