oss. Labor could not be hired to
plant, to mature the crops, or reap and gather the grain that ripened."

"At an early period subsequent to the discovery, an immense emigration
from overland poured into the Sacramento Valley, making Sutter's
domains their camping-ground, without the least regard for the rights of
property. They occupied his cultivated fields, and squatted all over
his available lands, saying these were the unappropriated domain of the
United States, to which they had as good a right as any one. They stole
and drove off his horses and mules, and exchanged or sold them in other
parts of the country; they butchered his cattle, sheep, and hogs, and
sold the meat. One party of five men, during the flood of 1849-50, when
the cattle were surrounded by water, near the Sacramento river, killed
and sold $60,000 worth of these--as it was estimated and left for the
States. By the first of January, 1852, the so-called settlers, under
pretense of pre-emption claims, had appropriated all Sutter's lands
capable of settlement or appropriation, and had stolen all of his
horses, mules, cattle, sheep, and hogs, except a small portion used and
sold by himself."

"There was no law to prevent this stupendous robbery; but when law
was established, then came lawyers with it to advocate the squatters'
pretensions, although there were none from any part of Christendom who
had not heard of Sutter's grants, the peaceful and just possession of
which he had enjoyed for ten years, and his improvements were visible to
all."

"Sutter's efforts to maintain his rights, and save even enough of his
property to give him an economical, comfortable living, constitute a sad
history, one that would of itself fill a volume of painful interest. In
these efforts he became involved in continuous and expensive litigation,
which was not terminated till the final decision of the Supreme Court
in 1858-59, a period of ten years. When the United States Court of Land
Commissioners was organized in California, Sutter's grants came up in
due course for confirmation. These were the grant of eleven leagues,
known as New Helvetia, and the grant of twenty-two leagues, known as the
Sobrante. The land commissioners found these grants perfect. Not a flaw
or defect could be discovered in either of them, and they were confirmed
by the board, under the provisions of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo."

"The squatter interest then appealed to the United States Distric