The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 22, 1898, Page 8

8 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, JANUABY 22, 1898. STREAKS OF YELLOW EXPOSED AGAIN. The Examiner Steals Matter Secured for a Placerville Paper. Necessity for exposing the methods of | the Examiner once more arises. The | task is undertaken not from a hope of | reforming that sheet nor to inflict pain upon it, but to further educate the| public to a knowledge of its true char- | acter. The Examiner seems actuated by a most unseemly prejudice against | honests i There was no surprise at the an- nounced intention of the Mission street issue a Golden Jubilee edi- | 1 had already made a| similar announcement, and the incli- nation to feebly imitate The C: been manifest on former occ California is a large State and its tory rich in incident. To collect material for a special issue would not seem to be an impc undertaking. and no paper but the have felt impelled to couple forts to methods such a transactions 1 the brick. A letter reproduced on this page tells the entire sto: It shows how the E. The clipping which accompanied the letter was an advertisement setting forth that the photographs of Marshall and the picture of him as he lay dead in his little cabin would appear in the Golden Jubilee edition, and had never been published. in may Perhaps the.Exam- technical excuse for this The paper for which the pictur were made and from which they were taken by some scheme of fraud iread; come from the press, but it will bear a date a day later than the Examiner. Such however, would but make n Drawn by A. Thurston Heydon from a photograph taken in 1851, now in possession of the San Francisco Made for and advance copy of the Placerville Souvenir Edition. KELSEY IN 1880. The Old Hotel on the Left Was the House in Which james W. Marshall - Lived and Died JopdR 0% 308 308 08 308 108 308 308 308 308 308 300 30 ¥y The scene in the n where Marshall lay dead was, like other pictures, made for the Placerville Mountain Democrat, but in some manner got of the Examiner, and has been ad- into possession vertised as exclusive. 800 308 308 300300 00 B0 0K pagedeg RagegaBag=BaPuye] egegag=ReegegegegegagE-F-F 3] SUTTER'S MILL. State Mining Bureau, reproduced from an Mountain Democrat’s JAMES W. MARSHALL as'He Lay in Death Morning of the 10th of excepting a tendency to see visions, and wright. Shortly after his father’s death Mar- shall moved to Crawfordsville, where he worked as a carpenter for several months. Then he went to Warsaw, Illi- nois, 4nd next to Fort Leavenworth, Mo., intending to take up land in the Platte purchase. There, between farm- ing, carpentering and trading, he was fairly prosperous until he came down with the ague which reduced him to a shadow. In May, 1844, he started | for California as one of the “bullpunch- ers” in a train of a hundred wagons. These photographs include the one the Examiner has advertised as never having been published. JAMES WILSON MARSHALL. From photos taken during the last sixteen years of his life. The center likeness was drawn by A. Thurston Heydon from the last photo taken before his death. on January, 1885. aminer has used its display type to de- | ceive its readers and make them think | that which was really a piece of trick- | ery a stroke of enterprise. To take pictures that had been collected and | prepared for publication by a country paper and then claim to have some thing exclusive was wholly character- istic. Fortunately the Placerville edi- tor is not the sort of man to tamely | submit to so gross an imposition. The | indignation felt by himself and friends | is so righteous and the+ X out so clear that to refrain from giving | publicity to‘it would be an actual in- justice. | a mean act meaner, and haste is made to direct the attention of the editorial intelligence of Mission street to this circumstance, thus saving it from deeper sin and new rebuke. With these few kindly remarks as an introduction the letter and other ex- hibits are presented. In this relation it is only fitting that an account should be given of James ‘Wilson Marshall, who was born at Round Mountain Farm, near Marshall's Corner, Hunterdon County, State of New Jersey, on the 10th day of October, 1810. His father, a man of some note in his church and State, was born in V‘lh(' same place in 1786, and died in ‘:A\lzlryland in 1534, and was buried | the Mt. Hope cemetery at Lambertville, New Jersey. His mother, Sarah Wil- | son, was born near Harbourton, New | Jer: in 1788, and died in 1878, and | was buried by her husband’s side. Mar- | shall’'s grandmother on his father’s side | was a Rebecca Hart, daughter of John Hart, who was one of the signers of the Dx aration of Independence from New Jersey. He had four sisters, all born at Lambertville, all of whom are now deceased. He claimed that an eighth strain of Delaware blood flowed through his veins. There was noth- | in i | white men working on “tribute” and | did considerable mining with the In- | He wintered at Fort Hall, thence went to Oregon and finally drifted to California, where he entered Captain Sutter’s employ at Sutter’s Fort. For several months he made plows and spinning wheels and was the handy man of the place. Marshall