The Washington herald., 1921-05-09
TRAGIC OVERLAND
JOURNEYOF 1876
RECALLED AGAIN
Woman's Death Brings
Memories of Hardships
Of Plains Trip.

The tragic story of the first over
land trip from Illinois to California,
filled with incidents of horror such
as reversion to cannibalism, and
death by starvation of others who
could not force themselves to eat
human flesh. has been recalled by
the death of one of the last sur
yivors. Mrs. Virginia Lewis MUIR
ply. in Los Angeles, recently.
Mrs. Murphy was IA years old
when, in 1S4S, her father, James
Frazier Reed. and three Donner
brothers. organized the party to
make the trip.
total Of eighty persons made up the
party. among them being Mrs. MUIR
phys great-grandmother. an aged
woman who refused to be left be-
hind.
She was the first Of the party to
die. Her age could not stand the
pace il was necessary to maintain,
and she died soon after the Mis-
sissippi was crossed. She was buried
in a section of what is now the
State of Kansas, giving that part
Of the country its first white mans
funeral and first white woman's
grave.
Troubles came on apace shortly
after her death. The prairies, with
their feed for the oxen and rivers
that supplied plenty of water, gave
way to the Great American Desert.
The water supply gave out, and the
oxen, hungry and thirsty. could not
be made to pull.
The oxen were 0nhitched and
wandered along with the party.
Then a stream came in sight, and
the oxen broke away before the
men could stop them. When the
stream was reached the oxen were
gone, taken by Indians.
Wagons Deserted.
Their motive power gone. the
wagons had to be deserted. Holes
were dug and they were buried.
Years after an attempt was made
to fnd the burial place. but with
out success.
Two disastrous errors in judg-
ment followed quickly The Illinois
pioneers took the Hastings cutoff
and then, in the heart of the noun
tains. decided to rest.
A snowstorm overlook them while
they tarried. and in Fastening on
through they hopelessly lost their
way and came to a halt huddIed to-
gether. exhausted. in forty feet of
snow above the lake which bears
the Donners' name. 1t marks Dom
ner's burial place.
Starvtion came on and took its
toll. Unable to stand the panRs of
hunger, some of the party ate the
flesh of their companions who
could not keep up. Others died be-
cause they could not force them
selves to eat the human flesh, while
the Reeds. who also refused to turn
cannibal. lived for a whole week on
the flesh of one dog.
Killed q Man.
Then came an unfortunate incl
dent that turned out to be one of
good before the end. Defending
his wife from a man of violent dis
position. who tried to strike her
with an OK goad because she pro-
tested his beating a horse. James
Frazier Reed struck and killed the
"NhA SChoO VI guSllCt anu, IL
seems, reason, too, gone. the others
drove Reed from camp.
Reed plunged on ahead. after
being driven out. and. being alone.
made better speed than the rest OF
the party. He encountered a group
of friendly Indians and sent them
back to succor those who had
driven him away. continuing on to
the Coast himself. He finally
reached the white settlements, and
a relief party was sent back. Aid
from the Indians had come too late
for most of the party. and only the
four Reeds were found alive.
They reached San Francisco when
1t was called Meuba Buena, and
were there when, in 40, the gold
rush brought other voyagers
across the land they had crossed.
Mr.. Reed piled up a huge fortune in
the West, and Mrs. Murphy married
OF three multimillionaire brothers.
The Reeds first settled on the site
Of San Jose. and 1t is related that
Mr.. Reed himself laid out the streets
Of the city.
Relatives of tho Reeds and Dom
ners still live in Springfield.