given my
men orders and arranged the affairs of the day.' Mar.ihall would not wait for supper or anytiiiug elie, but mounted and rode off in the rain. The Spanish serapes were very good to keep the rain off.
At once, and during the night, the cur^e of the thing burst upon my mind. I saw from the beginning how the end wouhl be, and the next day I liad a mehvncholy ride of it to the saw-mUL Of course I knew nothing of the extent of the discovery, but I was satisfied, whether it amounted to much or little, that it would greatly interfere with my plans.
Attended by my sergeant and one of my soldiers — both Indians — I set out next morning for the mill. When about half way there I discovered an object moving about in the bushes naar the road. Turning to my attendant I asked, 'What is that?' He replied, 'It is the same man who wa? with you last night.' Riding up, I found, sure enough, it was Marshall. It was t'.ien raining hard. 'Rave yovi been here all night?' I a ;ked. 'No, 'he replied, 'I spent the night at the mill, and came l)ack thus far to meet you.'
During our ride to the mill, Marshall was still very restlesc. He said he believed the whole country round v»'asrich with gold. When we arrived he went with me to the mill-race. People wei-e at M^ork widening and deepen- ing the race. Then he told them to quit work and let the water through. After it had run a while he ordered it stopped again. Meanwhile the water had washed the gravel and dirt away, and then we went in hunt" g for the little pieces such as Marshall had brought down. I picked S' .le up, and then each of the Mormons gave nie some, and Marshall gave is some, too. Then I said, ' This all must be made into a finger-ring, as soon as we can get a goldsmith,' and later this was done, and I have this ring now. Here it is. It weigh 5 about an ounce and a half, and bears the inscription, ' The first gold discovered, in January 1818.' I had my coat of arms engraved on it.
I told the people there that it was gold, that there was no mistake, and that I only asked that its discovery should he kept a secret for six weeks until I got my flour-mill ready, and they all were very willing to do so.
But J;his was not to be. The men could not get along M'ithout provisions, and I sent some up by a Swiss teamster. I should have sent my Indians. Mrs Weimer had some boys, who said to the teamster, 'We have g )t some gold. ' Tiie man laughed at them, when the mother exclaimed, ' Well, you need not laugh. It is true we have found gold. Look here, what do you call that?' This woman little knew the consequences to me of this thought- less wagging of her tongue.
Ihe teamster secured some of this gold and returned to the fort. At that time Sam Brannan and George Smith, a relative of the great Mormon prophet, now high in the Utah church, kept a store in one of my outhouses near the fort. This was the first store, except my own, started in the valley. There were then a good many settlers in the valley, and they brought to this INIormon store hides, tallow, and skins, and took away manufactured articles. McKinstry, who was with me then, called it a shirt-tail store, for every time I wanted a few things for my Indians, the proprietors exclaimed, ' O, you will break the assortment ! ' Nevertheless, this store assumed great impor- tance a3 soon as gold was discovered.
Women and whiskey helped the thing along. It was a fundamental and unalterable law of the shirt-tail store that credit should not be given for whiskey. This was altogether too valual:)le a commodity to be trusted out. The Swiss teamster was universally thirsty. He wanted now a bottle of brandy. At the counter where he had been so often refused, he presented hi nself, called for his poison, and at the same time proudly came down with the dust.
'What is that? You know very well liquor means money,' exclaimed brother Smith.
' That is money, ' replied the teamster. ' It is gold. '
' Yes, yes, that will do, ' said Smith. ' I have no time for your pleasant- tries. '
' Go to the fort and ask the captain if you don't bel
