Arizona republican., 1892-05-26
RUNNING A PONY EXPRESS.
Exciting Experiences of a Mail Carrier il
 the Early Days of the West.

Exciting Experiences of a Mail Carrier in the Early Days of the West. When the venerable Steve Rugles | pulled off his storm defer and touched up with psrlOr match a goOdly pinch of old Virginia natural leaf, he was only moment sending more than a cloud winding among his neighbors in | the Grand Pacific corridor. Steve had come in from Denver few hours be- ! fore and had been in the city just about long enough Go not care blank wheth- CT he saw anything, anybody or any | where.
 "You can bet that I'll show some of these tenderfeet, if they tackle me, that I'm the biggest glizzly this side of the peak and Steve gyrated and de- scribed few circles with his feet. Mary jump in the road are any of these here umbrella swingin dudes goin ter | step up next ter me, fer right sudden there's goin ter De CT row. Now, there cain't anybody realize any better than I kin that Chercawgo is ther city of ther only Worlds fair, but let me tell you, 1 pardner, some of these young ducks what thinks they'se got an immortal cinch on the universe is goin ter get into a hull lot of trouble if they fools with this old cormorant from away out west" Old Steve took an extra puff on his well seasoned black brier and settled into a reminiscent mood He had taken part in many of the early incidents of the border days, and when he was in- clined could tell many interesting tales.
 Why, young fellow, way back in lS49 was one of the first of the boys to tackle the pony express business. It didn't take much nerve the way nerve weighs nowadays, but when you come to look at it in them days a fellow had to take all the chances of lifetime, and it was kinder ticklish job to tackle a horseback ride across the Injun country alone.
 ''l would start out from St. Jo, pony on the gallop from the second I put my hand on the saddle horn, and ther want no let up on that jump till landed in Denver. Right through the redskin country then, and now when you can look at 'em Twin quiet down in Florida or occasionally kickin over the traces up north, they ain't marker to what we had to deal with in thet country them days. It 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 mo something about the pony express.
 "Well, of course it's an old story about how she was started and run un- til the stages and railroads knocked the business out. But in the early days of that gallopin mail arrangement feller got all the excitement he wanted every trip. You know we wasn't supposed to lose a seconds time along the road, and many's the time I've ridden quarter or half mile on the dead run with the saddle cinches undone completely, sos the minute l got 'longside my change pony I'd lose no time transferring my saddle.
 Fer long time we didn't know whether CT 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 CT two when they was after hosses. Several times struck a deserted transfer station, saw the poor fellers lyin there with the top of their head gone, but had to move on, as l had a tired pony and couldn't lose time getting to the next station to change"
 Did yoa ever have any personal en- counters wish the Indians, Mir. RuglesY'
 You bet, but don't call me Mr. Rugles plain old Steve. Yes, I've heard the whizz of tho arrer and hum of the bullet, have gone at dead run with the bridlo reius between my teeth, both hands busy with two six shooters, and have been plugged three times. That's the naIrowest escape ever had" and the veteran pushed back his gray hair and exhibited scar that extended across the side of the head on level with the left temple.
 Ut was getting along toward night. and about the time the pony began to act kinder queer commenced to realize that lnjuns was somewheres close. Sure enough, the first thing ! knew, a gang of 'em comes gallopin from some timber short ways off, ycilin 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 ub, and found that my saddle had saved my scalp. Wounded and stunned, lad never lost my horse sense, yer n6ght say, and l had hung on all the time"
 At this junctiou-one of Steve's early friends came up, everybody went up and "snilel" and Steve nrnmised tn