The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-19

The others had done that only to sustain
life enough to accomplish the rescue.
Mrs. Reed and Virginia were the strong
est and most resolute persons at the lake
during the latter days. At last the brave
young daughter. the girl who had stolen
away and Draved the awful wilderness to
follow on her banished fathers trail with
food and the gun, broke down in starva-
ton, and on the evening of the 18th OF
February Virginia Reed lay dying. Gath
cred at her bedside In the confortless
cabin beneath the snow were several of the
women, for Virginia was a favorite in the
camp. She had been the life of the camp.
There were no hopes. No words were
spoken. The next day there would be
another body in the snow, and then
a shouts
No famished man at the lake could
shout like that. Indians? No, those
were the shouts of the white men. The
rescuers had come!
Virginia Reed was saved to the State
that may well be proud of her; and here
it may be mentioned that. marrying at
San Jose she became the mother of
twelve native sons and daughters.
The relief expedition sent out by Gen
eral Suffer had arrived at the lake after a
mighty battle with the Ice Kings forces and
had brought the food that Was life to the
prisoners.
To-day the merry makers at the carnival
skate thoughtlessly and happily over the
places where those pioneers suffered and
hoped and died. The creek running there
has been made into pond, so that now a
portion of the camp site is under water:
but rising from the ice is huge wooden
cross to mark the spot at which the
Murphy cabin stood.
Suffers relief party had brought to the
lake the food that was considered neces-
sary, and the remainder was cached on the
other side of the summit. An immediate
return with those who could travel was
| therefore necessary. The food supplies
were quickly exhausted, and when the
! summit was crossed the party found that
wild animals had reached the food stored
away for that trip. Starvation would have
! been inevitable but for the arrival of the
! banished Reed with the second train. So
/ Virginia Reed did not save her fathers
life alone when she slipped from the
earlier camp and followed ON in the snow.
There are too many pathetic features Of
the long-agO winter TO be all related here
the experiences OF the Donners in their
camp at Prosser Creek, the sufferings OF
those who could not start from Bonner
/ Lake when the first relief party arrived
the guidance of the rescuer by the finding
I of the dead body of Stanton, the return OF
Reed for his TWO children who had been
left at the lake, and the awful! Journey OF
/ Reed ana the rescued on mat hnal Jour
ney toward the Sacramento plain This
last Journey was no less tragic than the
dreary attempt OF the 'Forlom Hope"
Some died, and all the fortunes and ter
rors recorded of the others we're expert
enced by those who journeyed down the
mountain with Reed in the second re-
Ief'
travellers in this region think little
about the experiences of those who came
/ bolf century before Little remains tr
mark the site of the encampments, but
preserved in McGlashan's ;ower are relic.
! that appeal to the sentiments OF those wEC
know the history. There are crumbline
bits of the cabins, portions of wagons and
fragments OF household goods There are
weapons. a broken ak and a pistol, and
many such things as these.