The San Francisco call., 1898-12-25

i They succeeded even worse than they l had hoped. Bloodshed and death accom- 1 panied these fatal gifts The JoVlal hrst 1 effects-when Indians might be seen run 1 ming, Whooping, from lodge to lodge, m l vlting others to join them. or with mouths | full of the coveted frewater drawing the l lips of favored friends to close contact, | as if to kiss, but really to eject the con- 1 tents of their own into the friends
 mouths-these soon passed into the quar-
 relsome stages. when blows and cuts were ] exchanged, and many were the wounded | and killed.
 The whisky sold by the traders was gen. | orally third or fourth proof whiskydiluted | by mixture of three parts water. The | market price of this stuff was three cups | for buffalo robe. Each cup held about
 three gills. Not satisfied with this extor- l Indian as soon as he began to lose his
 senses by filling the cup only half full
 or adding more water to the decocton.
 Dim stories of the existence of the Great Salt Lake of Utah had come to the ears of the early trappers But there is no trustworthy account of any white man having seen 1t before the time of "Jim'' Bridger, the famous mountaineer and scout. He discovered it in the winter of MAO by a mere accident. It happened that party of trappers under command of William H. Ashley, one day found themselves in what is known as Willow
 Valley, by Bear River. While lying in
 course of the river. A wager was made.
 Br1dger set out to decide the question.
 He padded a long distance, and came out
 on the Great Salt Lake, whose waters he
 tasted and found to be salt Then he re-
 traced his lonely journey and reported his discovery to his companions.
 The story of the vast dimensions of the strange inland body of salt water melted four of the old trappers to paddle to the lake and explore 1t in search of streams flowing into it, in hopes of enlarging their field of beaver trapping.
 General John c. Fremont had probably never heard this tale. When on September Great Salt Lake, he compares himself to Balboa gazing upon the Pacific. and as- serts that he was the first white man to sail upon it's saline waters"
 It was in 1S47 that the Great Salt Lake became the headquarters of the Mormons.
 Finding it impossible to live at peace in Missouri and Illin3is, Brigham Ia ' Young, pie west into the wilderness, the first band, 143 in all, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24 1S ,OfS Utah tt was then then ed by the United States.
 With the gold discoveries of 1S49 the State of California was born almost In 8 single day The miners who made up it's first population soon demanded more ex- peditious delivery of their malls than ex- tant facilities allowed. The circuitous route from the Atlantic seaboard across the Isthmus of Darien to the Pacific Slope took at least twenty days. The land route was even worse. From the frontiers of civilization to the East there 1ntervened
  habited save by hostile tribes of savages. To cross this desert by stage occupied nearly a month To reduce this time, to annihilate this space, became an absorb ing question. But it was not until 1859 that an approximate solution of the prob lem was reached in the establishment of Majors and Waddell. This firm was all ready operating an overland stage line from the Missouri River to Salt Lake City. Stations had been located every ten oy tryaI r1oi1e along this line hIlt hP- tween Salt Lake City and the Pacific new stations had to be constructed for the use of the pony express
 In all 190 stations were soon in readiness for the fast mail route over the barren plains and through the dangerous noun tains Four men to each station, eighty pressed into the service. Each rider used three horses on his route, and made an average of thirty-three and one-third miles.
 Though 8 per letter was the charge, the pony express did not meet expenses. But the managers were not disappointed, for one of their main objects had been to learn whether the route over which the letters were carried could be made a per manent one for travel during all the sea sons of the year. This was determined in the affirmative.
 One of the most important transactions of the pony express was the transmittal of President Buchanan's last message in December, 1860, from the Missouri River to Sacramento, over 2000 miles, in eight days and a few hours. This astonishing record was beaten in March, 1S61 when the inaugural message of President Lin- coin was carried over the same route in seven days and seventeen hours.
 The last record stands unbeaten in the annals of horseback riding to-day.
 At all times the duties of the pony eX- pressman were full of hardship and peril. Horse and human flesh were strained to night in sunshine or storm, under the darkest skies or by the merest glinnmer of starlight or moonlight, the brave rider way led straight across level prairies, oftener it was a zigzag trail, hugging the brink of awful precipices and dark, mar row canyons, infested with SavageS on the lookout for scalps, or road agents eager for booty
 If he escaped all danger he must keep himself ready for any emergency that might confront him at the next station. Double duty was frequently assigned him. The man who was to relieve him might that he could not start. Then the al- ready tired congressman must take his place and be off like a shot, although he had been in the saddle for hours. But If everything was all right no time was lost in transferring the saddle pouch with its precious burden to the new horse and the new rider already in waiting to re- ceive them, then away the latter rushed down the trail and in moment were lost to sight.
 The mail bags were two pouches of leather. fmpervious to rain, sealed and strapped to the riders saddle before and behind. The pouches were never to con- tain over twenty pounds in weight. Hence the letters or dispatches were re- quired to be written on the finest tissue paper and limited to half an ounce in weight.
 Buffalo Bill was a mere lad when he 1olned the expreSsmen. Through the youngest rider of them all, he soon won reputation for courage and endurance.
 On one occasion he carried valuable package of bank notes. The road agents had somehow learned that this money was to be. transmitted by pony express. On arriving at one of his relay stations Bill was informed that the rider ahead of him had been murdered. He guessed that this was the work of road agents on tho lookout for his charge. So he took sec ond pair of saddle pouches, filled them with paper and left them in sight while the genuine pair he concealed in his blan- ket saddle. Then he started out once more. carrying his revolver ready for in- stant use.
 As he drew near lonesome spot in a valley. the very place for a crime, two men suddenly leaped out from the shrub bery Covering him with their rifles, they brought him to a halt with the words. Hands up, Pony Express Bill, We know yer my boy and what yer carriesi"
 ''I carry the express, and it's hanging for you two If you interfere with me" was the plucky answer.