The Washington herald., 1907-12-30
Historical Errors.

A<4llei lle " esllngi0n Herald.
It IS not surprising that in early times.
before the art Of printing was invented.
and daily records of passing events were
made, historical errors should occur; but
it is strange that such errors should be
50 frequent at the present time
As an illustration. take the discovery Of
gold in California. In 1904. in a very in
teresting article in the Chicago Record
Herald, describing the recently adopted
method Of using dredges for gathering
gold from the bed Of Feather River. the
writer said: This district IS in the very
locality where Marshall first discovered
gold and started the rush for California
in '49"
In February, 1895. a writer in a New
York journal says: The original dis
ccvery of gold was made at Suffers
Fort"
Again, in recent publication in this
city, the writer says: 1t was very late in
1SiI that Capt. John Marshall, working
for man named SUJter. in Calevaras
County. discovered the little deposit Of
virgin gold which led to fortune-seekers
by the scores of thousands to the sunset
coast"
Neither of these statements is correct.
The fact is that Marshall, whom knew
well. discovered the gold, but it was no.
where near Feather River, as the first of
these writer's states, nor at Suffers Fort
as the second one states; nor was it in
1871, or in Calevaras County, as the third
one states.
Marshall, while digging the race for a
sawmill which he was building for Su.ter
at Coloma, in Eldorado County. on ,rhe
south fork Of the American River. some
htty miles from Suffers Fort, and more
than 100 miles from Feather River. dis
covered the gold on the 18th day of Janu-
ary' 1873, instead Of 1871. and the rush
TO California was in the summer OF IS3q
instead Of lSiS. The date Of his discovery
Is matter of official record and as I
was one Of the many who crossed the
plains sO-Called Cbut which should he
termed the mountains), and as my jour
mai shows / left St. Joseph. No. Nav
u. Sl9, and arrived at Sacramento Sen
tember p, there can be no mistake about
the year.
Another example Of historical error oc-
ours IN recent publication in this CITY
Where the events referred to occurred
Wh-ch makes il the more remarkable. in
that II is stated that slavery in the Dis
Tlct OF Columbia was abolished eleven
years before the civil war"
Ice records show that il was abolished
IN the District by act Of Congress an
proved April 16 1862. Slavery in the States
with the exception of certain specified dis
tricts, was abolished by proclamation of
President Lincoln, in the exercise Of his
t2he effect January l. 1863.
Another illustration of a similar error
occurred in the published interview with
z pubEc man in this city last year In re-
Ierrlng TO the failure TO remove the Cant
tai OF Minnesota from St. Paul to St
Peter. in accordance with a bin passed
AT the last session Of the territorial leg
islature, be was represented as saving
that il was because the bill was stolen
and carried off by a member Of the leeis-
lature.
The facts were. that. wnen the bill was
submitted to the enrolling committee. il
was stolen by Joe ROlette a half-breed
member OF the Pembiao district. who.
was paid $500 or Sl.50O by the ST. Paul
ties, who kept him IN hiding untl after
The legislature had adjourned.
As soon as the loss OF the bin WIS dis
covered q duplicate bill was introduces
passed both houses, and was approved bv
the governor, thus becoming a law.
The proprietors Of St Peter, eight in
number, had agreed with the legislature
that If the bill was passed thew wnnld
erect a building 40x6O feet. two stories
high, in time for the legislature to meet
there In June, to organize the new State
government, which they did: but ten days
or SO before the time for meeting. parties
IN 81 Paul applied to the United States
Court for an Injunction to prevent the re-
InoFal OF the public archives from ST.
Paul. on the ground that the act for the
removal Of the capital was void, for the