The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-11
ONE OF THE DONNERS.
4 Chat With a Survivor Of the Inflated EI-
DeditiOl TO California.

Up at Santa Rosa the other day discov-
cred another survivor of the famous Dom
ner party who crossed the plains in 1919,
writes a correspondent to the st. Louis Re-
public. The old gentleman was Juan Bap-
tiste Truvdo, one of the survivors of the
Inflated Bonner party, whose heroism saved
the lives of many members of his larty, but
who has been almost entirely ignored by the
hands that have guided the lines of history.
1T is true am one of the few left Of the
unfortunate band" he said land l might
give you columns of facts concerning it, but
it would be too much, perhaps. When
urged to repeat some of the ill-starred COM
pany, he frightened up and related the fol-
lowing;
"My name is Juan Baptiste Truxido. an
I am 60 years old. My parents were of
French birth and | was born east OF the
Rockies, not far from the Arkansas River.
l spent my young days In the mountains
and the plains and became, like most boys
in those circumstances, an expert hunter
and horseman. When Fremont and Kit
Carson came along on their way to Cali
fornia l joined them aud was with them
until they reached the head-waters OF the
Green River. j was about that time Tell
in with Jim Hedgepath, who lives III this
country. After leaving FremOnts party l
went to Fort Brid,er. Utah. and remained
there until July, 1916. The famous Bonner
party that had started from Springfield, ILL.,,
in the spring of 1916, was at the fort and
preparing to strike out to California. a
new route had been laid out, or opened up
rather, by l.. w. Hastings, called the Hast
iugs cutoff and as it was said to shorten up
tie distance the party were anxious TO go
that way.
the expedition knows that if the company
had followed the old Fort Hall road all
would have been we'll, but owing to The al
vice Of friends they took what they thought
was the shortest way. / was sent along Dy
the people at the fort as guide and guard,
and was with the D0nnerS until rescued AT
Bonner Lake.
at was while struggling through the cut
off that the party was joined by W. +.
Graves and wife and their eight children,
Jay Fosdick and John Synder., Snyder was
quarrel by James Reed, who was one oil the
originators of the Bonner party.
"Well, we struggled along through the
mountains and after we had left Salt
Lake long ways in the rear things went
fairly well until we got to Truckee The
and never came together again until the
rescue came at Bonner Lake. The Reads
and Graves people we're in the advance
party, while the Donners. George and
Jacob, and their families. were in the party
left behind. Our little band worked
bravely on until we came to Alder Creek
Valley, where we had to stop, 1t being
impossible TO go further. The snow came
on with binding fury and being unable
to build cabins we put up brush sheds,
covering them with limbs from the pine
trees.
at was about the first of November. l
think, that we went into that camp of snow
and suffering, and we remained there until
the latter part of February, when the Suffer
party rescued us"
The old gentleman's story of the sufferings
at his camp was graphic, indeed. At one
time he was the only one in the party who
was able to do anything. George D0nnor
had an injured hand and had been laid up
for some time. Death stared them In the
face, and it was only by the most heroic
efforts on the part Of Baptiste that all did
not freeze to DEATH
He kept the fires going through the long.
weary hours of the night and worked with
might and main to keep the little colony
warm. Starvation they were face to face
with, and Baptiste secured the meat that
kept them alive with the greatest difficulty.
One day he had to kill a cub, and his
escape from the Infatuated bear mother
was almost miraculous. In the number that
lay huddled in the miserable camp
children; Jacob Bonner, wife and three
children; man named Shoemaker,
Jim Smith, Mrs. Wolfnger, one Rhein-
hart, Outchman whom he called
Charley, himself aud two or three others
whose names he could not remember.
Sickness the pitiless storms and starvation
relieved Jacob Bonner and wife and child,
Rheinhart, Shoemaker, Smith and the
Dutchman of their SufferingS, and when the
relief party-which Baptiste says consisted
of two Indians and white man, Rhodes,
poorly lnounted-reached them there was
mere handful of wretched, almost starved
people left. George Donner's five children
and two Of Jacob Donner's children were
among the saved.
Baptiste lives at Tomales Bay and is
widower. He has three sons and they make
their living by fishing. He says that he
never recovered from the effects of that
four months experience, and that half of
the story has never been told. No human
flesh was eaten in the camp where he was
that occurred in the camp of the other
party, which was about eight miles away,
but which, of course, they knew nothing
about. Not even a reference has been made
to the noble part the old Frenchman took in
saving the lives of his fellow-sulferers in
anything that has been published, and it
fills one with sadness to hear him speak
Of