Year: 1875

John A. Sutter is gentleman that possesses
interest for the American, as being the individ-
ual on whose land the first California gold was
found. He is a Swiss by birth, is Y years of
age, came to this country in 1884, settled first
as farmer in Missouri, whence he moved to
California, where he became q noted stock
raiser, and afterwards became more famous in
connection with the discovery of gold. He has
been in the East for several years, and two or
three years ago settled down in Litiz, Pa, where
he now resides. Gen. Sherman, in his book
just published, refers at some length to Sutter,
which has induced reporter of the Lancaster
Examiner to interview him, and here is what
came of it:


Would you tell me, General, about the dis
covery of gold?


Why it occurred in this manner: was build
ing saw mill at Coloma, on the American
Fork. The man who had charge Of my work
was named Marshall, and was from the State
of New Jersey. He had working under him
party of four white men and some Indians. and
they were building the mill ana the oam lor iS'
The man Marshall was mill wright, and when
he had everything fixed, the tub wheel, head
race and dam, he left the water in to see how
the machinery worked. There were but few
persons in the country then, and on account OF
the scarcity of hands we had to economze all
we could, and the mill was built over dry
channel in the river, which was intended to be
the tail race. 1t worked very we'll with the ex-
ception that the channel was not deep enough
to carry the water off as fast as it should. Mar
shall concluded to dig it deeper, and i@medi-
ately set his force to work; they would loosen
up the dirt in the bottom of the river, and pick
the large stones out and throw them to one
side, and then let water in the race to wash the
dirt away. Marshall was in the ditch himself
assisting the hands, when he noticed yellow
metal, which he picked up and examined, and
it flashed on his mind that it was gold. He
left the men at work and started up to the fsrt
to see me. was sitting in my office, Il can
remember it all as we'll as though it had only
occurred yesterday when he came in. He
looked wild, as though he had besn frightened
and it was my first impression that something
had gene wrong down at the mill. l said
"What's the matter, Marshall?" He looked all
about to see that no one was in the room and
finally showed me the pieces of gold. told
Marshall to keep quiet about it, and 60 to his
work, and net to let on to any of his hands the
discovery he had made. He went down to the
| race again but could net help looking about,
until the hands noticed it too, and it was not
| leng before they left. They told some hands
had employed farther down the river in build
| ing grst mill, and natural consequence was,
they used to strike for higher wages every little
while, until at last they demanded ten dollars
| day and told them they might 60. The saw
mill was finally built, but the grist mill on
which nearly thirty thousand dollars had been
expended, before the discovery of gold, was
never finished, but was allowed to 60 to decay
Marshall told me to furnish him with horse
and men, and he "would make fortune for
both of u.s." I started him out several times
with horses, mules and servants, but his trips
never amounted to anything. On ono occasion
he came home with only one boy; his servants
had left him, and he sold his mules. In the
year 1858, ton years after the discovery of gold
by us, the amount of territory occupied by the
| mines was not less than six thousand square
miles.


Marshall was rather queer man, General
wasn't he?


enc Of those visionary men, who are always
dreaming about something. / will relate q
| little circumstance to show you what he was
| We were in San Francisco at An inspection OF
troops and about four o'clock, one morning, he
came to nay door and raped, and said he want
ed to talk to me. We started cut to take wall
and stopped at restaurant to get some break
fast. When we went into the table he said, 81
have something to say to you, are we alone 2
1 told him we were, and he said, "Ns, we are
not, there is body there which you canno
see, but can; have been inspired by Heaven
and am to act as medium" (it was just abou
the time of cur troubles with France and Eng


land) "and am to tell Major General Suttel
| what to do" I thought the man was crazy
and left him. He is still living at Coloma, Cal
ifornia.


Do you remember visit paid you by Sher
man and Governor Mason?


o yes, they were there the July following th'


discovery Of gold, and stayed and helped III
celebrate the Fourth.


guess every person coming in your neigh
borhosd, General, would call to see you?


Invariably they would. Every one was vel
come ; and all the emigrants would stop to be


furnished with provisions. Those were pros
porous times. had at one time two barrels o
gold dust standing in my Office, and the peopl'
all around the country would come in and gel


a handful of it, until it was all gone.


You had some law suits about that land, hat
/ mott