Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/52



He went  to  his  companions  and  showed  it  to  them,  and they collected  some  three  ounces  of  it,  flaky  and  in grains,  the  largest  piece  not  quite  so  large  as  a  pea, and from  that  down  to  less  than  a  pin-head  in  size. Half of  this  he  put  in  his  pouch,  and  two  days  later mounted his  horse  and  rode  over  to  the  fort."

'' The  events  which  happened  at  Coloma  in  January  1848  are  described by four  persons  who  were  actually  present. These are  Bigler,  Marshall,  and Wimmer and  his  wife. Of these  Bigler  has  hitherto  given  nothing  to  the public except  a  brief  letter  published  in  the  San  FrancUco  Builetiti,  Dec.  31, 1870. To  me,  however,  he  kindly  presented  an  abstract  of  the  diary  which he kept  at  the  time,  with  elaborations  and  comments,  and  which  I  esteem  as one  of  the  most  valuable  original  manuscripts  in  my  poseession. The version given in  this  diary  I  have  mainly  followed  in  the  text,  as  the  most  complete and accurate  account. The others  wrote  from  memory,  long  after  the  event; and it  is  to  be  feared  too  often  from  a  memory  distorted  by  a  desire  to  exalt their respective  claims  to  an  important  share  in  the  discovery. Bat Bigler has no  claims  of  this  kind  to  support. He was  not  present  when  the  first  parti- cles were discovered,  nor  when  the  first  piece  was  picked  up  in  the  raoe; hence of  these  incidents  he  says  little,  confining  himself  mostly  to  what  he  saw with his  own  eyes. Marshall claims  to  have  been  alone  when  he  made  the discovery. It is  on  this  point  that  the  orimnal  authorities  disagree. Bigler says Marshall  went  down  the  race  alone. Mrs Wimmer  and  her  husband  de- clare that the  latter  was  with  Marshall,  and  saw  the  gold  at  the  same  moment, though both  allow  that  Marshall  was  the  first  to  stoop  and  pick  it  up. Later Mrs Wimmer  is  allowed  to  claim  the  first  discovery  for  her  cnildren)  who  show their  findings  to  their  father,  he  informing  Marshall,  or  at  least  enlightening him  as  to  the  nature  of  the  metal.  Marshall  tells  his  own  story  in  a  com- munication signed  by  him  and  published  in  llutchings'  Mag.,  ii.  199-201,  and less  fully  in  a  letter  to  C.  K.  Pickett,  dated  Jan.  28,  1856,  in  JIiUeU*s  Hand- Book  of  Alining,  12;  Wiggins*  Rem,,  MS.,  17-18;  and  in  various  brief  accounts given  to  newspapers  and  interviewers.  Parsons*  Life  o/MarsIiaU  is  based  on mformation  obtained  directly  from  the  discoverer,  and  must  ever  constitute  a leading  authority  on  the  subject.  P.  L.  Wimmer  furnished  a  brief  account  oC the  discovery  to  tlie  Coloma  Argus  in  1855,  which  is  reprinted  in  HittelVt Mining,  13. Mrs Wimmer  s  version,  the  result  of  an  interview  with  Mary  P. Winslow,  was  first  printed  in  the  8. F, Bulkiin,  Dec.  19,  1874,  though  the substance of  a  previous  interview  with  another  person  in  1852  is  given  in  the Oilroy Advocate,  April  24,  1875. Another claas  of  authorities,  as  important as the  foregoing,  is  composed  of  those  who  were  the  first  to  hear  of  the  ' cafe  ot  Apr.  24,  1875,  and  in  the  Santa  Cruz  Sentinel,  July  17,  1875,  the  latter taken  from  tlio  Lancaxter  Examiner.  Sutter's  most  complete  printed  narra- tive appears,  however,  in  Mulchings*  Mag.,  ii.  194-8.  But  more  important than  any  of  these,  l^ecause  more  detailed  and  prepared  with  greater  care,  is the  version  contained  in  the  manuscript  entitled  Sutter's  Personal  ReminxB" cences,  wlucli  I  personally  obtained  from  his  lips.  The  same  maybe  seid  of those  given  in  the  manuscripts  of  John  Bidwell,  Cai\fomia  I84I-S,  and  of Gregson,  Jlvitorical  Statement,  both  of  whom  were  at  New  Helvetia  when  the news  first  reached  there,  and  at  once  visited  Coloma.  Provoked  by  an  article in  the  Oregon  linlletin,  with  not  very  flattering  reflections,  Samuel  Brannan ma<ie a  statement  in  the  Cnlutoga  Tribune,  which  changed  matters  in  no  important particalar. To attempt  to  give  a  list  of  all  who  have  touched  upon