Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1871-08-24
The Old-tl.ne Pony Espress.

However, in little while all Interest
was taken up in stretching our neeks
and watching for the "pony-rider r2--the
fleet messenger who sped across the con-
tinent from st. 10. to Sacramento, carry
ing. letters nineteen hundred. miles in
eight days. Think of that for perisha BILE
horse and human flesh and blood to do!
The pony-rider was usually little bit of
a man, brim-ful of spirit and endurance.
No matter what time of the day or night
his watch came on, and no matter wheth-
er it was winter or summer, raining,
hailing, showing or sleeting, or whether
his s'beat'' was level, straight road, or
a crazy trail over mountain crags and
precipices, or whether it led through 2.
peaceful country or regions swarming
with hostile Indians, he must be always
ready to leap into the saddle and be Oft
like the wind. There was no idling- time
for pony-rider on duty, He rode fifty
miles without stopping, by daylight,
moonlight, or through the blackness of
darkness, just as 1t happened. 49, q,
He rode splendid horse that was born
for racer, and fed and lodged like a
gentleman kept him at his utmost speed
for ten miles, and then, as he came crash
ing up to the station, two men stood
holding a fast, fresh horse; the transfer
of the rider and man-bags was made in
the twinkling Of an eye, and away flew
the eager pair, and were out of sight
before the spectators could get hardly a
ghost of look. Both rider and horse
f1went fying." The riders dress was
thin, and fitted close; he were rounda-
bout and skull leap, and tucked his pants
i'll his boots like race-rider. He carried
no arms--he carried nothing that was
not absolutely necessary; for even the
postage on his literary freight was only
two dollars an ounce. He got little friv-
oleus correspondence to carry; his bag
had business letters in it mostly. His
horse was stripped of all unnecessary
weight, too; he wore little wafer of
riding saddle, and no visible blanket; he
wore light shoes, or none at all the little
fiat mail-pockets, strapped under the RI
der's thighs, would each hold about the
bulk OF child's primer.
They held many and many an import
ant business chapter and newspaper let
ter, but these were written on paper as
airy and as thin as gold-leaf, nearly, and
thus bulk and weight were economical.
The stage-coach Travelled about hum
dred to a hundred and twenty-five miles
a day (twenty -four hours1;s the pony
rider about two hundred and fifty.
There were about twenty pony riders in
the saddle all the time, night and day,
stretching in long, scattering process
sion, from Missouri to California, forty
flying eastward and forty toward the
west, and among them making four hum
sdred gallant horses. They earn a stir
ring livelihood and see a very great
deal of scenery every single day in the
year., 5-sa E.sN a4isgsl.1 - = 1,.sa s.s.s-e.a
We had consuming desire from the
beginning to seesa pony-rider, but utsome-
how or other, alllthat passed us and all
that we chaneed to meet in their jour
neys managed to streak by in the night,
and so we heard only whiz and a hail,
and the swift phantom of the desert was
gone before we could get our heads out
of the windows. But now we were ex-
specting one along every moment, and
could see him in the daylight. Presently
the driver eXclaims: 's- - .ss 2;
"Here he comesp r. 5-f
Every neck is stretched further, and
every eye strained wider. Away across
the endless dead level of the prairie, a
black speck appears against the sky and
it is plain that it moves. Well, / should
think so! In a second or two it becomes
horse and rider, rising and falling,
rising and falling toward us,
nearer and nearer and nearer--and grow
ing more and more distinct, more and
more edefined-nearer and still nearer, and
the flutter of the hoofs comes family to
the ear-another instant whoop and a
hurrah from our upper deck, waive OF
the riders hand, but no reply, and a man
and horse burst past our excited faces,
and go swinging away like the belated
fragment of a storm.
So sudden is it all, and so like a flash
of unreal fancy, that, but for the flake
of white foam left quivering and perish
ing on mail sack, after the vision had
flashed by and disappeared. we might
have doubted whether we had seen any
actual horse and man at all, may be.
For Job Printing call at this ofice.