The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-06-16
ghe aasehia uav EAGLE Thnrsdau gor,ue, gumc e 1892.

part III uidDy OF the early lflclQSHES 0I
the border days, and when he was in
clined could tell many interesting tales.
why, young fellow, way back in
1o49 was one of the first of the boys to
tackle the pony express business. 1t
didn't take much nerve the way nerve
weighs nowadays, but when you come
to look at it in them days fellow had
to take all the chances OF a lifetime, and
1t was a kinder ticklish job to tackle a
horseback ride across the Injun country
alone
II would start out from ST. 10, pony
on the gallop from the second put ing
hand ON the saddle horn, and Their want
| no let up on that jump till l landed in
Denver. Right through the redskin
country then, and now when you can
look at 'eIn livin quiet down in Florida
Or occasionally kickin over the traces
up north, they amt a marker to what
we had to deal with In thet country
them days. 1t was likely to be run
min fight from start ter finish, and am
only sorry thet yer didn't live ter write
erbout thet old time from actual ex.
perience."
Tell me something about the pony
express"
"Well, of course it's an old story
about how she was started and run I'M
til the stages and railroads knocked the
business out. But in the early days of
that gallopin mail arrangement a teller
got all the excitement he wanted every
trip. You know we wasn't supposed tc
lose a seconds time along the road, and
many's the time I've ridden a quarter OF
half mile on the dead run with the
saddle cinches undone completely, SOS
the minute | got 'longside my change
pony I'd lose no time transferring my
saddle.
Fer long time we didn't know
whether er not we was goin to find any
transfer still runnin fer our benefit, fer
the ponies was good ones and the Iniuns
didn't care much fer man er two when
they was after bosses. Several times
struck deserted transfer station, saw
the poor fellers lyin there with the top
of their head gone, but had to move
on, as | had tired pony and couldn't
lose time getting to the next station to
change"
did you ever hSye any personal en-
counters with the Indians, Mr.. Rugles?'
you bet, but don't call ne Mr..
Rugles; plain old Steve. Yes, I've heard
the whizz Of the arrer and hum of the
bullet, have gene at dead run with the
bride reins between my teeth, both
hands busy with two six shooters, and
have been plugged three times. That's
the narrowest escape | ever had" and
the veteran pushed back his gray hair
and exhibited a scar that extended
across the side of the head on a level
with the left temple.
sit was getting along toward night,
and about the time the pony began to
act kinder queer | commenced to realize
that mjuns was somewhefes close. Sure
enough, the first thing | knew, gang of
short ways off, yellin and shootin. Pony
and me went fer all we was worth, and
then remember holdin onto the saddle
horn and all grew suddenly dark. A
heavy jolting woke me up, and l found
that my saddle had saved my scalp.
Wounded and stunned, had never lost |
my horse sense, yer might say, and / |
had hung on all the time"
At this junction one of Steve's early |
friends came up, everybody went up |
and smiled" and Steve promised to |
talk more some other time.-Chicago |
News.