Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-08-25

| Wuo Hau route OF elSnty-Ive miles, hau
been killed during the night before, and
he was called on to make the extra trip
until another rider could be employed.
This was request the compliance with
which would involve the most taxing
labors and an endurance few persons are
capable of. Nevertheless young Cody was
promptly on hand for the additional jour
ney and reached Rocky Ridge, the limit
OF the second route, on time. This round
trip of 324 miles was made without a stop,
except for meals and to change horses,
and every station on the road was entered
on time. This is one Of the longest and
best ridden pony-express journeys ever
made.
| PONY BoB''
Also had series of stirring adventures
while performing his great equestrian feat,
which he thus describes;
| About two months after the pony ex-
press commenced operations the Piute war
began in Nevada, and as no regular troops
were then at hand, a volunteer CORPS,
raised in California, with Colonel Jack
Hayes and Henry Meredith in command,
came over the mountains to defend the
whites.
Virginia City, New, then the princi-
pal point of interest, and hourly expecting
an attack from the hostile Indians, was
only in its infancy. A stone hotel on C
street was IN course of erection and had
reached an elevation of two stories This
was hastily tranfformed into fort for the
protection of the women and. children.
From the city the signal fires of the
Indians could be seen on every mountain
| peak and all available men and horses were
pressed into service to repel the impending
assault of the savages. When reached
| Reeds station, on the Carson river, found
no change of horses, as all those at the
station had been seized by the whites to
take part In the approaching battle. | fed
the animal that rode and started for the
next station, called Buckland's, afterward
known as Fort Churchill, fifteen miles
distant down the river. This point was to
have been the termination of my Journey,
as / had ridden seventy-five miles, but, to
my astonIshment, the other rider refused
to go on. The manager, w. G. Marley,
was at the station, but all his persuasion
could not prevail on the courier, Johnny
Richardson, to take the road.
Turning then to me, Marley said
| Bob, will give you $50 if you will make
this ride l replied, l will go you once
Within ten minutes, during which l ad-
justed my Spencer riffe-a seven shooter
and my Colts revolver with two cylin-
| ders, ready for use in case of an emergency.
| had started.
From this station onward was
A LONELY AND DANGEROUS RIDE.
of twenty-five miles, without change, to
the sink of the Carson. l arrived there
all right, however, and pushed on to
Sand Springs, through an alkali bottom
and sand hills, twenty-five miles further,
| without a drop Of water all along the
route. At Sand Springs | changed horses
and continued on to Cold Springs, a dis
tance of twenty miles. Another change
and ride of twenty-six miles more.
brought me to Smiths Creek. Here was
relieved by J. W. Kelly, who is now Chief
Engineer ofthe Southern Pacific Railroad
! and resides at New Orleans, La. | had
ridden 166 miles, stopping only to eat and
change horses.
"After remaininga at Smiths Creek about
nine hours | started to retrace nv Journey
| with the return express. When [ arrived
at Cold Springs, to nay horror / found that
the station had been attacked by Indians.
the keeper killed and all the horses taken
away. What course to pursue | decided
in moment-I would go on. | watered
my horse and started for Sand Springs.
twenty miles away. 1t was growing dark
and my road lay through sage brush high
enough in some places to conceal horse.
l kept bright lookout and closely watched
every motion of my poor horses ears. |
was prepared for fight, but the stiffness
of the night and the howiing of the wolves
and coyotes made cold chills run through
me at times, but | reached Sand Springs
in safety and reported what had hap
pened.
Before leaving l advised the station
keeper to come with me to the sink of the
| Carson, for | was sure the Indians would
| be upon him the next day. He took nv
advice, and so probably saved his life. for
on the following morning Smiths Creek
was attacked. The whites, however, were
well protected in the shelter of stone
house, from which they fought the Indi
ans for four days, At the end of that
| time they were relieved by the appearance
OF about fifty volunteers from Cold Springs
These men reported that they had buried
the massacred keeper of that station, but
not before he had been
/ NEAhb1 DENOUkED by WOLVES.
'When | arrived at the sink of the Car
son | found the station men badly fright
ened, for they had seen some fifty warriors
decked out In their war paint and recon
noitering the station. There were fifteen
white men here well armed and ready for
fight. The station was built of logs and
mud, with rock corral, and was large
enough for the men and ten to fifteen
horses, with fine spring of water within
ten feet OF it. | rested here an hour, and
after dark started for Buckhard's, where l
arrived without mishap, and only three
and half hours behind the schedule time.
II found Mr.. Marley at Buckland's, and
! when | related to him the story of the
| Cold Spring tragedy and my success, he
raised his previous offer of $50 for my ride
to 500. / was rather tired, but the ex-
citement of the trip had rather braced me
| up to withstand the fatigue of the journey.
| After rest of one and half hours | pro-
ceeded over my own route from Buck
lands to Fridays Station, crossing the
western summit of the Sierra Nevada. |
had travelled 332 miles within few hours
of schedule time and surrounded by perils
on every hand"
After the Overland Pony Express was
discontinued, "Pony Bob" was employed
by Wells, Fargo & Co. as a pony-express
rider in the prosecution of their transport
| alton business. His route lay between
| Virginia City, New, and Folsom, Cal.
This engagement continued for more than
| a year; but as the Union Pacific Railroad
gradually extended its line and and opera
tions,
THE PONY EXPRESS BUSINESS
As gradually diminished. Finally the
track was completed to Reno, New, twen-
| ty-three miles from Virginia City, and
over this route "Pony Bob rode for three
months, making the run every day, with
fifteen horses, in ene hour. When the
telegraph line was completed, the pony
express over this route was withdrawn,
and Bob was sent to Idaho, to ride the
company's express route of 100 miles with
| one horse, from Queens river to the Ow-
hughee river. He was at the former sta
tion when Major McDermott was killed.
at the breaking out of the Modoc war. On
one of his rides he passed the remains of
ninety Cinnamon who had been killed by
the Indians, only one escaping to tell the
tale, and whose bodies lay bleaching in
the sun for distance of more than ten
miles. from the mouth of Ives Canyon tn