History on James Reed
A story about a Co-Organizer of the Donner party
James Reed
When the terrain got difficult your wagon was not the best. Which slowed the rest of the group down. We took the edvice to go south. As we went we found soft ground and John Snyder began to beat his oxen with a whip handle and I came in and he whipped me across the forhead. I pulled my knife out for self defence and then he tried to whipp me again and hten I stabed him. He died 30 minuntes later. Alot of the poeple wantted me died but others spoke on my behalf but I was banishe I had to leave may family behind. I rode off and tried to make it through the mountans but that did not work. So I rode to Suttlers fort and found the it would be impassable until Feburary. I rode into San José pueblo and I fought in The Battle of Santa Clara. I sailed from Yerba Buena then sailed for Sonoma, then I crossed into the Sacramento Valley, gathering horses and men. I re-entered the Sierra in late February, and this time made it through to Donner Lake.