The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-24

when the party reached, near Bonner
lake. small cabin, which had been
constructed the winter previous by an
old hunter that had remained there one
season. This cabin is where Mr.. Breen
and the Reed family went into camp.
Old George and Jacob Donner's iami-
lies were with others some three miles
back on the trail at another camp.
When the parties reached these separate
camps the snow had begun falling and
continued for some days, and the worn
out people concluded to lay by few
days and wait until the storm passed,
as a; they supposed it would do in two or
three days. But, alas, those few days
were the last that any one could pass
over the snow-covered mountains so
late in the season. Breen with some
foresight chained up a few yoke OF
cattle. All the others were suffered to
wander away and were
LOST IN THE SNOW.
The snow continued without any sign
of abatement. Reed was over beyond
the mountains in California, separated
from his wife and children, two of his
faithful men being with them. Reed
made frantic efforts to reach them, but
failed. The writer met HIM on one or
two occasions while he was making des-
perate efforts to raise men and supplies,
but was doomed to meet disappoint-
ment, as the snow was so deep at Steep
Hollow and other points as to utterly
defy any effoIt on the part of the valiant
Reed and his companions to reach the
snow-bound camp. have given more
of the detail of this in order to show
that no time was lost on the part of Mr..
Reed or his friends on this side of the
Sierras and to show that the party did
not spend the summer at Salt Lake
valley, as that was an uninhabited waste
at that time; but they had had one con-
tinuous, long and unbroken Journey
until canght in the snow-bound camp
near what is called Bonner lake. Breen
killed his oxen and saved his family and
Reeds family until they were compelled
to leave his camp with others in order
that those who remained might have
enough to live on. 1t is quite true that
Mrs. Reed and others of the party had
to subsist on the dry hides partly for
while, but it was at the rear camp,
where the two Bonner families were,
that the most suffering was. Some of
the parties from the forward camp ar
rived at the Lassen ranch in the Sacra-
mento valley in a
wRETcHED AND STARVED CONDITION.
The two Indians that Suffer sent out
never came back; neither did the young
man Stanton, that took provisions to
Reeds family He persisted, as anumber
of others did, in trying to get back.
The horrible details of the Bonner
camp have never been correctly told,
and it is proper that they never should
be.
ONE HEROIC INSTANCE,
However, should be told. The faithful
Young man whom Reed left with his
family when he was forced to leave and
come away remained true to his charge,
anu actually starved before he would
eat his small allowance, giving 1T to
Reeds children in preference to pre-
serving his own life. There was heroiSm
for you in that wretched camp. L had
this from Mrs. Reeds own mouth, and
that of her children. Some two or three
of the party were left to be brought out
be third relief party. Some supplies
were left for them, sufficient to last
them until they could be relieved. but
on the return of the third party, Reed
who led the party. told me that he only
found one SURVIVOR German named
Keesburg, whose wife escaped at the
time Mrs. McCutchen, Foster, Eddy
and some of the Murphy family made
their way over the mountains by way
of Lassen Ranch, where they were first
discovered almost helpless from star
walton, snow-blind and frozen. There
are several of
THE SURVIVORS
OF the Bonner party residing in Napa
valley. w. E. Murphy, of Marysville,
is one. Judge Breen, of San Benito
county, is another. There are others
scattered about throughout the, State.
1t is to be hoped that the word can
nibalism will be dropped by newspaper
publishers Cannibalism is one thing
and death and starvation another. Can
nibals, as l understand the term, are
those tribes who make war and Stay
their enemies that they may feast on
them, when they have abundance of
provisions of other kind for food. But
when death stareS the hungered maniac
in the face, who knows whether reason
has not entirely flown? Only imagine
Yourself IN one such place and consider
what you would do. | regret the
! length of this article, but l know that
so much has been represented as re-
CARDS the suffering of the unfortunate
emigrant party that once composed a
| part of my command, that1 always feel
| like correcting false impressions. The
/ misfortune was through no fault of
these people. They were deceived and
led out of their way and consequently
belated. There was no summering at
Salt Lake or elsewhere, but toll, con-
slant toll, and at last they were over
whelmed by the elements of winter
SHOWS. Those valiant men who risked
their lives to rescue these unfortunates
deserve to be immortalized.
! Very respectfully,
w. NJ. BoGGs.
Napa City, August 22d.