The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1881-03-22
A Race Across the Plains.

In 1883 st Joseph was the western
terminus Of railroad communication.
Beyond the stage coach the saddle horse
and the OK trains were the only means
OF commerce and Communication With
.he Rocky Mountains and the Paciic|
Slope In the winter of 1860 there was
Wall street lobby at Washington trying
to get as 600, 600 for carrying the mail
Overland one year between New York
and San Francisco. The propositian|
was extremely cheeky and VIM. H.
Russell, backed by Secretary Of War
Floyd, resolved to give the lobby cold
shower bath. He therefore offered to-
bet 5000 600 that he could put on mail
line from Sacramento to St. Joseph that
should make the distance-l, $50 miles
la ten dsysa The bet was taken and
the 9Th of April fixed upon as the day
for starting. Mr. Russell told bis part
|ner and general manager OF business
upon the plains, MIR. A. B. Miller, what
he had done, and asked if he could per-
form the feat Mr.. Miller replied !:
"Yes, cir; will do it, and do it by q
pony express" To accomplish this
Mr.. Miller purchased 300 of the feetest
horses he could find in the West and
employed 125 men. Eighty OF these
men were to be post riders These he
selected with reference to their light
weight and their known daring and
courage. 1t was very essential that the
horses should be loaded as lightly as
possible. 1t was necessary that some
parts of the route should be run at the
rate Of twenty miles an hour. The hor-
ses were stationed from ten to twenty
miles apart, and each rider would be re-
quired to ride sixty miles. For the
change OF animals and the shifting OF
the mails two minutes were allowed.
Where there were no stage stations at
proper distances tents sufficient to hold
one man and two horses were provided.
Indians would sometimes give chase, but
their cayuse ponies made but sorry show
in their stern chase after Miller's thor
oughbreds. many OF which could make
single mile in minute and fifty Sec
onds.
Arrangements being completed, a
signal gun on the steamer at Sacramento
proclaimed the meridian of April s,
1S60-the hour for starting-when Bor-
der Rufian, Mr.. Miller's private saddle
horse, with Billy Baker in the saddle,
bounded away toward the foot bills OF
the Sierra Nevadas, and made his ride
Of twenty miles in forty-nine minutes.
The SHOWS were deep in the mountains,
and one rider was lost for several hours
in snow storm; and after the Salt Lake
Valley was reached additional speed be-
came necessary to reach St. Joseph on
time. From here on all went we'll until
the Platte was to be crossed at Jules.
burg. The river was up and running
rapidly, but the rider plunged his horse
into the food, only, however, to mire
in the quicksand and drown The conr-
ier succeeded in reaching the shore, with
his mailbag in hand, and travelled ten
miles on foot to reach the next relay.
Johnny Fry, popular rider of his day,
was to make the finisb. He had sixty
miles to ride, with six horses to do it.
When the last courier arrived at the
sixty mile post. out from st. Joseph he
was one hour behind time, a heavy rain
had set in and the roads were slippery
Two hundred thousand dollars might
turn upon single minute. Fry had
just three hours and thirty minutes in
which to win This was the finish oi
the largest race, for the largest stakes
ever run in America. When the time
for his arrival was nearly up, at leasl
five thousand people stood upon the
river bank. with eyes turned toward the
woods from which the horse and its ri
der should emerge into the open coun
try in the rear of Elwood-one mil.
from the finish. Tick, tick, went thou.
sands of watches! The time was nearly
up! But seven minutes remained
Hark! shout goes up from the assem-
bied multitude. "He comes! he comes! =
The noble little mare, Sylph, the daugh
ter of little Arthur, darts like an arrow
from the bow and makes the run OF th,
last mile in one minute and 6fty seconds
landing upon the ferryboat with fv'
minutes and fraction to spare.