White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-01-19
Planning for Pay-Dirt


flask Of gold dust as he shouted, "Gold Cold
Gold from the American river" Again sam
Rrannan was "frst"-the first to bring to San
Francisco authentic news of the gold discovery.
There was rush to the diggings Sans MOT
mons following his lead again, las II ne had peeh
the Pied Piper" says one chronicler Within
few DAYS only seven men out OF three hundreo
were left in the town. By June 2,OOO miners
were at work near the sawmill, now called
Coloma BY July 1000 were there
The earliest arrivals were of the better class
and Suffer had trouble with them. Ihey
patronized his stores and purchased all of their
supplies from him. But when the gold lure drew
to California an influx of men from all corners
Of the earth, there came more bad men than
good who corrupted his Indians with their dead
" frewater and influenced his hitherto faithful
employees to desert him. Squatters settled on
his lands and jeered at his efforts to dislodge
them. His vineyards were tramped to the
ground. his livestock stolen, his stores looted
and the improvements which he had made ap'
propriated for the use Of the maddened COLO
seekers.
The titles to his lands received under the
grants from the Mexican government were not
respected and Suffer appealed in vain to the
American authorities. He brought suit against
more than 1900 persons and spent more than
100000 in prosecuting his claims. From being
the greatest man in that country he found him.
self becoming the most hated because Of the It'll
cation in which he was involved. and eventually
the hatred resulted in the destruction Of his
home. the Hermitage, to which he had retired
before the onrush Of the argonauts After sew.
eral years of litigation in which he was repeat
edly defeated Suffer, the former "king," found
himself ruined man. The state of California
granted him pension Of $3.50 month but
after receiving it for IA years he voluntarily re-
linuuished that bounty.
In 1872 he sent his two daughters to Bethle
hem Pa to enter I, Moravian school and later
transferred them to another school in Lititz
There he made his home and spent his declining
years in numerous visits to Washington and in
futile attempts to secure justice from the fed
eral government, which he claimed had allowed
him to be robbed during the gold rush. He died
in Washington on June II, 1880, and he died
In poverty.
AS for Marshall, he received the same treat
ment from the gold seekers that had been SUIT
ter's portion. California gave him pension of
$1,000 year, then withdrew it because the leg
islature believed the money was spent in drink
to which he had become addicted. In August
1885, five years after Suffers death, a lonely,
embittered. poverty-stricken old man died in a
ramshackle hut in the dying town Of Coloma It
was James W. Marshall "the man who discov-
cred gold in California;
AS for Sam Brannan, he enjoyed period Of
glory and Of prosperity for time then the
curse Of gold overlook him.
With the incoming flood tides of Adventures
and settlers, Suffers fort expanded into Sacra-
mento City and San Francisco became metrop-
oils Of many races-the most cosmopolitan and
the most lawless city in the world. Between the
two cities as his bases Of operations Brannan
grew rich and prosperous. There was species
of industry beyond his exploitation. He was
gambler and banker merchant and hotel owner
importer and exporter, gold digger and real es-
tate speculator, shipowner and perhaps bit of
smugger Everything was grist for Sans mill.
nan, specializing in oriental merchandise, he.
came of San Francsco's biggest institutions
And Sam Brannan ruled the city like man.
DARN. He spent money like prince. entertained
lavshly drank deeply. played for high stakes
and became the most spectacular figure in de.
lirious city Of magic and madness
This lasted for while, then came the turn
In his fortunes. Misfortunes began to rain down
upon him and he sought solace in drink The
usual thing happened. Friends deserted him
Business men whose enterprises he had financed
out of his own pocket looked askance at him
or passed him by without recognition. His wife
divorced him and took his children from him
After that there were more ups and downs"
during which he reformed" quit drinking by
force of his will power and eventually lived to
the age Of seventy before death claimed him in
lSS9--not In such poverty had been the LOT
of Suffer and Marshall but far from being tbe
mandarin" who had once ruled the "mad bad
city" of San Francisco in the Golden Days of AZ
&c by Western Newspaper Union