The Coolidge examiner., 1933-01-27

less and travel stained. waving In his hand a
flask OF gold dust as he shouted, Gold, Colo,
Gold from the American river" Again Sam
Brannan was n "frst"-the first to bring to San
Francisco authentic news of the gold discovery.
There was a rush to the diggngs, Sans Nor
mons following his lead again, "as II he had been
the Pied Piper" says one chronicler. Within
few days only seven men out of three hundred
were left in the town. BY June 1000 miners
were at work near the sawmill, now called
Coloma By July 1000 were there.
The earliest arrivals were Of the better class
and Sutter had no trouble with them They
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
ly frewater and Influenced his hitherto faithful
employees to desert him. Squatters settled on
his lands and jeered at his efforts to dslodge
them. His vineyards were trampled to the
ground: his livestock stolen. his stores looted
and the improvements which he had made ap-
propriated for the use os the maddened gold
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 1000 persons and spent more than
5000 600 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
eral years of litigation in which he was repeat
edly defeated Sutter, the former king" found
himself ruined man. The state of California
granted him q pension Of $3.50 month but
after receiving 1t for IA years he voluntarily re-
Iinquished that bounty.
In 1872 he sent his two daughters to Bethle
hem Pa to enter 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 a pension Of
81 200 a year, then withdrew it because the leg
isature believed the money 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
was James w. Marshall, "the man who discov-
cred gold in California"
AS for Sam BrannaII. he enjoyed period of
glory and of prosperity for a time, then the
curse of gold overlook him.
With the incoming flood tides of adventurers
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 no 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 a bit of
a smuggler. Everything was grist for Sans mill.
The great commercial house of Osborn & Bran
nan, specializing in oriental merchandise be-
came one of San Francscos biggest institutions.
And Sam Brannan ruled the city like man
DARN. He spent money like prince entertained
lavishly. drank deeply, played for high stakes
and became the most spectacular figure in de-
lirious city of magic and madness.
This lasted for a 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 nv
force of his will power and eventually lived to
the age of seventy before death claimed him in
1SS9-not in such poverty as had been the lot
of Sutter and Marshall but far from being the
mandarin who had once ruled the mad bad
city" of San Francisco In the Golden Days of 40
tG by Western Newspaper UnIon)