The Coolidge examiner., 1933-01-27

these lands and from them leased twelve square
miles Of the surrounding country. Then he sent
an employee named Charles Bennett TO Monterey
to have the lease confirmed by Colonel Mason,
the American military governor of California.
On the way Bennett, stopping at Benicia, re-
vealed the purpose of his journey. Curiously
enough, few who heard his story believed 1t and
only few went to the American river to in
vestgate.
Make way now for Sam Brannan Who SUIT
ter and Marshall were and what they did is
known to virtually every American school child.
But history has strangely neglected this famboy-
ant character. Sam Brannan, who was. If any
thing, the most romantic figure OF the three.
Back in the late thirties and early forties Bran
nan was a journeyman printer. a free-ance
writer, an editor and "a natural born promoter"
Also he joined the Mormon church. when that
sect began to flourish. and from an editorial job
on the Messenger. Mormon propagandst news
paper, he soon blossomed out into full-fedged
elder in the Church of the Latter Day Saints.
About the time of the exodus of the Mormons
from Nauvoo. ILL.,, under the leadership of Brig
ham Young for their journey westward to find
the promised land, Brannan chartered the little
ship Brooklyn. filled It with some 300 Mormons
and set sail from New York via Cape Horn for
California. Late in July. 1916, the Brooklyn
passed through the Golden Gate and Brannan's
Mormons were the first American colonists to
reach Yerba Buena. the little Spanish settlement
on San Francisco bay
1t is doubtful whether Sam was at heart
Mormon, or anything else in religious way He
was opportunist of the first water and Nor
monism. for his purposes, was as good as any
other religion. At any rate it gave the rover
sort of clerical standing and chance for lead
ership which he was not the man to overlook
In the hold of his ship he had brought with
him a newspaper plant. the machinery for a
-four mill. plows harrows and other pioneer ne
cessties. He assumed leadership from the day
of his landing. He preached the first English
sermon ever heard there, solemnzed the first
American marriage on the soil. set up the first
-four mill and gave the little settlement its first
newspaper. the California Star. 1t wasn't long
before he cut loose from the Saints. Or rather
the Saints got rid of him. A Mormon sketch of
his life says. His course and habits were not
consistent with the life of Latter Day Saint
and he was disconnected from the church"
But If his career as Mormon had ended, his
career as California promoter (perhaps another
historic "frst') had just begun. He got out
special edition Of his STAR within few months
after his arrival at Yerba Buena, and sent two
thousand copies of the paper overland to the
Mississippi valley and the eastern states extol-
ling the virtues of the country to prospective
settlers.
Then came March, 1S4S, bringing with 1t to
Yerba Buena the first news of the discovery of
gold on General Suffers lands. A brief account
of the fact was published in rival paper, but
Brannan's editor was inclined to discredit the
news, as were also most of the new colonists
But to Sam Brannan it was bugle call to new
adventure. He went to the scene of the alleged
find and In few weeks he came gallopng back
to San Francisco. rushed through the Plaza hat