Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-06-15
The OA-rime Pony Express OF The
Great Plains.

HOWEVKR, IN little Wh1lc, all interest,"
was taken up In stretching our necks, and
watching for the pony -riier"-the hset
messenger who sped across the continent
from st. Joe to Sacramento, carrying let
tiers nineteen hundred miles In eight daysi
Think OF that for perishable horse and hu-
man flesh and blood To do. Tbs pony
rider was usually little bit of man. brin
full OF spirit and endurance. No matter
what time OF day or night his watch Game
on, and no matter whether 1t was winter
or summer. raining, showing, hailing or
slee,i z, or whether his beat" was level
straight road or n crazy trail over noun
tain crags and preclpices, or whether Il led
through peaceful r gions, or regiOns that
swarmed with hostile Irdians he must be
always ready To leap into the saddle d be
of like the wind There was idling
time for pony rider on duty. He rode
forty miles without stopping, ~ daylight,
moonlight, starlight, or through the black
ness Of dat kness, just as 1t happened. He
rode splendid horse that was born for
q racer, and fed and lodged like gentleman,
kept him al his utmost speed for ton miles,
and then, as he Came crashing up tn, tho
sta ion, where stood two men, holding .
fresh, impatient steed, the transfer of rider
and mail bag was made in the iwinkling Of
an eye. and away Il " the eager pair, and
were out ofsight before thesp oiatOr could
get hardly the ghost of q look. Both
rider and horse went flying light" The
riders dress was thin and tied close; he
wore roundabout" and skull cap"
and tucked his pantaloons iuto his boot
tops, like race rider. He CARR d no
arms he carried nothing that WAS not
absolutely necessary, tor even his ptstsge
on his literary freight WAS worth two dol
lars an ounce. He got but little frivolous
correspondence to carry; his bag had
business letters In 1t mostly His horse
too. He wore light wafer OF q raGing-
saddle, and no visible blank. t. lie wore
light shoes, or none ut all The littls fiat
mail pockets, strapped under the ri 'er's
thighs would each hold about the bulk Of
= child's primer. They held many and
many an important business chapter and
newspaper letter, but these were wrote on
paper as airy and thin ~ gold leaf ne ,rly,
and thus bulk and weight we're sconO-
mized. The stage coach travelled abIut .
hundred to q hundred and t~en1y i've
miles q day (twenty four hOurs) the pony
rider about two hundred and tlf'y. There
were about eighty pony riders in. 5he sad
die all the time, night and day. s,ns.tcning
in a long, scattering profession T. ON Mis-
| souri, to CalifOrniae-forty flying eastward
and forty towards the west, u Il among
them making four hundn gallant horses
earn . stirring livelihood, and g. deal
of scenery everv single dsy Ia the year.
We had had g. consuming desire from
| the beginning to see the pony rider, but
somehow or other, all chat passed US, and
all that met u.s. managed TO strcAk by In
the night, and no we heard ONLY whix
and hail, and the swift phantom OF the
desert was gone, before we could get our
heads out Of the windows~ Bat now we
were expecting one along every moment,
and would see him in broad daylight.
Presently the driver exclAims:
"Here he comesl"
Every neck is stretched further, and
every eye is strained wd.r. Away across
the endless dead level Of the psairie .
! black speek appears againA the sky, and
1t il plain that ii moves. Well, l should
think sol In q second or two it b. comes q
horse aad rider, rising and falling-sw. ep.
ing toward VA nearer and neares--xrowing
more and more distinct, moro and more
sharply idefned-n arer aud nearer. aud
the hitter Of the hoofs co nes faiaily to
| the ear-another instant q whoop and q
hurrah from our upper d ok. wave OF
| The riders hand but no reply, aud man
| and horse burst past our excited lac 8, and
90 winging away like lated fragment
Of a Storm
I 80 sudden Is II all and 81 like q fl ,sh OF
unreal fancy. that but Epr the flsSeo white
fam left quivering and p Fishing GU
mail sack, xfacr the vision ha fish d by
and disappeared we might have doubted
| Whe her We hHd seen any &c nal horse and
man ct all may he.-Ark TcHn,