enlisted in the Bear Flag War and served through that and the Mexican War in California. Although not in a position of command, still, ac- cording to his own statements, he was of great assistance to his superiors in | bringing the wars to a succe: | mination. He received his discharge in | March, 1847, but on account of the tri- angular dispute between Kearny and Fremont and Stockton as to who was entitled to supreme command, he, as well as the rest of volunteers, was not paid at that time for his services, and some, among whom claim that they were never paid. treatment did not meet with his un- | qualified approval and nourished the be- lief, so dear to his heart, that he was a much abused man. the fort, and was a hard-locking object as he came tramping in, barefoot and clad in buckskin. He went to work for Captain Sutter and afterward dis- covered gold at Coloma, as related pre- viously. | At first Marshall had a number of dians, but in the rush he lost the land to which he only had a squatter's | right, which under either American or | Mexican law was null and void on min- | eral land. In equity and in accordance with the | mining usages which have been in force from that day to this, he was entitled to two average sized claims and the ground occupied by the mill and what was necessary for its untrammeled op- eration. But he wanted everything and IN THE REALM OF HIGH ART Admirable New ' Creations in Colors Evolved by Local Genius. 1t is now rather a quiet time with the local artists in general, few of them being rushed with orders for the products of the brush of genius. L. P. Latimer has lately finished a beautiful picture in water colors, entitied “The Brook.” It is taken from one of nature's pictures in Sonoma County, and it shows consummate skill in both draw- ing and color. It is to be British Society of Water Colours of Lon- don, England, for exhibition. A similar subject is ‘‘Solitude,” representing a scene in a lonely canyon, and showing this artist at his best. An oil painting, ‘“Preparing Ground for the Summer Fal- low,” shows a foreground of oak trees, with workmen in the middie distance rak- ing up stubble and burning it. Arthur F. Mathews has recently com- pleted several neéw panels in oil for in- terior decoration. One in particular, whose theme is “Cupid and Psyche,” is exquisite in subdued tones. Mr. Mathews has been engaged for over three months upon ceiling decorations for the drawing- room of an East Oakland capitalist, with some admirable effects as a result. The border of the ceiling is in conventional- ized pine cones and needles and the hang- ing moss so common to the California forests. sent to the | William Keith has on view some new pictures from which his reputation cannot suffer. A series of three landscapes, called “Nature,” *“Animal Life” and “'Spirit Life” will command the admira- tion of the art connoisseur. The first is in subdued tones, showing an ideal sun- rise in a valley, with no trace of other than vegetable life. The second is a_pas- toral scene, animated by cattle and sheep, disposed in lifelike groups and attitudes. A summer shower is depicted, with sun | shining through clouds, the whole effect being moderately bright as to color. The third picture is a very unique and origi- nal embodiment of the unknown and the unknowable to mortal ken, representin the figure of a woman in the foregroun in the attitude of gazing in all-absorbed manner toward the dim horizon, black clouds supplying a somber mantle for the scene. John A. Stanton is working upon a sketch for an oval panel which is to com- prise part of the decoration of the drop curtain for the new San Jose Opera- house. The work is noteworthy aside from its artistic merits, as beine the only ambitious undertaking of its kind ever | made by a California artist. The subject in this case is a very animated one, con- sisting of a spring landscape in cool, deli- cate tones of grayish quality, enlivened with beautiful female figures arrayed in fete costumes of the- Empire period. D. Robinson has a number of new marine pictures—some just finishe. and others vet on the easel. “Seal —Rocks, from Cypress Point (Monterey)” is a very admirable creation, with opalescent bluish gray as a predominating tone. * Stormy Sunset” dpescrlbes a scene looking out to sea through the Golden Gate, just beexond Alcatraz. It displays a deep rich and orange sunset, &e coloring being superb. A long ln-romnf swell of the ocean covers all of the foreground and middle distance. 