Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 February 1893 — Discovery of Gold. [ARTICLE]

Discovery of Gold.

In 1848 James W. Marshall, who was employed in a California sawmill, was one day shutting off tho water, when he discovered particles of shining dust in the race-way. He was a man in whose imagination had for a long time floated visions of gold, and now, almost beside himself with excitement, he began to examine the rocks and water. He soon collected at least an ounce of gold. Then he mounted a horse and dashed away to report to Capt. Sutter, his employer, who was forty miles distant. It was late at night when Marshall reached his destination, and the rain was descending in torrents. Leaping from his horse, he whispered, wildly: “Captain, I want to see you alone.” Sutter conducted him him into a vacant room and closed the door. “Are you sure nobody will come? Lock the door!” cried Marshall. Then he stepped up to the table and poured from a pouch his ounce of gold. “Gold! gold! it is gold!” he exclaimed, hardly knowing whether he was in the flesh or not. “Where did you get that?” asked Sutter, and when the events of the day were rehearsed, he added: “But you don’t know it to be gold. I have my doubts about it. ” After some discussion, the substance was tested with aqua fortis, and was proved to be genuine precious metal. Marshall’s excitement was now fextreme, and he would not hear to Sutter’s proposal that he should spend the night. Back to the mill he rode through the driving rain, and when Sutter in the morning followed him, he met Marshall on foot, ten miles away from the millrace.

“What are you here for?” exclaimed Sutter. “I had to come, I was so impatient to see you,” was the feverish reply. When they arrived at the mill-race they found the men employed there excitedly gathering gold. Captain Sutter called them together, and exacted a promise from them that they would Keep the matter a secret for six weeks, during which time they should attend to their accustomed duties at the mill and ranch. But such a secret could not be kept. In a few days the region was thronged with gold-seekers. Sutter’s flocks were stolen, his crops ruined, and his land seized upon without apology. Before the close of the year five thousand men were at work in the mines of the new Eldorado, and the product of their labor was five million dollars. But the discoverer of the gold and the owner of the land where it was found both died poor.—Youth’s Companion.