The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-09
a LONG RACE FOR A BIG STAKE.
Inc Most Famous Struggle Between
Horses in the Far West.
From The Virginia (Nev.) Chronicle.

From the VirginiG (Neu) Chronicle.
Iwenty-nine years ago st. Joseph, Mo-,
was the western terminus of the railway
systems of the country. Beyond st. Joseph
the stage coach, OK team and kindred
methods of transportation were resorted to
Tor the purpose of maintaining conmunica-
ton with the Pacific slope This coast was
by that time pretty well settled, and bust
ness men began TO wish for rapid mail
service.
In the winter Of 1860 Wall street was at
work in Washington endeavoring to get a
subsidy of $l0,000,000 for carrying the
mails overland one year between New York
and San Francisco.
William II. Russell, backed up by Score
tary OF War Floyd, looked upon the scheme
as very extravagant proposition and said
that he could put on mail line from San
francisco to st. Joseph that would cover
the dlstance-1 $50 miles-in ten days. So
conf1dent was he that he profeSsed himself
willing to wager $500, 900 ON the PROPOSE
ton.
The schemers for the big mail contract
felt bound to meet the bluff, and took up
the wager, April 8, 1860, being fixed as the
date for starting. A. B. Miller, Russell's
partner, was positive that pony express
could be established which would enable
Russell to win his prodigious wager. There
was no time to belost, and Miller set about
his task with energy. Hepurchased 300 of
the teetest horses he could procure and Sc
cured the service of 125 men, Eighty of
these men were selected as poSt-riders, and,
of course, were especially chosen for their
light weight-the lighter the man the bet
ter for the horse, as some parts of the route
had to be covered at the rate Of twenty
five miles per hour In establishing the
raavS the HiRfa NJ in aaol,
determined by the character of the coun-
try.
AS rule the horses were stationed from
ten to twenty miles apart and each rider
had to make sixty miles. Two minutes
were allowed for changing the animals
and shifting the mails. If the stage sta
lions were not at proper intervals tent
was put up sufficient to accommodate one
man and two horses. By the day set for
the starting everything was in readiness
and before the smoke cleared away from
the muzzle of the signal gun on the steamer
Sacramento at the hour of noon, April s,
1850, Billy Baker mounted On Border Ruff
fan, Mlller'S famous saddle-horse, dashed
away towards the Sierras, covering his
twenty miles in forty nine minutes.
Deep snow lay in the mountain passes,
and to Salt Lake Valley slow time was
made, so that from the valley on it was
necessary to make extra fast speed to win
the huge wager.
All went well until the crossing at Jules
burg was reached. To his dismay the
courier found the Platte river high I'D in
its banks and strong current running.
Fearlessly horse and rider plunged into the
turbid stream, but only the man reached
the opposite bank, His gallant steed mired
in the quicksands and was drowned. The
courier saved his precious mail-pouch and
had to walk ten miles to the next relay sta
ton.
Johnny Fry was one of the famous men
of his day on the border. Tough ard wiry,
he was as light as cat, and as rider he
never knew an equal To him fell the
duty of riding the last sixty miles Of the
long race. He had six thoroughbred
horses to do it with.
When the courier arrived at the sixty
mile post out of St. Joseph, he was one
hour behind time. Johnny had to make up
that lost hour or the wager was lost. Miller
considered all this when he selected John
ny Fry to make the final dash.
AS the hour drew near for Fry's arrival
at st. Joseph thousands of people lined the
river bank, gazing with feverish expect
ancy in the direction of the woods from
which the horse and rider should emerge
into the open country one mile from the
finish.
Seven minutes more and the wager
would be lost, when suddenly a bright-eyed
youngster caught sight of the anxiously
looked-for courier, aud the yell that went
up from the crowd reached the ears of the
rider a mile away.
Horse and rider fairly flew on the wings
Of the wind. Feathery hecks of foam
streaked the painting TANKS of the noble
steed as she, with wide-distended and
blood-red nostrils, bore the courier to his
journeys end, covering the last mile in one
minute and fifty seconds. The little mare
Sylph had won the wager, and there were
five minutes and fraction to spare.