'The sky coloring is such as is only seen just prior to or immediate- ly after a heavy storm—a fact which the artist has emphasized by the representa- tion of a couple of fishing-boats scudding rapidly for Lge protecting shelter of San Pablo Bay. distinct departure in method from that usually employed by this artist is to be seen in a picture of a ful ter- | was Marsfl{zlxl-ja.s to run these pictures in The Call either on Sunday morning or before, s |crediting them to the Democrat. He went back to | he learned his father’s trade of wheel- | | with the newcomers, 'This It Booms as “Exclusive” and an Indication | of Its Own Enterprise. ing remarkable about him as a boy, | instead of concentrating his attention upon mining he spent his time post- ing notices and getting into trouble thus rendering himself so unpopular that he was fin- ally unable to save even that to which he was justly entitled, and so he ulti- mately lost everything without a cent of remuneration. For several years-thereafter Marshall was a wanderer, but finally returned to Coloma and bought the ground where his cabin and monument now stand. He made quite a success with a vineyard and in ’62 his old cabin was burned down and the present one was erected in its place. In ‘69 and '70 Marshall went on two lecturing tours, which were unqualified successes financially as long as he kept sober, but his affinity for jags brought both to an untimely end. Marshall spent the greater portion of his latter vears at Kelsey, some six miles distant from Coloma, swinging back and forth until finally he moved to Kelsey for good. After his return from his second tour the Legislature made the following ap- propriations for him: February 2, 1872, $200 per month LOr TWO J0AES.. <.l iioy. vt s $4800 March 23, 1874, $100 per month for TWO - FOREE oo .o vneennasicasnasenos April 1, 1876, $100 per month for two years 2400 Total .. $9600 Naturaily eral, he scattered his money indiscriminately among friends and parasites, and he soon became but little better than a common sot. This had the effect of terminating the ap- | the notice of the world, he is justly en- propriations and the remaining seven 1 dose of physic before retiring. years of his life were spent In poverty | as far as ready money was concerned. | He had property enough in Kelsey to| have kept himself comfortable all of his life, but he would neither sell nor| work it. His poverty was the result of his inability to take care of himself under any conditions which could have | been devised and for that very reason | the State ought not to have cut him off | entirely, but should have given him $25 per month until his death. Marshall was a rank spiritualist and | claimed that he had always been aware | that there was a great work for him | to do, and that he had been guided and | caused to make the discovery by spir- itual influences. Be that as it may, he certainly did make the first available | discovery of California’s gold. | Although naturally worthy of better things, he deteriorated until, in plain English, he was unprepossessing in ap- pearance, untidy in person and filthy in habits; his habitation was a den reeking with tobacco juice, strewn and | plastered with antiquated quids and redolent with creosote. His objection- | able traits became so prominent that the general impression concerning him was decidedly uncharitable, He was very hospitable and fond of children, while the lasting regard which his friends have for him shows that there were elements of true worth in his character. He was an unfortunate be- ing, misunderstanding and misunder- stood, born to unhappiness and sorrow, and was one of those wrecks which nar- rowly escaped being a genius. Some have sought to rob him of this | credit because the padres mined for gold in Southern California, although no important results sprang from their work. James W. Marshall’s discovery, made on the 24th day of Uanuary, 1848, was the first discovery of the great gold deposits of the Sierra Nevada, and as he was the first one to bring them to titled to whatever credit is due to the discovery of gold in commercially valu- able quantities in California. The afternoon before his death, while sitting upon his front porch talking to some neighbors, he pointed to some dy- ing plum trees and said, “That’s the way I feel, part dead and part alive. That's the way we will all go, one by one.” As he was feeling poorly he took a Mar- shall had a partner by the name of Hill, and when he heard Marshall stir- ring the next morning, he asked him if he had heard the noises in the upper part of the house during the night. Marshall replied that he had, but laid it to the rats which infested the gar- ret. Hill went out rabbit hunting, and returning after quite an absence set about preparing the breakfast. Shortly afterward he spoke to Marshall, wha was lying dressed upon the bed, his hat pushed down over his eyes and his right arm and leg hanging down by the side of the bed with his right foot touching the floor. Receiving no an- swer, he touched Marshall, and finding im motionless, he became alarmed- went to the door and called out to Mx. Sipp and Tom Allen that something was the matter with Marshall as he | seemed to be dead. They ran over and Mr. Sipp immedi- ately put his hand on Marshall's breast, but although the heart was still, there was so much warmth that life had evi- dently been extinct only a few mo- ments. All of the indications showed that he had arisen, dressed in haste, as his shoes were unlaced, had gone to the rear, returned, leaving the back door open, felt weak, laid down and died. He did not starve to death, as has been claimed, for he had some money and, for him, quite a supply of provisions. Although Marshall died at Kelsey he was buried at Coloma, and Placer- ville Parlor No. 9, Native Sons of the Golden West, had the honor of initiat- ing the movement which resulted in the erection of the monument which marks his resting-place and