Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/57



Marshall proposed  that  Sutter  should  return  with him to  the  mill  that  night,  but  the  latter  declined, saying that  he  would  be  over  the  next  day. It was now supper- time,  and  still  drizzling;  would  not  the  vis- itor rest himself  till  morning  ? No, he  must  be  off immediately; and  without  even  waiting  to  eat,  he wrapped  his  sarape  about  him,  mounted  his  horse,  and rode off  into  the  rain  and  darkness. Sutter slept  little that night. Though he  knew  nothing  of  the  magni- tude of the  affair,  and  did  not  fully  realize  the  evils  he had  presently  to  face,  yet  he  felt  there  would  soon  be enough  of  the  fascination  abroad  to  turn  the  heads  of his  men,  and  to  disarrange  his  plans. In a  word,  with prophetic eye,  as  he  expressed  himself  to  me,  he  saw that night  the  curse  of  the  thing  upon  him.

On the  morning  of  the  29th  of  January  ^  Sutter

S resented in  a  condensed  form. Some accounts  assert  that  when  Marshall esired the  door  to  be  locked  Sutter  was  frightened,  and  looked  about  for  his gun. The general  assured  me  this  was  not  the  case. Neither was  the  mind of Marshall  wrouglit  into  such  a  fever  as  many  represent. His manner  M'as hurried  and  excited,  but  he  was  sane  enough. He was  peculiar,  and  he  wished to despatch  this  business  and  be  back  at  the  mill. Barstow, in  his  SkUfmerU, MS., 3,  asserts  that  he  did  not  rush  down  to  the  fort,  but  waited  until  he  had business there. All the  evidence  indicates  that  neither  Marshall  nor  Sutter had any  idea,  as  yet,  of  the  importance  of  the  discovery. How could  they have? There might  not  be  more  than  a  handful  of  gold-dust  in  the  whole. Sierra, from  any  fact  thus  far  appearing. See BidwelCa  Cal\fornia  1841-8^ MS., 230;  BigUrs  Diary,  MS.,  64;  Brooh*  Four  Months,  40-3;  Par^om'  Lift qf Marshail,  84-5;  Hutchings*  Mag.,  ii. 194. Gregson,  SUUement,  MS.,  8, blacksmithing for  Sutter  when  Marshall  arrived,  saw  the  gold  in  a  greenish ounce vial,  about  half  tilled. Bigler gives  Marshall's  own  words,  as  repeated on his  return  to  the  mill. In every  essential  particular  his  account  corresponds with that  ffiven  to  me  by  Sutter.

his ReminiitcenceA,  and  his  statement  in  HutchingH*  Magazine,  Sutter  distinctly ■ays that  he  left  for  the  saw-mill  at  seven  o'clock  on  the  morning  after  Mar- shall's visit to  the  fort;  but  in  his  Diary  is  written  Feb.  Ist,  which  would  be the  fourth  day  after  the  visit. Bigler, in  his  Diary,  says  that  Sutter  reached the mill  on  the  third  or  fourth  day  after  Marshall's  return. Marshall shows his  usual  carelessness,  or  lack  of  memory,  by  stating  that  Sutter reached Coloma  *  about  the  20th  of  February.'  Discovery  o/OoUl,  in  Iiut/:hlngH' Mag,, IL  201. Parsons is  nearly  as  far  wrong  in  saying  that  Sutter  '  returned with Marshall  to  Coloma.'  Life  of  Marshall,  86. Mrs Wimmer  also  says  that in his  restlessness  went  back  to  meet  Sutter,  and  of  course  came  into  camp with him. On the  whole,  I  have  determined  to  follow  Sutter's  words  to  me, as I  know  them  to  be  as  he  gave  them. If Sutter  did  not  set  out  until  Feb. Ist,  then  Marshall  did  not  reach  the  mill  until  the  3lst  of  January,  else  Sut- ter's whole statement  is  errojieous.
 * • The  day  on  which  Sutter  followed  Marshall  to  Coloma  is  questioned.  In
 * Sutter came  right  up  with  Marshall. '  This  is  indeed  partly  true,  as  Marsliall