Page:History of California (Bancroft) volume 6.djvu/62



On reaching  San  Francisco  Bennett  heard  of  one Isaac Humphrey,  who,among  other  things,  knew  some- thing of gold-mining. He had  followed  that  occupa- tion in Georgia,  but  hardly  expected  his  talents  in that  direction  to  be  called  in  requisition  in  California. Bennett sought  an  introduction,  and  again  brought forth his  purse. Thus Sutter's  secret  was  in  a  fine way of  being  kept  I  Humphrey  at  once  pronounced the contents  of  the  purse  to  be  gold. At Monterey Mason declined  to  malTe  any  promise  respecting  title  to lands,*  and  Bennett  consoled  himself  for  the  failure  of his  mission  by  offering  further  glimpses  of  his  treasure.

In order  to  prevent  a  spreading  infection  among his dependents,  Sutter  determined  that  so  far  as  pos- sible all communication  with  the  saw-mill  should  for the present  be  stopped. Toward the  latter  end  of February,  however,  he  found  it  necessary  to  send thither provisions.*     To  a  Swiss  teamster,  as  a  per-

the California  Valley. Bid well,  California  1841-8^  MS.,  231,  says  he  was the first  to  proclaim  the  news  in  Sonoma  and  S.  F.  '  I  well  remember  Vallejo's words,*  he  writes,  'when  I  told  him  of  the  discovery  and  where  it  had  taken

Slace. He said,  ^'As  the  water  flows  through  Sutter's  mill-race,  may  the  gold ow into  Sutter's  purse."*  This  must  have  bwn  after  or  at  the  time  of  Ben- nett's journey;  I  do  not  think  it  preceded  it.  Bid  well  calls  the  chief  ruler  at Monterey  Gov.  Riley,  instead  of  Col  Mason;  and  if  his  memory  is  at  fault upon  80  conspicuous  a  point,  he  might  easily  overlook  the  fact  that  Bennett preceded  iiim.  Furthermore,  we  have  many  who  speak  of  meeting  Bennett  at 8.  F.,  and  of  examining  his  gold,  but  not  one  who  mentions  Bidwells  name in  that  connection.  Sutter  was  adopting  a  singular  course,  certainly,  to  have his  secret  kept.  Gregson,  Stai,,  MS. ,  8,  thinks  that  the  first  gold  was  taken  by McKinstry  in  Sutter  s  launch  to  S.  F.,  and  there  delivered  to  Folsom.  Such statements  as  the  following,  though  made  in  good  faith,  amount  to  little  in determining  as  to  the  first. That nrst  seen  or  known  by  a  person  to  him  is  first, notwithstanding another's  first  may  have  been  prior  to  his. ' 1  saw  the  firat gold that  was  brought  down  to  S.  F.  It  was  in  Howard  &  Melius'  store, and in  their  charge. It was  in  four-ounce  vial,  or  near  that  size.'  Ayer's  Per' aonal Adv.^  MS.,  2.

persons, from  which  one  might  infer  that  Humphrey  accompanied  Bennett to Monterey. They there  displayed  *  about  half  an  ounce  of  placer  gold. * They presented  a  letter  from  Sutter,  to  which  Mason  replied  *  that  Califor- nia was yet  a  Mexican  province,  simply  held  by  us  as  a  conquest;  that  no  laws of the  U.  S.  yet  applied  to  it,  much  less  the  land  laws  or  preemption  laws, which could  only  apply  after  a  public  survey.*  See,  further,  Buffum's  Six MoniJis in  Gold  MintSy  G8;  Bifjler's  Diary  of  a  Mormon^  MS.,  66;  BidwelVs  Col- \fornia lS41-8y  MS.,  2,31;  Browne's  Min. lies., 14;  HitteWa  JJist. S, F.,  125. Grei^n, Stat.,  MS.,  says  that  Bennett  died  in  Oregon.
 * Sherman, Memoirs^  i.  40,  states  that  this  application  was  made  by  two

^' We  had  salt  salmon  and  boiled  wheat,  and  we,  the  discoverers  of  gold.