commemmorates his discovery. Marshall died upon the 10th of Au- gust, 1885, aged 74 years and 10 months, but his monument was not un- velled until the 3d day of May, 1890. It is to be regretted that the correct date of the discovery was not inscribed apon the monument, it bearing the date of January 19, instead of January 24, 1848, THE LETTER WHICH TELLS THE STORY. OFFICE oF ATTORNEY 0’;/?::;%0 COUNTV PRENTISS CARPENTER DISTRICT ATTORNGY To Editor of Call, Placerville, Cal., Jan. 18, 1898. San Francisco, Cal., Dear Sir: I herewith inclose scrap cut from yesterday's issue of the Exam- iner, wherein that paper, in its customary self-laudatory manner, an- nounces what will appear in its Golden Jubilee edition of Sunday next. Among the subjects announced ("never before published") are the pictures of James W. Marshall, including his latest photograph, in half-tone, and the picture of Marshall lying dead in his cabin. I also send by thismail the pages already in print of the Jubilee edition of the MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT, which will be completed and issued on Monday next, the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of gold in this county. In these pages you will see marked the two pictures which will appear in the Examiner as having "never before been published." You, as a newspaper man, can readily appreciate the work and ex- pense of a country newspaper office in getting out an edition such as the Jubilee issue willbe, justified only on account of the age of the Democrat and of the fact of its publication nearest the scene of gold discovery in this State. ' The several pictures of Marshall were collected here and, at the expense of my father, who publishes the Democrat, were reduced to a common size and the plate of them made. property of the Democrat. Whil ewe can satisfy ourselves of the source of the treachery that has supplied to the Examiner these pictures, yet there is a gall- ing want of satisfaction in the fact that the announced date of the Democrat edition is the day following that of the Examiner. I therefore write to ascertain whether or not you will be so kind Iwill, atall} The plates are, in fact, the events, send you a copy of our Jubilee edition, which I think will be entitled to favorable mention in your paper. Saturday evening. I make this propositi This I will endeavor to have in your hands by on to your paper because I have most admired The Call's manner of resenting the silly assumptions of the "Monarch." If youwill kindly consent to act upon the foregoing suggestion in aid- ing us to play even on a dishonest "scoop" please wire "Send cuts"and I will have the Democrat express them immediately to you. sunset on the ocean beach below the Cliff House, he having chosen the wreck of the schooner Willilam L. Beebe as the incident around which to depict the mo- tive. The sunset is in pale orange and gold, but the general scheme of color in the picture as a whole suggests a yellow- ish copper bronze. From an artistic point of view this work is a specimen of unique beauty in art. —_ ee———— Children’s Society Organizes. The directors of the California Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children have organized by the election of the fol- lowing officers for the ensuing year: Charles Sonntag, president; W. R. Par- nell, secretary; George A. Newhall, treas- urer; L. A. Présco:t, assistant secreta: Charles L. Patton, counsel, and Philip C. Dibert, attorney. Colonel Sonn- tag gave a brief review of the work ac- complished in the past year and said he looks for gmd results .in the present year. John F. Merrill took his seat as a member of the board. Sigmund Greene- Very Respectfully, Id baum, manager of the London, Paris and ‘:merlca.n Bank, was elected a life mem- er. —_————— IN HONOR OF LINCOLN. Preparations @Are Being Made to Commemorate the Anpiversary of His Birth. Every effort is being made by the Lin. coln Monument Association to make the coming celebration in honor of the great statesman and warrior a success through- out the country. From present reports indications point to a general observance of the day in all the cities throughout the entire Union, and this fact is due principally to the en- ergy of the members of the local league. As “Lincoln ” as it is called, falls day. on Saturday, February 12,of this year, the school exercises in honor of his memory ::rlllogg. held on the preceding Friday aft- State Superintendent Jackson of Ne- braska has just issued” an appropriate souvenir for the coming celebration in that State. Among other things it con- tains poems, speeches and songs, all of Which bear on the character and ser- Yvices of Abraham Lincoln. This souvenir is being distributed among the school ::gié\é\;flel aol lh;‘usdtatte of Nebraska and is ve as a e to tl ce‘l&ebdratinn. ? hem in the coming emonstration in commemor: the day is ex%ected to be held in ?fiig%iffr and the members of the local league are striving to make it a memorable anni- versary of the birt] President. Fihday. of ‘the jgreat —_—— Custom-House Holiday. On Jubilee day (next Monday) the Custom House, Appraiser's store and bonded warehouses will be closed. The postoffice will remain open f; 2. m., and from 12 m. tople:m ;o: i