Amador ledger., 1908-12-18
From Our Exchanges.
Memories of Marshall.


Jose X. Smith, formerly of Kelsey,
who has been at Suffers Fort, Sacra-
mento, for some time. Jose had been
urged ~ the editor to write and he
says:
al had the pleasure in my boyhood
days TO be neighbor of James w.
Marshall. A young man by the
name OF A. e. Seisenop and myself
sat up with his remains the nrst night
after his death which occurred
August 10. 1885, Marshall was an
eccentric sort of man aud he often
drank to excess, and when under
The influence of liquor was consider
able of bore, but when sober was
a man of few words and one that
read great deal lie was continually
chewing tobacco, and when he would
get stranger in the corner, he began
to so spray him with tobacco juice
the fellow wuuld have paid almost
any price For all umbrella. He was
great believer in spiritualism and
when he got the spirits out of the
bottle mixed with the other ones he
was source of amusement for US
hoys, who all were his friends.
Marshall was never married, and
usually did his own cooking. | never
knew of him preparing a banquet.
but some of the dishes he cooked
would have puzzled a chemist. lie
usually had an old butcher knife,
which be preferred to use at home or
abroad, and which he carried in
scabbard in his belt | have known
him to boil a sailed Goldfish and take
about the same amount OF cheese and
put into crock, mix in some onions
and cover the whole mess with wine.
and after it got to thoroughly work
ing it would make tannery blush
with shame. | have seen him, when
drinking, dip his hands into this
crock and put handful of the mix
ture Oh some bread, aud he seemed to
enjoy 1t as he would weak cooked
meal.
There was an old Indian known as
Sam Pete, who lived off the bounty
of the good people of Kelsey, but
he refused to eat Marshall's cooking.
When asked the reason, be replied
"Oh, hi, Marshall's cooking too
dirty" lie lived and died in what
was once an old motel in Kelsey, El
Dorado county, Wilh room enough in
it for four families, but he had none
to spare, for he had something of the
magpie nature about him for collect
ing junk and old rubbish His house
was Of the most untidy nature. In
stead OF throwing the guilds of to-
bacco IN 81 vessel or out of doors, he
would paste them up against the
wall. There was a thickness OF halt
an inch of tobacco. and at a distance
it would look as if some amateur had
attempted to paint the HinIalaya
mountains.
Marshall often had some broken
down prospector living with him.
remem Der one by the name of Hill.
he and Marshall went over to little
store, place called Louisville, and
as usual got full of the red stuff.
Hill got SO much that he laid down
in the road and when Marshall was
notified that Hill! was down and out
he at once ordered a wheelbarrow
and, with the assistance of the boys.
had Hill placed in the vehicle. Then
Marshall proceeded to wheel him
home. After wheeling him some
distance the boys suggested the idea
that Hill might lie dead as he was so
quiet. Marshall said be would make
an examination and stuck his finger
in Hill IS month. Hill gave evidence
OF lite by biting MarshalI's finger.
Marshall always carried manzanita
cane and he Immediately began to
apply 1t to Hill, ali the time say ing
damn you, play postum on me,
sir, on me, sir" and Hill soon
accepted the invitation to walk.
Although Marshall was the first
person to pick up gold, he never did
but very little, if any, mining. at
his death he owned some mining pro
perty which he claimed the spirits
said was very rich, and after his
death the parties that purchased 1t
took from it quite an amount OF
gold. lie was a wheelwright by
trade, and often in his latter years
did odds jobs at carpenter work. AT
his death he was penniless, having a