Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1933-01-26

effect had been =faEteets stAe Aiseauea~r.
which they made that day mar pturoun11y af-
feeted the social political and economic history
OF the whole United States For January "a,
1913, was the real beginning of THE olden DAYS,
the golden days, the days OF 49," the beginning
OF the first great gold rush In America. the be-
ginning of an epic migration which has few
parallels In history
Haradoxlcal as 1t may sound. the DAYS OF 40"
IN reality began In 1913 But considering the
term IN IFS broadcast Interpretation. the title OF
"Ihe First OF the Forty-Nnersp may Justly be
applied TO three men-Johann August Suffer-
james Wilson Marshall and sam Brannan. Con-
sldering the Importance OF the movement which
they launched. they should have come to the end
OF their careers full of years and honorsn But
Fate played grim joke on this trio, and the end
OF all three was almost literal proof. of the old
Spanish proverb that TIe who finds gold VIII
die In the amshousen
Let us consider their careers In the order of
their appearance on the stage of this romantic
drama. First Johann August Suffer, the Swiss
adveaturer, who had emigrated to America In
1884 went west and In July, 1880 was stranded
In the Bay of Yerba Buena (now San Francsco),
After making Y journey into the interior, where
he was much Iahressed with the possibilities OF
tne country, kefEonceived the scheme OF found
Ing colony In the Sacramento valley Cali
the capital
Fastening there Suffer laid his plan before
Gov Juan Alyaredo. He would establish cor
don OF outposts and check the incursions Of hos
tile Indians from the north he would gather
the peaceful Indians of California together and
give them employment and he would bring Kan
akas from the Sandwich Islands also to worr
for him. So impressed was Alvaredo with SUIT
ter's scheme that he gave him grant of eleven
square leagues. So In 1841 Suffer established
his colony which he named New Helvetia or
New Switzerland
Within a few years Suffer had wrought a mar
velous transformation In the raw country.
Bridges were built over the streams, roads
marked out, marshes drained, wells and bitches
dug and many other improvements made The
Mexican government had appointed him COVER
nor OF northern California and he refgned In
New Helvetia In feudal splendor over nearly
IOO,0OO acres flor Suffer had been very generous
with himself In surveying his "eleven square
leagues'Y OF land tended by several hundred
white, kanaka and Indian retaners. In his pas
lures grazed $4,000 head Of cattle. $1,000 sheep
and 1000 horses and mules. Establishing stores
he traded from Canada to Mexico and as far
east as st. Louis. Governor Micheltorena. AL
varedo's successor, presented him with an add
tiona eleven square leagues
1t Is at this point that James Wilson Marshall
comes into the picture. Born In New Jersey
MARSHALL was originally q wagonmaker by trade
but ne had heard the call OF the West and had
been wanderer over large part OF the trans
Mississippi region until finally he became an
employee Of Suffer- sort OF a foreman
Marshall had persuaded Suffer that 1t was high
time for them to quit getting out the lumber
which they needed by hewing and whipsawing
and suggested that they build sawmil. Ac-
cordlngly Suffer sent Marshall to build mill on
the American river about 40 miles above the
fort.
On the historic morning of January "a he went
TO inspect the mill race and noticed some plIt-
terIng particles In the sand 1t might be gold.
or 1t might be only mica. Marshall, who knew
something about the common tests for gold sub-
jected the particles to these tests and as the re-
suit began to believe that he had actually dis
covered some of the precious metal He does
not seem to have been very much excited over
Ii. however, for 1t was not until two or three
days later that he made trip back to the fort
to tell Suffer of the discovery he had made The
two men Immediately set to work testing the
metal first with nitric acid, then by balancing
II on scales. with an equal weight Of silver and
placing the scales under water In water, the
gold dust, having more specific gravity than the
silver. pulled down the scales. There was mo
longer any doubt In their minds as to what these
shining particles were
mat night Suffer, as he later said .feit the
curse Of the thing upon him." He and Marshall
agreed TO keep the matter secret until they could
finish the mill and until they could establish
claim to the surrounding lands So Suffer called
together the Indians who had nominal title to