Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1881-05-26
WINNING 4 100000 BET.
The Greatest Trial of Speed and Endur-
ance on Record.
st. Joseph MO. News

tst. Joseph Mo- News
In 1859 st. Joseph was the western termi
nus of the railroad communication. Beyond
the stage coach, the saddle horse and the os
trains were the only means of commerce ant
communication with the Rocky Mountains
and the Pacific slope. In the winter of 1861
there was a Wall street lobby at Washington
trying to get s., 900 for carry ing the mail.
overland one year between New York anC
San Francisco. The proposition was cx
tremely cheeky, and William II. Russell
backed by Secretary of War Floyd resolved
to give the lobby q cold shower bath. He
therefore offered to bet 100000 that he
could put ON mail line from Sacramento tc
St. Joseph that should make the distance
1850 miles-in ten days The bet was taken
and the 6th Of April fixed upon as the day
for starting. MIR. Russell called upon his
partner and general manager of business up
on the plains, Mr.. \. B. Miller, now a citizen
of Denver and stated he had done, and asked
! if he could perform the feat. Miller replied
"Ycs, sir; | will do it. and do it by pony
express" TO accomplish this Mr.. Miller pur-
chased three hundred Of the tieetest horses
he could find in the West, and employed 125
men. Eighty Of these men were 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 light as possible
therefore, the lighter the man the better 1t
was necessary that some portions of the
route should be run at the rate OF twenty
miles an hour. The horses were stationed
from ten to twenty miles apart, and each
ridar xvOuI1 no ron1irad to riIa ci r,i1aS,
/, 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 kiyus
ponies made but sorry show in their stern
chase after Nliller's thoroughbreds, many of
which could make single mile in q minute
and fifty seconds.
Al arrangements being completed, q signal
gun On the steamer at Sacramento proclaim
ed the meridian Of April Is, 196O-the hour
for starting-when Border Rufian Mr.. MIL
ler's private saddle horse. with Billy
Baker in the saddle, bounded away toward
the foothills of the. Sierra Nesadas, and made
his ride Of twenty miles in forty nine min
utes. The SHOWS We're deep III the noun
tains; and one rider was lost for several hours
in a SNOW Storm and after the Salt Lake
valley was reached. additional speed became
necessary to reach st. Joseph on time. From
here all went we'll until the Platte was to be
crossed at JuleSburg. 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 courier
succeeded in reaching the shore, with his
mailbag in hand, and travelled ten miles on
foot to reach the next relay. Johnn Fry, a
popular rider of his day, was to make the
finish. He had sixty miles to ride, with six
horses to do it. When the last courier ar
rived at the siXty-mile post, out from St
Joseph, he was one hour behind time 4
heavy rain 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 Wn
This was the finish for the longest race, for
the largest purse, ever run IN America.
When the time fox his arrival was nearly up,
at least five thousand people stood upon the
river bank, with eyes turned towards the
woods from which the horse and its rider
should emerge into the open country in the
rear OF Elwood--one mile from the finish. |
Tick, tick, went thousands of watches! The
time was nearly up! But nearly seven
minutes remained! Hark! a shout goes up
from the assembled multitude: He comes !
he comes:' The noble little mare, Sylph, the
daughter of little Arthur. darts like an arrow
from the bow and makes the run of the last
mile in one minute and fifty seeonds-land- !.
ing upon the ferry-boat with five minutes /
and fraction to spare.