The morning call., 1892-01-31
THE PERILS OF
PIONEER TRAVEL.
BaDtiStG TTaTiCO Of TOmaIGS Tells Of the
Bonner Party.
The Awful Winter of 1S45-46 and the Suffer.
ings Of the Men, Women and Children
snowboUnd in the Sierras.

place, who interviewed him in regard to
his rec0llectiOns of the Bonner PARTY"
which was snOwbound in the SierraS in the
winter Of 1856, and Of which party he
was a member. What the little old man
did say in answer to many questions asked
him is summed up as follows:
His proper name Is Jean Baptiste TravicO,
and he was born in the Territory of Colorado
In 1928. His father was a FTenchman and
his mother was a native Of Mexico. His
father died when he was a small boy, and
his mother followed him soon. Baptiste
was sent to St Louis to school by his
guardian, but net reliShing study, he soon
returned to the plains, where be remained
until 1916, when. in the capacity of guide
and ass istant in caring for the stock, he
Joined the Bonner Party" en- route to Cal
n0rnia. In order 10 save time the party
took the Hastings Cutoff" route instead
of the old Fort Hall route, and July 2Sth
began what proved to be its disastrous
march. IL took the cOlOnStS until Septem-
Der to reach Great Salt Lake, and by that
time many felt certain that a mistake had
been made in choosing the cutoff route.
Baptiste said that the party remained
few days at Great Salt Lake ana then re-
sUmed the march, finally striking the old
y
was killed by Mr.. Reed, which resulted IN
Reed being bauished from the party. He
went on ahead and reached Suffers Fort in
safety. The party travelled on and about
that time the snow began to fall. The first
10 dis # exposure WAS "Old Man Hard
CoOp." as they called an old German, whose
strength failed. and who was lett 70 perish
because it was impossible 20 take him along
with the rest. Tie next death was that Of
NUlHnCer, also a German, and the manner
OF bis iaking-Ufl was q mystery until one
EleinG3rdt, al Bonner Lake, admitted that
he knew something about Il
IT WAS ~ ABOUT THE SECOND WEEK
OF October that the start was made up the
SirrTas. The first few days. as Baptiste re-
members them, We're pleasant. There were
bad signs, however, and when PrOsSer
Creek was reached II was showing and
raining, and when the party arrived at the
site OF lIUCkee the snow had become
binding storm. November 9Th the party
left ITuckee. 1t showed hard all day. and
that NIGHT camp was pitched on the noun
tain. BaptlSte says no Wlll never forget
that .ght The winds h0wled and fairly
beloved in the canyons; the snow fell IN
great sheets; tle cattle we're restless. and
be had 10 be uD all night to watcn them,
for they seemed 10 have a pTeSeuument
Of impending doom. Next day when the
party moved forward there was great suffer
ir0Za during the night, aud the men were
almost exhausted from OyereXeTt!0G. All pre-
served as Cheerful a spirit Is possible, for
even then none appeared to realize the
gravity Of the situation. 1t was on that
eyen,ful day that tie party became divided.
The Brpens, MuEphys, Reeds and Graves,
being slightly IN the lead, became lost TO
view by those behind. BapuSte was with
the Bonner families in the rear party, and
be says but little apprehension WAS felt
over the separation. as all thought they
could soon OVeTtake the first party
The storm increased III fury until, when
Alder Greek was reached by the DOnueTs, it
forbade further travelling. Then George
Bonner gave orders to 20 into camp, Every
body went 20 work Vlth "a viii, trees were
ieilfd, poles were fashioned into frames OF
cabins, Inc bOUghS were laid over them,
and il was not long ere the rude camp was
rs complete as the half-frQZen members Of
The party could make it. In the camp, as
Bapti,te remembers were George Bonner
and vile, their daughters Eltha, Frances,
Georgia q. and Eliza T., Jacob bonner and
wife, their children, Mary NJ, George Jr.,
Isaac, Lewis ard Samuel. Samuel Shoe
maker. James Smith, Joseph EhelnhaTdt,
Mrs. NOhnger, Charles Burger and him
self II thinks il was November 9th
or 1th that the camp was pitched and
he says that the first night snow fell to the
depth Of SIX feet George Bonner called all
the men together next day and council Of
war was held. Ii was thought that the
storm would not last more than a few days
at most, and II was decided to stay there.
But the storm continued from day unto day,
and every hour grew more critical. The
cattle were all killed and their caTcasses
lett to freeze in the snow Ihs supply Of
food soon gave out and then the party had
TO live on frozen beef, and finally hides.
Shoemaker. Smith and Rheiuhardt became
sick. Jacob Bonner diet, his wife survived
him but few days. and their babe followed
them soon after. The bodies were dragged
a few feet away from the cabins and left
the snow
WAITING A WINDING SHEET
Over them. Shoemaker and Smith died,
aud Baptste. assisted by Mrs. Wolfinger,
took their bodies and laid them Just outside
the doors. With nothing but frozen meat
and hides to eat, death stared the survivors
in the face. Baptiste was for long time
the only one able 70 do any work, and 1t
kept him busy every moment keeping up the
ire and attending 10 the nearly starved in
mates OF that snowy prison. Indeed, had C
not been for his efforts. it is doubtful if a
member Of the party would have lived until
the TCscutrs came.
One day, after the storm had subsidized
somewhat. Baptis,e and Mrs. George DON
ner saw smoke of to the southwest Of their
cabin. They concluded that it was from
was started of in that direction. After
struggling through drifts and enduring
terrible fatigue, he reached the camp and
found it TO be that of tie Breens, Graves,
Reeds and MuTpbys. Things were In a
worse condition there than they were
at the camp he left. The poor Great
ures were nothing but skin and bones,
and the stories they told were appalling.
After spending a few hours n that miser-
able place, BapListe returned to the Don
ners', and when he had related what he
saw at the BTeen camp all hope deserted his
companions. Help was nearer than they
knew, however, for the next time he went
ont he saw a number Of men making in a
straight line for the camp. Baptiste dragged
his emaclated form out to meet them. They
proved Go be John Rhodes, Tucker, Clark,
Stone and others, and when they entered the
cabin the joy Of the furnishing inmates was
lndescrbable. y time WAS lost, and all
but George Bonner, who was too sick TO
leave, and Clark, who was left to care for
him, started out for the other camp. Next
morning all were surprised to see Clark
join the party, and then 1t was that Mrs.
George Donner weak, sick and nearly
starved, turned and went back to her diving
husband. That was the last time the party
saw that heroic woman alive. When Lieu
tenant WOOdw OTth's relief force went back
after keseberg who refused TO leave the
Graves cabin, they found her body in his
camp. keSeDerg was accused OF killing her
and subsistng on her flesh, but he always
strenuously denied the awful charge, say
ing that she died of exhaustion.
The relief party made all possible haste
TO reach Suffers Fort. but Mrs. Graves and
little alex" as they called him, persisted
on the way. Baptiste was sent to San
Francisco with Mary Bonner, Jacobs
daughter, and that ended his connection
with that Inflated party. BE SAYS that no
human flesh was eaten at the Donner CAMP,
but that the people at the other camps were
undoubtedly reduced to greater extremities.
He says, and with nnmistakable emphasis,
that all of the wealth of the Goulds, the
AstOrs and the Vanderbilts could not tempt
him TO undergo another experience like that
at Bonner Lake. The old gentleman makes
his home at Tomales, a little fishing town
on the shore of the mighty Pacific, and be-
tween picking hops in the summer and
working at odd jobs at other times, manages
to exc out an existence that is anything but