Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-08

that memorable trip was a few years ago . resi-
dent Of Chicago and known to everybody in
| the business world as Robert 81. Hsslam, and
| very few knew that among frontiersmen thirty
| and oil because OF taat perilous first ride as
one Of the relays on the most dangerous divi-
| sion Of the whole route
"Pony Bob" and Buffalo Bill, who in polite
literature figures as Col. William Cody. were in
| separable companions for over twenty years
As scouts and guides they passed through
| many trying scenes together, and the story Of
| this mad ride Of "Pony Bob's" was always re-
| lated with great deal Of pride by Buffalo Bill
One night out In Kansas a number Of years ago
Buffalo Bill was being entertained by lot Of
his old-time friends, among them some Of the
Sante Fe railroad men, who were Boosting OF
| the quick time their trains made between the
Missouri river and the Golden Gate, which ''re-
minded Buffalo Bill Of q story" thing not
| hard to do, for his experience had been wide
enough to furnish him an inexhaustible fund Of
stories.
BUFFALO BILLS STORY OF PONY BOB.
"Your fast express isn't corker to the first
| express that went over your line In 1860, said
Col Cody-the railroad eventually followed
almost exactly that surveyed overland route
"and friend OF mine, Bob HasIam, got the
| sobriquet Pony Bob for riding relay on the
| route and winning for his company GOO, 900.
Pony Bob picked up the mail at q place called
Smiths Creek. 1t was then in Utah, but when
the lines were changed it threw the place into
Nevada The end OF his relay was at Fort
Churchill on the Carson river, post estab-
lished a short time before for the purpose Of
| holding the Piute Indians in check. The dis
| lance between the two points was 120 miles,
| and Pony Bob covered It in eight hours and
ten minutes. 1t took hard riding to accomplish
durance to stand it. Bob offered his services
for the hardest relay and the most dangerous
| on the route, and when the contract had been
made the company said that they would only
| stipuhte for that first ride that the
| riders get there and they didn't care
how. Bob was young, only about twenty, and
care free as kitten and anxious to win. He
knew that II any accident should happen to
any one OF the boys along the line it would up
set the whole route, SO that q rider needed to
be courageous and skillfui as we'll as Q rapid and
| enduring rider. He started out on o wiry
| little mustang and had made twenty miles in
| splendid shape. At that point he entered q belt
| OF timber. which he was familiar with, and
made for spring inside among the trees, ~here
| he watered his horse. Just AZ he emerged from
the timber he ran upon three painted Piutes,
| who were coming along in a dog trot, intent
upon seeking the same spring.
Pony Bob and the Plntes sighted each other
| In the same instant. Bob turned quick a. q
flash and yelled back into the woods a. though
summoning invincible legions.
A CLEVER RUsk
"'Come a runnin'. boys, here's lot Of red
akins,' and dashed away.
1.-The Piutes stampeded at once, but looking
back presently and seeing but one man, lashing
| his pony into a mad run. turned back and q
race for life began. They were armed only with
| arrows, but they got close enough to do good
execution with those. and one Of the first fred
| struck Bob's horse in the knee and tumbled
him. As the mustang went down, Bob slid over
behind him and from the breastworks he made
drew bead on one Of the painted devils, and
"a the short rifle spoke. the rcdskin bit the dust
The other two charged upon him. Bob emptied
| the other barrel Of his rife, tumbling another
Indian. then flung the empty gun aside and
| jerked his pistol The third Indian was within
| ten feet OF him when a shot from Bobs pistol
brought him TO the ground dead. He waited Q
moment, but as he didn't glimpse any more red
| skins in the landscape he managed to catch one
! OF the Indian ponies. Then he shot his mus
| tang to free it from misery, changed saddles,
| transferred his mail pouches and again set out,
| not quito so brash and decidedly shaken up,
yet behind only ten minutes because Of the lit
| tie scrimmage. The schedule laid out bv the
company gave him ten hours to make mis- divi-
sion in, but he was anxious to shorten tho time
| II possible, As to give the extra moments to
the next rider, and pushed on at good pace.
"He had no further trouble till Just about
twenty-five miles from the fort, his last station
|
| was threading narrow gorge which formed a
pass through the hills when the whirr - Of Q
bird wing sang close to his ear and an arrow
went ping! a. it struck against the rocks hey ond
his head. The gorge was narrow, the trail
rough. On one side the rocks rose about fiftv
feet. shelving out At the top; on the other side
| there was gradual slope back The arrows
| struck in the slopIng bank, no he knew the In
dians were on the high side and crowded his
pony under the shelf till he could think an in
IaN.~ I'D a. Al s.-lx ..-l--
was but one thing to do. The shelving bank
was too high to climb; he could only dash
straight ahead over the big powders and
crevices that lined the bottom Of the gorge
The opening from the gorge was yet half mile
distant, and half way between Bob and that
much-to-be desired goal was a deep ravine
which intersected the gorge. The Indians
made for that ravine, hoping to catch Bob q,
short range as he passed the opening where it
crossed the gorge. The path through the gorge
smoothed as it reached the ravine, and lodging
the arrows fired at him from the Indians, who
remained on the banks above. Bob urged the
pony into killing pace a. he neared the ravine
past which he had to make the real dash for
life.
| LEAP FOR LIFE.
"Just as he reached it he saw that a gully
nearly three feet wide and as many feet deep
had been washed in the ravine. Over this the
pony must jump or the lives Of both would pay
| the penalty. Quick as the thought came he
jabbed his spurs into the mustangs sweating
sides and cut him with his quirt, and the brute
responded by flying into the air and clearing
the gully in a splendid leap. The jump brought
Bob abreast Of the Indians, who were skulking
| in the ravine just back of where it crossed into
the gorge, and they let fly vicious shower OF
arrows. One cut Bob on the chin, two of them
plowed burrows in the tanks Of his pony and a
third buried itself IN his saddle bags. That
one he carried away AZ . memento. In two
minutes more he was out OF the gorge on the
| open plateau and safe, for his next station was
in sight. He got fresh pony and cleared the
last ten miles to the fort without incident
or accident, having one hour and fifty
minutes to spare on the schedule time
OF the company. In riding the l20 miles he
changed horses twelve times and killed two
ponies, the one that the Piutes wounded and
the pony that he rode through the gorge The
arrow wounds and hard riding laid it out The
dispatches and letters announcing the election
| Of Mr.. Lincoln reached Folsom in nine day %
and seventeen hours from st. Joseph. Mo.
leaving the company seven hours to spare for
the winning OF that $500, 900, which they
always said was won for them by my friend
Pony Bob Taking everything into consid-
Grafton that was the best time ever made in
crossing the continent" and there was nobody
in the crowd who appeared inclined to dispute
Col. Cody's assertion. and the boastful Santa Fe
man seemed to think that some extra dry
was necessary to adjust all grievance.
| Isabel WoRRKLL BALL.
| "Please Pass Jane"
| From the San Francisco Examiner.