The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1885-10-24
MONTANA LETTER.
Another Of Hon. E. g. BrOoke's
Interesting Letters.
He WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND THE
CENTENNIAL
And March TO the Music Of ri 1.
ley Walkers DRUM.
He MEETS WITH A SERIOUS Ac-
ClDENT.

WHITEHALL, MoNr., Sept. 25, 1885.
Having finished my grain and hay
harvest on yesterday, and this being
my sixty sixth birthday, / have time
to read and write. have Just read
from the last page of the NEW Do
NINIoS of the 10Th inst. of the Pony
Express. With your permission
will try and furnish your readers
with more interesting account of
the famous Pony Express. / copy
from the st. Joseph (Mo.) Ne,cs of
April 1860:
WINNING 100000 BETTE GREAT
EST TRIAL OF SPEED AND EN-
DURANGO ON RECORD.
In 1859 st. Joseph was the ives
tern terminus of the railroad COM
munication. Beyond, the stage
coach, the saddle horse and the OK
train were the only means of COM
merce and communication with the
Rocky Mountains and the Pacific
Slope. In the winter of so and go
there was Wall street lobby at
Washington trying to get $4,000, 900
for carrying the mails overland one
year between New York and San
Francisco. The proposition was ex-
tremely cheeky and VIM. III. Russell,
backed by Floyd, the Secretary of
War, resolved to give the lobby a
cold shower bath. He therefore of
fered to bet 100000 that he could
put ON a mail line from Sacramento
to st. Joseph that should make the
distance--1,950 miles-in ten days.
The bet was taken and the 18th of
April fixed upon as the day for
starting. Mr. Russell called upon
his partner and general manager of
business upon the plains, Mr.. A. B.
Miller, and stated what he had done
and asked if he could perform the
feat. Miller replied, Eyes sir 1
will do it, and do it by Pony Ex-
press" To accomplish this Mr..
Miller purchased 800 of the fieetest
horses he could find in the west, and
employed 1875 men. Eighty of these
men were post riders. These he Sc
lected with reference to their light
weight and their known daring and
courage. 1t was very essential that
the horses should be loaded as light.
ly as possible. 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 rider would be required to ride
go miles. For the change of animals
and the shifting of mails two min
utes were allowed Where there
were no stage stations at proper dis
tances, tents sufficient to hold one
man and two horses we're provided.
Indians would frequently give chase,
but their kiyus ponies made but sor
ry show in their stern chase after
Miller's thoroughbreds, many of
which could make single mile in
one minute and fifty seconds. All
All arrangements being completed,
signal gun on the steamer at Sacra-
mento proclaimed the meridian of
April 18th, 1S69--the hour for start
ing-when Border Ruffian, Miller's
private saddle horse, with Billy Ba-
ker in the saddle, bounded away
toward the foot hills of the Sierra
Nevadas, and made his run of TWEEN
ty miles in forty nine minutes. The
SHOWS were deep in the mountains
and one rider was lost for several
days in a snow storm; after the Salt
Lake valley was reached, additional
speed became necessary to reach st.
Joseph on time. From here all went
well until the Platte was to be eros
sed at Julesburg. The river was up
and running rapidly, but the rider
plunged his horse into the food,
however, to mire in the quick
sand and down. The courier sue
ceeded in making the shore with his
mail bag in hand and travelled ten
miles on foot to reach the next relay.
John Fry, popular rider of his day,
was to make the finish. He had six
ty miles to travel with six horses to
do it. When the last courier arrived
at the sixtieth mile post out from
st. Joseph he was one hour behind
time. A heavy rain set in and the
roads were slippery. Two hundred
thousand dollars might turn on
single minute. Fry had just three
hours and thirty minutes in which
to win. This was the finish for the
longest race and for the largest purse
ever run for in America.
When the time for 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 Elwoods, one mile from
the finish. Tick, tick, went thou
sands watches. The time was near
ly, up, only seven minutes remained.
Hank! shout goes up from the as
sembled multitude. He comes, he
comes! The noble little mare, Sylph
the daughter of little Arthur, darts
from the woods like an arrow from
the bow, and makes the last mile in
one minute and fifty seconds, land
ing on the ferry boat with five min
utes and fraction to spare.
remember well the great excite
ment this great feat of speed and
endurance created in the city of St.
Louis, where many thousands of
dollars were lost and won by the
friends of the two parties. The great
interest taken seemed to be sectional
and as Floyd.Wm H. Russell and A.
B. Miller were Virginians, Southern
people took interest on their side,
many of them bet largely as also did
most of the Western people, while
New York sent out agents supplied
with money to bet that the Ponies
could not make the time.
All the riders who rode in this
long race received splendid presents
from Russell and Miller and num-
Der of the riders are in Montana to-
day, apd scattered out over the far
west. Some of the feetest horses
used in this great race was loaned
for the occasion, their owners betting
largely ON the result All the
horses and riders were put on their