The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-07-07
RUNNING A PONY EXPRESS.
EXCITING EXPERIENCES OF A MAIL cARRIEI

EXCITING EXPERIENCES OF A MAIL CARRIER
N THE EARLY DAYS OF THE WEST.
When the venerable Steve Rugles
pulled off his storm defer and touched
up with parlor match Il 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 been in the city Just about
long enough to net care blank Wheth
er 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 grizzly this side
of the peak" and Steve gyrated and
described few circles with his feet
Mary jump in the road are any Of
these here umbrella swingin dudes
going ter step up next ter me, fer
right sudden there's goin TO be er row.
Now, there can't anybody realize any
better than / kin that Chercawgo is
ther city Of ther only Worlds fair, but
let me tell you. pardner, some of these
young ducks what thinks they'se got
an immortal cinch ON the universe is
goin ter get into hull lot of trouble
if they fools with this old cormoranU
from away oat west.
Old Steve took an extra puff on his
we'll seasoned black brier and settled
in 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
! 1919 l 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 a fellow had
to take all the chances Of a lifetime,
and it was a kinder ticklish job to
tackle a horseback ride across the In
! jun country alone.
Il would start out from St 10, pony
on the gallop from the second | put
my hand on the saddle horn, and ther
want no let up on that jump till /
landed in Denver Right through the
redszin country then, and now when
you look at 'em lvin 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 coun-
try them days 1t was likely to be
runnin fight from start ter finish and
| am only sorry thet yer didn't live to
! aTWTitp prhOut thpt old time from
actual experience"
Tell me something about the pony
express"
'sWell, Of course it's an old story
about how she was started and run un-
til the stages and railroads knocked
the business out Bat in the carly
days of thet gallopin mail arrange
ment fellow got al 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 a quarter or half Il
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
sadele
Fer a long time we didn't know
whether er not we was goin to find any
transfer still rmnin fer our benefit, fer
the ponies was good ones and the In
jumS didn't care much fer a man CT
two when they was after hosses. Sev-
eral times | struck deserted trans
fer station, saw the poor fellers lyin
there with the top Of ther heads 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 have any personal en-
counters with the Indians. Mr.. Rug
les p
'Yon bet, but don't call me Mr.
Rugles: plain old Steve. Yes. I've
heard the whizz Of the arrer and the
J hum of the bullet, have gone at {
dead run-w with the bride rein between
/ my teeth, both hands busy wish TIVE
: SIX shooters. and have been plugged
: three times. That's the narrowes
escape ! ever had" and the veteran
pushed back his gray hair and exhibit
ed a scar that extended across the sid,
e Of the head on Il level with the lef
temple.
1t was getting along toward night
and about the time the pony began t.
/ act kinder queer l commenced to real
ize that lnjuns was somewheres close
u Il Sure enough, the first thing | knew
e gang of 'em come gallopin iron
: some timber short ways off. yellil
: and shootln. Pony and me went fe
/ all we was worth. and then [ remem
t ber holdin onto the saddle horn an,
:, all grew suddenly dark. 4 heav
; jolting woke me up, and 1 found tina
d my saddle had saved my scalr
i Wounded and stunned. l had neve
b lost my horse sense, yer might sa,
). and / had hung on all the time"
$ At this junction one of Steve's earl
friends came up, everybody went u
and smiled" and Steve promised t
i talk more some other time.