Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-09-14
TWO FAMOUsiR7EIl1DllERts
STRIKING FEATS OF ENDURANCE IN
THE PIONEER DAYS OF THE WEST.

my sASaA AcnAeFement Ever ACCOM-
plished In This Country-Frontiers-
man Jim Moore's Hard Ride.
The greatest physical achievement
ever accomplished in this country was
the ride of L. y. Aubrey from the
plaza Of Santa Fe, y. NJ, to the Pub
lie square at independence, Mo-, dis
lance of nearly 500 miles, through a
country Inhabited by warlike Indians,
large part of which was then a san
dy desert. 1t was about the year
1851 that Aubrey gave his wonderful
test of human endurance, before which
all other attempts of the kind pale
into insignificance. He was n short,
heavy set man, IS years of age, in the
prime of manhood and strength. His
business for ten years as n Santa Fe
trader had made him perfectly IA
miliar with the trail and all the stop
ping places. He was Il perfect horse
man, and, although there were great
riders in those days, none of them
cared to dispute the palm With Au-
brey.
On n wager of $1,000 he undertook
to ride alone from Santa Fe to indie
pendence inside of six days. 1t was
without n thought of fear that he I'M
dertook the terrible feat 1t was to be
the supreme effort of his life, and he
sent half a dozen of the swiftest horses
ahead, to be stationed at different
points for use in the ride. He left
Santa Fee in n sweeping gallop, and
that was the pace kept up during near
ly every hour of the time until he fell
fainting from his foam covered horse
in the square at Independence. No
man could keep up with the rider, and
he would have killed every horse in
the west rather than have failed in the
undertaking. 1t took him just , days
and II hours to perform the feat. and
it cost the lives of several of his best
horses.
After being carried into n room in the
old hotel at Independence Aubrey lay
for 4S hours in dead stupOr before he
came TO his senses. He would never
have recovered from the shock had it
not been for his wonderful constitu-
ton. The feat was unanimously re-
garded by western men as the greatest
exhibition of strength and endurance
ever known on the plains.
The ride of Jim Moore, a noted from
lltlSllldil u tllt lllOuttI hdNS, Is dlSO
worthy of mention. Moore was man
of almost perfect physique. In fact, by
military standards he was a model.
He weighed 100 pounds. stood > feet 10
inches, straight as an arrow, with good
neck well set on his shoulders, small
waist, but good loins, and had the limbs
of Il thoroughbred. No finer looking
man physically ever rode n bronchO
than Jim Moore. He could run like an
Indian. was as active as n panther, the
best natured man in the world, but as
courageous as 4 lion.
In the early sixties Moore was a pony
express rider. His route was from
Midway station, half way between
Fort Kearney and Cottonwood Springs,
to Julesburg, a distance of 14O miles.
Moore rode the round trip of $50 miles
once 4 week. The stations were from
10 to II miles apart, and a fresh horse
of Spanish blood was obtained at each
station. There was little delay in these
changes of horses, as the rider gave the
coyote yelT' half a mile away, and,
day or night, the station men had the
pony ready. so that the rider had only
TO dismount from one horse and mount
the other, and with a dig of the spurs
he was on 4 run again. This ride of
40 miles usually was made in - hours.
On each route there were two express
riders, one going each way. As easy as
it may seem To some for n man To be-
stride fresh horse after horse for 40
miles. there were few men able to
stand up to it.
Upon the occasion of which I am to
ailing, and Moore was anticipating and
dreading that he might have to double
the route. In this anticipation he real
lied that there is a time limit to endur-
ance, and therefore he gave the bron-
chos a little more of the steel than
usual and made the trip to Julesburg
in II hours. Arriving at Julesburg, he
had his fears confirmed. His partner
was in bed. He had hoped that he
might have n few hours for rest. but
before he had time TO dismount and
stretch his cramped and tired muscles
the coyote yell' of the east going rid
er was heard.
He drank some cold coffee, filled his
pocket with cold meat and was in the
saddle again for another 40 mile ride.
In order to be able to live the route out
he sent them for all there was in them,
with the result that he arrived at Mid
way. after having ridden $50 miles. in
90 hours from the time he had left
there. Ben Holiday gave him gold
watch and Il certificate of his remark
able performance. Many of the old
frontiersmen now living knew Moore,
knew of his $50 mile ride in 30 hours
and have seen the watch and certifi- ]
cate-Spirit of the Times.
- -,7-,noo